The great challenges of Ice fishing on Lake Winnebago

By: Larry Smith

Growing up on Lake Winnebago, I have watched the ecosystem change over the years. When I was younger and used to fish on the lake with my dad, we didn’t even have an ice auger rather we used an ice spud, better known as the ice chisel that my Dad had fabricated at work. I remember that we were always out on Lake Winnebago by early December.  We always went out to my Dad’s favorite spot that he lined up by using landmarks, there was no such thing as GPS. Back then, the water was very stained. There were no gizzard shad in the system, and the main forage was trout perch, shiners, and yellow perch. Continue Reading →