ARIENS POND, Calumet Co.
I was out to Ariens Pond twice this weekend. Once on 4/28 and then again on 4/30. I was fishing in the SW corner of the pond. I was getting bass, nice blugills, and a stray crappie. The gills were all nice sized, one was over 9in. The bass were all around 12in. I was using minnows. The fishing was a lot better on 4/28 than on 4/30 for some reason, but both days I was out in the afternoon. A few weeks ago they were killing the crappies there. I probably won't fish here a whole lot more, off to the lakes to get the boat out. JB

BULLHEAD LAKE, Manitowoc Co.
5/7/00 Me and two friends went out to Bullhead and we fished the shallows on the north and south ends. The gills are starting to go into the shallows some. We ended up with about 12 keepers. One of which was like a 9 1/2 in gill. It was quite a pig. We were just using plain old red worms, except the big gill, that one was got on a minnow.
5/12/00
I was out here at about 6pm. First we fished straight across the lake by the pontoons, got some nice female gills and 2 crappies. Went to the NE corner by the other pontoons and got 2 more keepers. I think that the males must already be on the beds, and the females are holding on the deep weedlines. This cold weather should keep them there too.
5/14/00
Me and a friend went out to Bullhead for gills and crappies. We did pretty well I think. We missed a lot though. We were fishing kind of the NW shoreline. I the crappies would take waxies and minnows. It seemed to help if you had a teardrop jig on.
5/15/00
I was out again tonight at the same spot I was last night. The action seemed to be a bit slower. I got like 10 crappie and a pig gill.
5/16/00
The bite has come to a screeching halt. Only 2 crappies tonight. It was COLD on the water tonight with a NE wind. That is usually enough to turn the fish off.
5/19&20/00
I was out both of these days fishing the south end in about ten feet of water. The crappies really aren't concentrated in any one spot, they just are spread out all over there. You best bet is just to got out in the evening and sit in one spot, or go out in the morning and just drift over that whole area. I have heard of people catching tons of crappie in certain spots, but I haven't been able to find them.
5/21/00
It was a windy night and the crappies were uncooperative and not in the south end anymore. So I went to my old faithful spot in the NE corner by the houses for big gills. I got some but the action was not constant. I was fishing in like 12 feet and was using a falls minnow, but waxies work.
6/2/00
Fishing was not good this night. Bites were few and far between. I don't know why.
6/8/00
Fair fishing continues. We got like 5 gills and 5 crappies that were keepers. There wasn't one spot that we really killed them at. If there was any hot spot it was the SE area. I hope to get out to that spot this weekend, maybe tomorrow night.

COLLINS MARSH, Manitowoc Co.
(6/30/00) Was out fishing on the marsh in search of pike and perch. No pike (didn't fish to hard for them), and no perch, just bullheads. After we docked the canoe we went below the dam. Nothing much, but I did get one bluegill.

EAST TWIN RIVER, Manitowoc Co. in and near Mishicot
9/30/00
Time: 6:15am
Conditions: cool and calm
Bait: spawn sac and ear plugs
The Salmon really weren't running up in great numbers yet. We managed to get one though. We fished on the east side of town and a little SE of town.
10/14/00
Conditions: warm and partly sunny
Bait: Spawn Sacs
We got there right at 6:30am when season opened and that made all the difference. We got like four fish all morning. One was small and the other 3 were ok in size. I was so glad that we got there early. By 9:00am the place was packed and all of the salmon seemed to dissappear. So if you want to go out, get out early. I would say that the run is at about 75%.

LAKE EAU CLAIRE, Eau Claire Co.
I was there the June 24 & 25th weekend, and also the weekend before. The main attraction was big crappies. The first weekend we got a few over a foot. But the next was better. One night we got one 11.5", two footers, and one 13&3/8". We got other decent ones also, but those were the pigs. We were fishing on the edge of the river channel right where it comes into the lake from the east (opposite of dam side). It was in like 2 0r 3 feet of water, right on the edge of the pads. The big ones don't start hitting until it is dusky.
I have also been to the lake now on 2 weekends in August. The fishing is generally slow. The last time we went out we did get some fish though that were nice. We got two legal walleyes and a foot long crappies. We also got lots of perch. My advice would be to find any dropoff and fish off the drop, or right on the edge of the flat. We like the one around the bend by the public landing. If you look off the public landing and look right there is a bend in the shoreline. All you have to do is look around that bend and there will be a big bay like area. There are two large flats in that area, they usually produce.

LAKE JOANIS, Portage Co.
Ah, Joanis. I have been slowly pegging the crappies here. I was out last week getting a few in the NW corner of the lake, but as of 4/24/00 they have left that hole. I was out today 4/27/00 and found them in the NW area of the lake, it is like a shallow bay. I got them from like 8-dark. I was fishing right in middle of the bay, not on the sides. I was using minnows, the crappies were of all sizes, but mostly kind of small. The gills are already along the shore digging out nests, bass too. Hopefully in my last 2 weeks at Point I can get some more good fishing here. JB
5/01/00
I was out here again on tonight. I again fished the NE bay, and then I wandered into the NW corner also. I had minimal success in both places. I was surprised since I had done so well only 3 or 4 days before. Well I guess that is fishing for you. JB
5/02/00
I was out in the evening again. I got a few crappies, but the bass around the shorelines were really active. They were fun to catch. They really took the minnows. They were all 10-14in. Some of the gills around shore are not too bad in size.
5/4/00
I didn't really get out here till kind of late, and also I didn't have any real bait. I had to use a fake little minnow. It kind of worked though. I got a few gills and a crappie. (I missed a lot on the fake minnow also). I was again fishing in the NE bay of the lake. This may be the last time I fish Joanis till fall, we will see how finals week goes.
9/16/00
Time: 8:00pm
Bait used: minnows, fake and real
We only got one bluegill, but missed several, probably smaller ones. Not much happening.

