Midwinter fishing patterns are starting to Prevail on Chequamegon Bay, and in the Apostle Islands. Fishing in the shallower waters of the bay has slowed down a bit, there are still some fish being caught but overall guys are having to really work for them.

Finesse tactics, and a lot of hole hopping has been landing some Splake, Cohos, Whitefish, and Browns along the channel edges. The mudflat between Ashland and Washburn has seen some Walleye and Northern action right on the bottom, but it has been slow.

From Washburn north there has been a mixed bag of splake, browns, lakers, whitefish, and some eelpout being caught near the bottom, and quite a few herring and Coho suspended right under the ice. Many people are "bobbing" for lakers and a few whitefish in the islands. The ice thickness is highly variable from about 4 to 10 inches, depending on where you go. The south channel area from the Sioux and Onion, up to Pikes Bay, is still the thinnest ice around. Machine travel is not recommended in this area. In the islands there are some horrendous patches of pack ice making travel in some spots very hard. Lake trout fishing has been pretty good in 90-150 FOW around Oak, Basswood, and Hermit Islands.  

Inland lakes are still doing about the same all across the Chequamegon Nat'l Forest in the Iron River, Delta area. Northern have been biting the best, on smelt, or golden shiner rigged tip-ups on the shallow weedy lakes. Many people are catching gills in the shallow waters on waxies and teardrops. Crappie fishing has become an evening affair with many fish suspended over deeper water.  Walleye fishing on the Pike Chain, Owen, Namekagon, and the other big lakes continues to be good at the usual dawn and dusk feeding times over shallow water structure.

Report courtesy of www.outdoorallure.com