Chetek Chain Of Lakes Current Fishing Report From Steve Sedani Licensed Wisconsin Fishing Guide

February 2, 2012

Persistent anglers are finding the walleyes biting in the mid afternoon hours1-4pm occasionally and into the evening hours the past week or so. Anglers fishing for northern pike in the daytime are getting a surprise when they take their afternoon flags. They are finding a walleye on their hook instead of a pike. An that’s a nice surprise! Anglers fishing for panfish have also had some afternoon surprises on the end of their jig sticks with an occasional walleye cruising the area taking a’likin to their bait and waxie and a fun fight on the light line they use .These are just a few of the reasons why fishing is fun. Once you put a hook and line in the water any fish of any size can bite on your hook at any time. That is the suspense anglers live for trip after trip to their favorite lakes.

Northern pike anglers are finding the pike to be biting quite good along the weed edges located in the bays and on the smaller lakes with feeder creeks feeding water to Chetek chain of lakes. Now until the end of the tip-up season (first of March) is a good time to fish for big northern pike to put one on a wall mount by taxidermist. The weed edges can be good because they and other fish follow these like we follow roads to get to and from destinations. Shinners and sucker minnows work well for bait on your tip-ups and fish them at different depths until you figure which depth is best where they see your bait at and attack it.

Panfishing anglers are finding the bluegills and crappies to be puzzling. One day you get a bunch and the next you find them hardly biting. Keep fishing and keep on the move. You may have to hole hop more than usual picking up a fish or two from each hole. Also change your jigs occasionally and give them something else to choose from. Most anglers around the chain are finding the gills in 12-16ft of water. The crappies are in the same depths but more in the early evening hours and into the nighttime where the anglers are using crappie minnows instead of a waxie or silver wiggler.

Now that there is more ice for safe travel on the lakes this brings more people traveling on the lakes and fishing the lakes at different times of the days and night. And there is becoming more and more litter on the lakes. Beer cans, pop cans, plastic and glass bottles, pizza boxes, food wrappers, etc. These things do not belong laying on the ice after people have brought these items out for their consumption and left the empty containers as litter. This is a disgusting thing to see on the surface of white snow covering our lakes and shows total disrespect of our waters and natural resources. Please pick up after yourselves. You bring it to the lake, you take it home with you to dispose of properly. It’s not that hard to do.

Good luck to all anglers fishing the Chetek chain of lakes.