It has been a hot minute since posting a fishing report (mostly due to technical difficulties) but we are back! This spring has been a roller coaster of weather changes making fishing somewhat interesting. That said, here is what has been going on in our area and on the Green Bay system too! With gamefish closed on the Madison Chain (and other inland waters excluding the larger rivers) we have been on the Wisconsin River getting our walleye fix. With the high water we have ha

Trolling with lead core line is a pretty old school tactic that few anglers seem to really know much about. The name itself, "Lead Core" is fairly self explanatory. It is just that, braided line with a lead wire core which results in the line sinking and taking with it whatever lure you put on the end of it. That said lead core is specifically used to get lures that do not dive very deep to run much deeper without adding in line or clip on weights. Makes sense, right? As far

Here in the Midwest we tend to associate trolling with game fish like walleye and muskies; seldom do we ever consider panfish. Sure, every once in a while you may hook a White Bass or Crappie with eyes seemingly bigger than its stomach, but that's about the extent of your contact with panfish. Well, what if you downsized your tackle to specifically target those panfish? Would it work? Madison Angling Experience Guide Dustin Murphy with a spring Crappie Trolling for Crappies i

Want to catch some fat fall walleye? Want to learn how to do it on your own from shore? We have just the thing! The Madison Angling Experience is now offering evening fall shore walleye fishing guided trips! A Lake Mendota Walleye that fell for the "death pause"- Guide Noah Humfeld Our trips are 3 hours long (or longer depending on the bite) during which time you will learn the most productive techniques for targeting fall walleye, how to locate them, as well as how to be eff

Fishing has been absolutely fantastic all around Madison this past week. The bite has been primarily game fish (walleye, muskies, pike, and bass), however panfish have been found in large schools anywhere from 15 to 25 feet of water. Water temperatures are finally into the 60 degree and below range which means the feed bags are being put on until ice up. Chunky first ever Muskie caught on Lake Monona with a Flap Tail. Naturally the muskie bite has been stellar with lots of fi

Today I had the privilege and honor of guiding for an incredible organization called Take A Vet Fishing. This organization is all about a day of giving back to those who have served in our military by taking them out for a fun day on the water. No worries, no stress, just fishing and enjoying each others companionship. This event was launched out of Babcock Park in McFarland on Lake Waubesa and hosted over 150 veterans out of 78 boats, with the TMAE pontoon as part of the fie

Currently: We went out Saturday morning to the HWY 113 bridge to try again for some spring time catfish. We showed up for a few hours and were only able to entice a decent sized white bass into eating a night crawler on a catfish rod and rig. The weather was gloomy, and definitely did not help the quality of the bite. Panfish continue to be seen in the channels and shallow bays, with Largemouth bass starting to really populate these warm water structure areas. The channels

The bite continues to be holding in warm, shallow water around Madison. Live bait, particularly crappie minnows have been producing larger fish, however wax worms and Gulp have also been working well on small jigs. Crappies have been holding tight to structure such as boat lifts, docks, stumps and rocks. The game fish have also been more active in the last week, so should you accidentally catch one, be sure to release it immediately. Good luck and tight lines! Below you will

Most people have probably never even heard of lead core. No, it’s not a new genera of death metal, nor is it a new type of ammunition. Lead core is an old-school trick that is vastly underutilized in this day and age, but can produce when the going gets tough. So, let’s get into why fishing with lead core should be something to keep in your back pocket! The main idea behind using lead core line is to let the line itself sink, enabling whatever lure you are trolling with to re

Well, I’ll just go ahead and say it: if you are serious about walleye fishing, you should be serious about trolling. However, common amongst many anglers is a sense of apprehension about trolling. There are so many factors that play into piecing together the perfect presentation, and it can seem overwhelming at times. One of the most important parts of any modern walleye trolling setup is inline planer boards. At first glance they may seem intimidating, but in time you will l