Anybody who fishes the Madison Chain knows that spring means giant Channel Catfish on Lake Mendota. They are big, fight like crazy, and typically easy to catch. You can catch them from a boat or from shore, day or night. That said these fish do at times get a little finiky, so here are the go-to's for baits and rigs for targeting these big old kitties. Hungry pre-spawn Madison Cat caught on a piece of Bluegill The vast majority of the time we utilize cut bait presentations in

This past Saturday, April 23, was the 20th Annual Spring Fling tournament hosted at Lakeside Bar and Grill on Lake Wisconsin. There were a total of 56 boats. 1-7th place was paid, and 8th place won a big pack of baits. The weather was warm, sunny, and relatively calm for this time of year on Lake Wisconsin. With such a great turn out the weigh in was one of the biggest in recent history. I was able to bounce around with my GoPro documenting the event at all stages. I was e

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

The panfish bite is hot in shallow bays and the backs of creeks and channels. Some popular areas include the channel off of Squaw Bay, right across from Winnequaw park. There is a parking lot right next to the channel holding fish. It fills up quickly, but overflow parking is available on the street. Live bait (minnows and worms) are producing the most fish. If you prefer to use artificial baits, crappie tubes (black/white, blue/white) and gulp baits are producing fish as

Springtime is by far my most favorite time of the year to fish. You get to go outside after being cooped up for months, use a normal sized fishing rod, and catch some of the biggest fish of the year. One species that is popularly targeted in the springtime, particularly on river systems where you can legally target them all year is the Northern Pike. Yeah, I’m a walleye guy by trade, but I love all fish with teeth! Pike generally spawn right away at first ice out and occasion