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

As proper fall temperatures return to the region, the fall bite here in Madison is about to get underway. With the hopes of cool weather and cooling water in the coming weeks, we can expect some of the best fishing of the year right around the corner. Here are my top producers for the past couple of weeks here on the Madison Chain. Walleyes have been in what seems to be a transitional period between their typical summer behavior and their fall movements. Smaller fish have bee

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

Cool days and even cooler nights mark the changing of the seasons. With Halloween over and Thanksgiving around the corner now is the time to take advantage of some oaf the best walleye fishing of the year here in Madison. The best part; you don't even need a boat. Do I have your attention? Good. (Labidesthes sicculus: Brook Silverside Minnow) (Notemigonus crysoleucas: Golden Shiner) With the cooling water temps forage species such as Golden Shiners and Brook Silversides (pict

FINALLY, fall is upon us! The leaves are turning, people are headed to the woods bow hunting, and the rest of us are enjoying the lack of boat traffic here in Madison. "What is biting and what are they biting" you may be asking. Well lets get right into it. TMAE Client Brooke with a nice Lake Monona Muskie caught on Sunday With water temps finally under 65 degrees the "fall feed bag" is now being put on by just about everything that swims in the Madison Chain. This has been e

Fishing highly pressured waters such as the Madison Chain can prove difficult at times. This is especially true when chasing trophy muskies. Generally speaking, using a lure or presentation that is different than anything the fish have seen before can be the key to success when other presentations aren't producing as well. In this product review we will be looking at the Lee Lures Flap Tail. This bait has been producing LOTS of fish on the Madison Chain and given its design a

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