Lodi Wisconsin Fishing | Lodi Valley News

Fishing Has No Boundaries and the Take an Adult Fishing Event

Rating 3.00 out of 5

Nice Smallmouth Bass

Lodi, WI Wisconsin
7/14/2009

This past weekend was the fourteenth annual Fishing Has No Boundaries (FHNB) event for physically challenged and disabled individuals. FHNB was started in 1986 in Hayward, Wisconsin and now has over two dozen chapters nationally in 23 states. There are Wisconsin chapters in; Hayward, Eagle River, UW-Oshkosh, Chippewa Valley, Madison, and Fond du Lac.

Fishing Has No Boundaries took over Governor Nelson State Park with almost 100 participants and over 300 volunteers who are the one’s who make this great event possible. The participants pay a nominal fee with a portion of the fee going to the national organization for the development of new chapters. The disabled anglers get two days of fishing and fun on the water with experienced guides and anglers, boats and pontoons that can accommodate wheelchairs, bait, boxed lunches and beverages for two days, adaptive fishing gear for those who need it, safe dock loading, FHNB hats and T-shirts, and fish cleaning. After Saturdays fishing, the Yahara Fishing Club puts on its fabulous fish fry for all the participants and volunteers using many of the fish caught that day. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

Hanson's 52" Madison Chain Muskie

Lodi, WI Wisconsin
6/30/2009
by Gary Engberg
©2009 Gary Engberg Outdoors

Understand Fish Movement Through the Seasons for Success

Last week’s hot weather has raised local water temperatures to mid summer temperatures of 75 to 80 degrees. The warmer water has allowed all fish species to finish their spawning and recuperate for the rigors of this annual ritual. Even the last fish to spawn (largemouth, catfish, bluegills, and sunfish) are recovered and feeding heavily in local lakes and rivers.

What warm water, weed growth, and post spawn fish when all put together mean that fish are active, aggressive, and hungry. The metabolism of fish has been raised and most fish must regularly feed just to maintain their weight. The young fish of the year are trying not to be eaten themselves while feeding non-stop for their own growth. If you can now find fish, they should be willing biters! Read more »

Tips, Tactics and Tuesdays with Wally Banfi

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Wally Banfi

Spring River Walleyes

If your like me, you can’t wait to quit drilling hole in the ice to catch fish, and want to start casting your favorite rod & reel combo in search of spring walleye’s & saugers. We are lucky to live in the Sauk Prairie area where good fishing is just a short dive away!

The Wisconsin River winds its way slowly down from the Wisconsin Dells Dam, approximately 27 miles down to the mouth of Lake Wisconsin. Lake Wisconsin is basically a man-made lake. It was built in 1909 and flooded in 1919. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

Lodi WI-4/2/09

by Gary Engberg

©2009 Gary Engberg Outdoors

I’ve been writing about the inconsistent weather this spring; with temperatures up and down, strong winds from the east and north, and the snow that we got over the weekend. These factors coupled with cold water that has been hovering from the upper 30’s to the 40 degree mark have prevented consistent walleye and sauger action in the Wisconsin River and the upper reaches of Lake Wisconsin.

Hardy and persistent anglers have been getting their fish, but overall most fishing has been hot and mostly cold. The Wisconsin River is at a good level with a couple of gates open and creating a good river flow that should help fishing. The rain of last week, the snow over the weekend, and the slow melt of snow and ice from northern Wisconsin all are contributing to the increased flow. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Gary Engberg

©2009 Gary Engberg Outdoors

It’s That Time of Year!

This past weekend was beautiful with temperatures in the high 50’s and pushing the 60 degree mark in parts of southern Wisconsin. The next few days of this week are supposed to be more of the same with temperatures in the 60’s and sunny skies. So, I believe that the forecast for the coming week will warm the Wisconsin River waters sufficiently to get the walleyes and sauger spawning or very close to laying their eggs. Walleyes will normally spawn when the water temperature is in the 42 to 45 degree mark. You must also realize that walleyes will not all spawn the same day. The spawning period may last anywhere from a week to ten days. There are other factors that also affect when walleyes spawn and reproduce and those variables include; the number of male fish, some water current or flow to oxygenate the eggs that the females drop, a desirable location which preferably has a marble-sized rock and gravel bottom content, and then most importantly the water temperature. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

[ratings]

by Gary Engberg

©2009 Gary Engberg Outdoors

The month of March has turned out to be “typical” for this time of the year with temperatures one day near 60 degrees and then a few days later snow and cold. Winter is still trying to hold on and spring is already showing its signs. Recently, I’ve seen geese that are migrating north and not the hardy ones that stay around the open water in the Wisconsin River most of the winter. I’ve also seen robins and cranes locally who probably wish that they’d stayed south another week or two after seeing Sunday’s snow and ice.

