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

Overall fishing on the Madison Chain has been outstanding the past few days! Despite the boat traffic and heat there is plenty of solid action from lots of different species. Here's the scoop on what has been working and what it has been working on! Hard to beat a day of chasing big bull gills in the shallows The panfish bite on Lake Monona and Waubesa has been excellent with a mixed bag of everything from bluegills and pumpkinseeds, to crappies and perch. They are hitting ju

Spring is officially here in Madison and with it, spring fishing! Although the bite hasn't been easy in some cases it certainly feels good to be chasing big fish again! Here is what has been going on here on the Madison Chain! Lake Mendota Water temperature is key this time of year. Find the warmest water, find the fish. Lake Mendota has been very dirty as result of an early cold-water algae bloom. Due to the dirty water, temps have been slightly higher on Mendota than the re

With summer finally upon us in the Madison area fishing is in full swing. Here's a quick breakdown of what is going on where, and how to get bit! Walleyes Walleyes have been primarily active towards dusk and after dark on both lakes Mendota and Waubesa (not much going on out on Monona). Trolling shallow running crankbaits over weeds at 2mph in 3 to 11 feet of water has been the best pattern. Stick style baits such as Rapala Husky Jerks (size 10-12) and Storm Thundersticks hav

With so many brands, sizes, and actions of rods on the market it can be difficult to know which one to choose. Vexan fishing (by Tackle Industries) offers a line of technique specific Crappie rods at a competitive price. From the high density EVA grips to the well balanced blanks these rods are pretty sweet. Lets take a closer look. It seems that with Crappie fishing less is more and more is more: a tight, compact package can be key to getting in tight spots while longer rods

The panfish bite continues as we move closer to game fish opener here in the next few weeks. Shallow bays are holding the most fish, with the majority of fish being taken in 4 to 6 feet of water. Light spinning tackle rigged with Rocket Bobbers and small jigs tipped with Berkley Gulp Angleworms and 1" Fish Fry are killer, with actual fly fishing flies such as the Prince Nymph and Hair's Ear Nymph fished below a bobber are working great for big Bluegills. An Eagle Claw 1/32oz

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

With current water temps in the low 80's the bite across Madison has been, generally speaking, "deep" in most cases. That said, with the water still over the 80 degree mark it is important to remember to lay off the Muskies, at least until the temps drop below 80. Even though the big toothy guys are "off limits" there are still plenty of opportunities to put a lot of fish in the boat all over Madison. Panfish, especially Bluegills, have been caught consistently in deep water

Here we find ourselves a week into the 2016 Wisconsin game fish season. Currently the weather is making patterning fish somewhat difficult, however fish are certainly biting. Panfish, particularly bluegills and crappies are moving in large numbers to shallow bays and channels. Crappie minnows, small fathead minnows, and Berkley Gulp 1" minnows have been hot rigged under a slip bobber. With water temps beginning to get into the mid to high 50's bass are beginning to bed up on

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