Musky Shop Northwoods Fishing Report: Early April

Musky Shop Northwoods Fishing Report: Early April

James Stewart April 05, 2024

Hello From the Musky Shop,

We hope all of you are doing well and gearing up for the fishing season. Perhaps some of you are already fishing as fishermen in the lower Midwest, South, and Southeast areas of the country are already fishing. Here in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, we have some open water but many lakes are still partially ice-covered or completely ice-covered. We had an early spring starting for a couple of weeks but then we had a weather shift and many lakes iced up again. It looks like we have some warmer weather on the way and most if not all of the lakes in the Minocqua area should open up.

There have been a few people fishing on the lakes that are open. In fact, I saw a boat on Minocqua Lake a couple of days ago and the guys were out there for several hours, so I assume they were catching some fish. It's legal to fish for panfish and bass in Oneida and Vilas counties however you cannot keep bass until mid-June.

When you get out on the lakes for panfish or bass, it will be key to try and find the warmest water most likely the north end of lakes and bays as they will warm up sooner and most species of fish will concentrate in those areas as they prepare to spawn. One can catch some really nice pre-spawn fish during early ice out. Try to target any type of structure such as down timber, sand, gravel areas, and even rock as they will hold warmth from the sun. If you can find any weeds in those areas that will be good as well. We have a huge selection of bass and panfish baits on our website. Please check the link Bass-Walleye-Pike as many of the baits you will see are very good selections for early-season fishing.

If you are planning a trip to the Minocqua area and need a little direction you might consider hiring a guide for a day or two. Our guide staff members have openings and would be thrilled to take you out and catch some fish. Please contact our guide staff manager Jodie as she will be happy to book a trip for you. Phone: 715-513-7700 or email: themuskyshop@gmail.com

Please feel free to stop by the Musky Shop or contact us for any of your fishing needs as we are fully stocked with everything you might need including fresh live bait.  Please let us know if we can serve you as it would be our pleasure.

On a side note, mark your calendars for Saturday, July 20th as we will have our fourth annual Musky Bash. This is an event you will not want to miss. During the Musky Bash one can learn a lot by talking about Musky fishing with many of the manufacturers, and fishing professionals from the industry, and take advantage of some great savings from sales promos we will have as well. To me, this is one of the most fun days of the year. It's nothing but talking and learning, about everything muskies plus some great deals in a fun outdoor setting, you don't want to miss it.

Well, that's it for this time around, please let us know if we can be of service to you as it will be our pleasure.

God Bless and Good Fishing, Jim Stewart

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