Weather: Another chilly week here in Madison. Of course that’s great for making ice but to be honest I’m kinda getting burned out on the cold. The good news is this weekend looks great with temps in the 20s and that extends through next week so that’s going to feel like shorts weather compared to what we’ve had the last two weeks or so!

Ice Conditions: As far as ice conditions go, this cold has made LOTS of ice and generally speaking we should be good to go across the Madison Chain so my ice reports will be a lot shorter! That being said, the DNR always says, and I agree, that no ice is 100% safe so always use caution no matter where you fish. I know this can be a lot to ask of some folks but use your eyes and a little common sense and you’ll be fine. LIke I’ve been doing, I’m going to start at the top of the chain and talk about ice, then loop back to talk about fishing.

I’m going to be overly cautious and say there is anywhere from 10-12 inches across the entire lake. I heard 11″ in the west basin but that was all open water just 2 weeks ago. The east basin held onto its ice through the warm up and I’ve heard anywhere from 12 to as much as 18 inches in some parts. I haven’t heard about any nasty cracks or heaves but I bet that will change once things start to warm up and the ice expands. Of course always use caution in areas where there’s any current like where the Yahara comes in, Marshall Lagoon Narrows, Spring Harbor and Tenney Locks. Also, if you know of any heaves, cracks or otherwise sketchy areas please post in the comments below but generally speaking Mendota is good to go!

Same deal on Monona. Brian Zubke was running around out there yesterday and say he had 12-16″ pretty much everywhere. Areas to use caution would be where the Yahara dumps in, and where it goes out in Wiicawak, and maybe be careful off John Nolen where that mysterious open hole was before everything melted. Not sure what’s going on there. Brian also said there is a heave running from the Law Park area SE to Turville Point.

I’ve heard anywhere from 12-16″ on Waubesa. Always be careful near the trestle on the north end and around Babcock.

Basically the same thing on Kegonsa. Always be careful near the Fish Camp Launch where the Yahara comes in and near Pleasant Springs launch where the lake dumps back out.

Mendota: Cherokee folks have been getting good numbers of Gills with a bonus Crappie here and there but LOTS of small fish so you have to do quite a bit of sorting to get a 10 fish limit. Also good tip-up action up there for mostly smaller Pike and the occasional Bass.

North Bay has been getting a few mostly smaller Pike and Walleye.

I haven’t heard anything off Marshall Lagoon or Spring Harbor in a while.

With this cold I haven’t heard from anyone fishing Perch out deep and the few people I’ve talked to are finding good action on tipups on most mid-lake humps and areas with a steep break near a shallow flat.

Warner Bay has had pretty good tip up action for mostly small Pike and maybe a Walleye close to dark.

Monona: Same thing on Monona. Not a lot of folks out this last week. I know Brian Zubke was out looking for Perch yesterday and it didn’t go well.

Over to Monona Bay, the south Triangle action has been hit or miss and the North Triangle has also been quiet. Folks are blaming that on all the noise happening with the construction on John Nolen.

Of course it can vary from day to day but for the most part people continue to have great action for Gills in Monona Bay with a Crappie here and there. It does sound like the size of the fish may be dwindling a bit but most folks I talk to have been getting fish mostly on the Brittingham Park side of the bay. Also decent action for Bass and Pike.

Waubesa: I’ve heard some good reports for Gills and Crappie out of the dredge hole with good action for mostly smaller Pike and LMB on tip-ups in the shallow weeds along the perimeter.

Lake Farm has been producing some decent panfish but depends on the day. Tip-up action has also been pretty good over there for Pike during the day with some Walleye being picked up near dark.

I haven’t heard if the bite on the south end of the lake is still going on but they were getting good panfish down there before the warm up. I’ve heard about some Crappie and Walleye in the Bible Camp area and last weekend the guys fishing the Kicker Cup were getting a nice mixed bag of fish off Rockford Heights.

Kegonsa: Remember there is the fisharee going on all day Saturday so if you don’t like crowds, maybe find somewhere else to fish. But for the folks that will be out, I’ve heard about some decent, but spotty action for Gills in the weeds on the South end of the lake. I know folks are running around on ATVs looking for Perch but success rates vary. I have heard about some spotty Walleye action in the Williams Point area.

Area Rivers: Not much happening on rivers in the winter but it is fun to explore the many backwater sloughs along the Wisconsin River in the winter time but do be careful as changes in water levels and springs can make for varying conditions. The fishing typically isn’t as good as you might find right here in Madison but sometimes it’s just nice to get out of town and explore some cool natural areas you might not be able to access the rest of the year.

Trout: It’s been too cold to fish for them the last two weeks but early Inland Trout Season is open and of course that means only artificial lures may be used and all fish need to be immediately released. Like I said, things are supposed to warm up but I’m not sure we’ll see the temps we need to melt the ice covering most streams in our area.

If you do get out, no matter what you’re using, slow and low is the name of the game in the winter and generally speaking this time of year your bite window runs from about 10-2:00 on a good day.