Wissota?

[StCroixNewB]

so what's the ice like on Wissota? May get out there this weekend and wondering if the ice is thick enough to drive on (not walking far with this weather!!!).

Looking to try the area around the Chippewa River and/or Yellow River entrances...

[Cooter]

They've been driving out on Wissota the past week and a half or so on the little lake and state park areas - not sure about the Chipp R area.

[StCroixNewB]

thanks Cooter... I'll be out there with a blue GMC Yukon and older Cabela's suitcase portable...

[Cooter]

Any luck StCroix?

[StCroixNewB]

didn't make it out on the ice... got to Chippewa too late in the day and left on Sunday a.m. I did drill a few holes by the R&G Club, trying to find the cribs. Dropped the camera down but didn't see a thing.

[Cooter]

Do you know about the line of cribs they put in just west of the bridge/old bridge where the Chipp meets the lake? I haven't fished them yet but they put a bunch in a line a couple years ago.

[StCroixNewB]

yeah, I think those cribs are about ready to start holding some real fish. there were some permanents set up there last winter. I tried that spot a few times during open-water but didn't really have much luck there. Probably a time-of-day issue.

[Cooter]

Cool, did most of them end up in about the same depth? How deep are most? Thanks, later.

[StCroixNewB]

to be honest, didn't pay enough attention to depth to recall right now... for open water, I think you're better off by the rocks at the foot of the bridge or up the river... for ice, don't really know - only fished it once last winter, over by the cribs but more toward the golf course. Tried the cribs over the Rod and Gun club but didn't spend enough time on the ice to give it a fair shake.

[Cooter]

StCroix, have you fished Wissota much open water?

[StCroixNewB]

Wissota is where I caught the fishing bug... my bro-in-law lives in Chippewa and I've fished with him a couple of times each of the last few summers. Last year, I got out there about a half-dozen or so times, even towed my own boat over a few times. Love that lake and the river! We've limited out every time I've been there - if we limited on walleye early in the day, we'd go out targeting smallies or crappies and even caught a few nice muskies on occasion. Its a very nice lake - gets a bit busy in some spots on the weekends but is big enough that you can usually find a place to sit and fish in relative quiet.

I live right near the Croix so that's really my 'home waters' but I consider Wissota my 'home away from home waters'.

[Cooter]

Awesome, have you noticed new weed growth in many areas the last couple years? Quite sure its due to the fact they no longer draw down the lake so much. It's gonna help the lake overall, the bluegills for sure have 'come back' dramatically the past few years. On the down side, maybe, eurasion milfoil is in the lake now - see what happens down the road.

[StCroixNewB]

hadn't heard about the milfoil... if true, that really sucks. As for general weed growth, guess I haven't really noticed. There is one spot we go to each time out, though, that now you ask, I guess the weeds were a bit thicker than previous years. Most of the spots we fish are pretty weed-free - we try to stay on the outer edges.

If the gills come back strong, that's only a good sign of times to come - should help with the walleye and musky, even bass and crappie, populations. I'm surprised that we haven't found much, if any, perch in there... I'd think wiht the rivers, bays, and contours of the main lake, that perch would do well in there...