LONG LAKE, Manitowoc Co.
5/16/00, I was not actually out here, but I was told by a friend that they are hammering the gills out here, I don't know about size though.

TUMA LAKE, Manitowoc Co.
5/12/00-- I got out here about 10:00, and was chased off early by a thunerstorm. I first tried the north shore for some bedding gills, I got two decent ones. The I tried some of the east shores--nothing. Then I tried the deeper weedline on the east end. There I got a really nice gill and then 2 min later I had to high tail it off the lake to beat the rain. I will be back.
5/26/00
I was out on this Friday afternoon with a friend. This fish seemed to be in the shallows. I tried the deep weedline but they were not there. Where we did have success was the North shoreline, we even got a crappie there.
5/29/00
The lake was packed and the fishing sucked. I think that I will give Tuma a break until post spawn, I know more where the fish are then.
8/31/00
I again fished the east "lobe" of the lake for gills. We were doing quite well before a storm came and we had to leave. The bluegills we were getting were of good size.

WISCONSIN RIVER, Portage Co.
We have had a few successful trips to the river so far this spring. We have fished the 2 dams in Point so far. At the first one (the pipe one) we have gotten some walleyes, none huge. Some nice crappies have been caught here, and also we have got some nice smallies in the pipe, but that was a while ago. I haven't fished here in like 2 weeks. At the second dam we have had better luck (the consalidated papers one, S of town). We have gotten a lot of walleye, but most small. It was fun anyway. I also got a 36" Muskie there 2 weeks ago, it was on my ultralight too. The last time I was there was 4/24/00.

WISCONSIN RIVER, near Bank 1 in Stevens Point (US Hwy 10 bridge)
9/03/00
Me and my roomate Mike went out at about 7:15 and came back at about 8:45. We got two small Walleyes, two Smallies (one was nice, like 14in), and one nice crappie. I also lost a big pike, it bit my line. I had it on for like 20 sec before it bit my ultralight line. I guess I will get him next time.
9/07/00
Time: 9:10pm - 10:10pm.
Conditions: Clear and warm.
Bait and setup: Bobbers and Walleye Minnows
Where Fished: Near shoreline.
Fish Caught: 1 walleye (small), 1 Rock Bass (decent).

WISCONSIN RIVER, the pipe by the railroad bridge
9/4/00
Me and Mike went out to fish the pipe. We got a good amount of small walleye, and also 2 nice Smallies. The highlight I think was my 13 or 14 inch crappie. We were just using a bobber and minnow. Some guys next to us got to catfish, one was like a 7 pounder.
9/18/00
Time: about 9:00pm
Bait: Minnows
Conditions: warm and partly cloudy
The highlights of this outing was a few crappies and one nice gill. The action was sporadic.
9/25/00
Time: about 9:00pm,
Bait: Minnows
Conditions: cool and calm
Me and Mike just got here when the people who were here were just leaving. They said that they had just killed the big crappies, and I believe them. But when we started fishing all we got were 2 crappies. It was getting real dark and I think that they were starting to shut off.
10/3/00
Time: about 7:00pm
Conditions: cool and rainy
Bait: Minnows and bobbers
It was deffinately more active here than it has been in a great while. I got like 4 walleyes and a smallie, but missed quite a bit. They walleye were small, but bigger than all of the last times. I think that they are getting bigger and that soon fishing here will be quite good.
10/09/00
Time: about 7:00
Conditions: Pleasant and partly cloudy
Bait: kind of large minnows on bobbers
The fishing was excellent. I missed many fish, but some of the walleyes I got were actually around the legal size. I must have got about 10 of them and missed as much. I also got some bonus fish. First of all I got a nice crappie. Then later I got like a 26" catfish. (I didn't really want that one). But then later I was working a little floating rapala and got a like 30" Northern right by shore. All in all it was a great night fishing.

WISCONSIN RIVER, below the dam at the Consolidated Papers plant
9/5/00
A good amount of Walleye action here but not anlything for size. We were using a bell sinker kind of setup with minnows. I did however have I think one nice one on.
9/25/00
Time: about 8:00pm
Conditions: cool and calm
Bait: Minnows on bell sinker setups.
Me and Mike fished here a bit, one small Walleye. Kind of a wasted trip, they had almost all the gates shut.

WISCONSIN RIVER BACKWATERS, near Casimir
5/03/00
I decided to try out the backwaters tonight. I heard that they are catching fish here. I was out at the "pond" that is past the bridge pond out of Casimir (west out of Casimir) I was fishing on the south side of the road. Out of my two hours of fishing I got 3 crappies, 2 bass, 2 perch, and 2 small pikes. A few misses too. The poeple bluegill fishing to my left and right on the shorelines were killing them. Too bad I had no worms. This is probably that last time I will be here, I go home 5/11. JB