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

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

Finding a good spot to fish on the Wisconsin River can seem like a daunting task. There is an overwhelming amount of fishable shore along the 420 miles of riverway. While there is a decent chance to catch fish anywhere, there are certain places to look for where the fish will be larger and the bite will most likely be much stronger. Sauk Dam (pictured above) holds large numbers of Muskies, Walleye, and Bass First off, if you have the chance to fish near a major structure like

Let's face it, there are some days that you just seem to miss almost every bite you get. Even the most savage of bites that nearly tear the rod out of your hand, the kind that are almost always an automatic catch just seem to never get hooked. Your hook is sharp, your spring bobber is set perfectly, the moon and stars are aligned...yet you just can't seem to stay hitched up to half the fish that bite. What's going on? You tie on multiple different jigs in hopes that one will

Although the temperatures have been nearly intolerable, the fishing in and around Madison has been pretty decent for those brave enough to venture out into the cold. Despite holes freezing up and horrible wind, the panfish bite has remained consistent with most fish being taken in 8 to 10 feet of water over both sand and weed bottoms. The larger fish (particularly bluegill) have been taken right at dark on black as well as chartreuse tungsten jigs tipped with wax worms and Be

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

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

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

Summer is officially here, and with it come warm water temps and that signature "green" Madison water. With these warm water temperatures the fishing has been fairly decent. Panfish action has been hot as the spawn continues on both lakes Waubesa and Monona. Simple slip bobber rigs with live or artificial baits have been on fire, as well as utilizing less conventional tactics such as fly fishing. Bass action has been fantastic with the majority of fish coming off the spawn lo