But, the one sure sign of spring is the walleye anglers who are heading our way to fish for walleyes and saugers below the many dams on the Wisconsin River. Anglers have been fishing below the dams at Prairie du Sac and Wisconsin Dells for a couple of weeks with good success. Though water temperatures are still in the 30’s, there are active fish in both the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers (Genoa and Dresbach). Besides here and the Dells, there also is open-water fishing happening at the Wausau/Stevens Point area and the Nekoosa Dam both on the Wisconsin River. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Gary Engberg

©2009 Gary Engberg Outdoors

Shad, Sheds, and Saugers

Shad

Most anglers in the southern half of Wisconsin know that gizzard shad are one of the main forage fish in the Mississippi River, Wisconsin River, Lake Wisconsin, and many more of the states waters. The shad are not considered an invasive species, but they are not native to our northern waters and thus very sensitive to colder water. Every fall when the water temperatures drop into the 40’s and 30’s gizzard shad have a major die-off and can be found dying in the shallow water and covering the shorelines on many rivers and lakes.
Living on the Lower Wisconsin River, I have grown accustomed to this annual ritual after observing it for over two decades. But, this fall was the first year that I can remember when there were no visible signs of the shad on the Wisconsin River or neighboring Lake Wisconsin. The gizzard shad is also one of the main food sources for the eagle population that winter in the Sauk Prairie area. Shad are easy pickings for the eagles and these protein rich fish help the bald eagle get through the tough Wisconsin winters. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Gary Engberg

Farm Ponds Can Be a Hidden Bonanza

This winter, I’ve had a chance to fish some Wisconsin farm ponds in Dane, Columbia, and Sauk Counties. These ponds are often under-fished and can provide some great winter ice fishing opportunities for bluegills, crappies, and even largemouth bass. Read my story and column this week to get in on the action!

Anglers who live in agricultural areas in the Midwest are often familiar with farm ponds since they are relatively common and many of us have grown up fishing these kinds of waters. Ponds are found in much of Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest states of Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan. Many of these ponds are natural having been formed by underground springs and dammed creeks. But, most ponds have been dredged or dug by the owners of the land for their own recreation and wildlife habitat. The best ways to find these ponds are: Read more »

Tips, Tactics and Tuesdays with Wally Banfi

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Wally Banfi, Pro fishing guide

This has been a good year for ice-fishing on our area lakes. The extreme cold temperatures we’ve had has provided us with good thick ice this year on most area waters.

Bluegills are one of the most sought after fish during the winter. Why? Because they usually are aggressive biters and can be found in most lakes..and they are “tasty” and make for a great Friday night fish fry! During the early 1st-ice period of the season, we usually target the shallow bays of the lake; we are fishing in 6’ of water or less. The bluegills we find at this time on “early ice” usually co-operate very well. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Gary Engberg

This past weekend with temperatures above freezing and the sun shining brightly local residents were out in mass at the Crystal Lake Fisheree. The annual event had over 275 participants according to Dave Haack, one of the local organizers. Schoepp’s Cottonwood Club was the site of this event which was put on by owner, Dave Frosch. Dave did a wonderful job in putting this ice fishing extravaganza together with great prizes, raffles, and good food and refreshments. Any monies raised will be put to good use in many ways that all will benefit the general public. There’s always fish to be stocked, children’s fishing events, and the on-going flooding and rising water at Crystal Lake. Read more »

River Currents

Rating 3.00 out of 5

by Gary Engberg

Lately, it’s been difficult to talk about anything but the cold weather. Last week felt great with the moderating temperatures that blessed us for a few days! I was out ice fishing locally on Crystal Lake and it was so nice that you could even have your coat open and your gloves off. I’ll tell you a little more about that later in this column, but first I want to relate what a great day I had this past Sunday viewing wildlife around my Wisconsin River home and the Sauk, Columbia, and Dane Counties. The lower gas prices are allowing me to do my normal rural traveling looking for wildlife and taking photos. When gasoline was over $4.00 per gallon I couldn’t afford to drive as much. Read more »