Lake Onalaska

[frozen toes]

No fishable ice on the lake yet, but it is slowly building. It sure can't get here fast enough. I will let everybody know as soon as it is fishable. I did try to get on the ice last weekend, but got a wet foot, LOL. I am not sure about any of the backwaters around here yet. Might have to take a drive this weekend myself.

[slabs-ia]

Anything for ice yet? gonna make a few visits that way to a cousins and any other lakes nearby any good? thanks for any input

[frozen toes]

Well the lake is froze solid. I fished most of the day today, minus a lunch/warm-up break. Fish were there but finicky. The fish we did catch were pretty good sized. Most of the small fish were 2 inch bass. Had to use a variety of colors and jigs to get consistent action. There was a good 5-6 inches of ice. It was a little spooky with all the loud ice cracking sounds. But, it was nice to watch the sunrise on the lake again. I am looking forward to many more mornings like this this winter. Come on down to the lake and have some fun.

[canvasback kid]

this will be my first winter here and i work in lacrosse and seen a bunch of people fishin in a bay by the airport and was wondering what they are fishin for there and i heard that that lake is really good for gills and was wondering where is a good spot to start lookin for them?

[frozen toes]

Where you saw the people was called Fisherman's Road. It is a decent place to start. There are mostly gills over there. But, you can also catch pike, perch, and crappie there. My personal opinion is to fish more on the main lake. You can access at Schaefers Boat Livery. There is a bait shop right next to the ramp that has all tackle and bait needs. If interested, I will be there this weekend and could point out a few good areas to catch panfish. I fish the lake year round, and every year I learn it just a little better. This past Sunday was a blast. I found a hole in shallow water where the fish were very aggressive. I easily caught 200 fish between 11-3. All different sizes but biggest perch was just under a pound. Also a bunch of gills that were bigger than my hand. I used a #16 Marmooska tipped with a waxie. Then I switched to a small Forage Minnow tipped with a waxie. To my surprise, the Minnow really got the big ones. I thought the drastic size change would turn the fish away, but it was the opposite. I cannot guarantee they will be like that this weekend, but you can catch fish all over the lake. The key is move until you find active fish. Sometimes it only takes a small move, other times it takes many moves to find them. The lake itself is actually pretty shallow. The deepest water I fish is 16 fow. Lots of water in the 1-5 fow range. If you have any questions, feel free to ask, I will gladly help you out. Where do you work? Oh yeah, welcome to LaCrosse, it is a great area. I moved here from CO and never plan to leave. I love it here.

[canvasback kid]

frozen toes,
I really appreciate the info, i work at badger corrugating and actually live in winona but practically live in lacrosse and i wont be able to get out on the ice till after christmas(long story). But i would be glad to meet some people who know the lake well and could help me out. Thanks again!!!
GOOD LUCK

[frozen toes]

Whew, today was a tough bite. I fished most of the day and fought for every fish I caught. I wish I could tell you what I caught the gills and perch on, but this page would go on forever. No pattern to them at all. I had to go back and forth between super small to medium to large sized jigs. All were tipped with waxies. Hope tomorrow turns out better.

[innate123]

frozen toes...

i'd like to contact you sometime about lake onalaska...i'm not a serious iceman...but i have 2 boys 11 and 9...and would like to fish more then 3rd lake in trempeleau...

never fished onalaska...but seems like there is a ton of places to go on it..so i seem to avoid it..lol...

also..what are the basic jigs to by for this area...seems like there are zillions to choose from...

also..any ice at dresbach for saugers yet?

thx

tim

[frozen toes]

innate123-I would be happy to help you out with the lake. You can email me or meet me on the lake sometime. The lake is big and can be a little intimidating, but it is a great fish factory. It is a pretty shallow lake for the most part, with a deeper channel through it. It also has enough habitat differences to make for some great fishing. On which jigs to buy, well that depends on the day and the fishes (sp) mood. But, I would start with smaller marmooska jigs in green/yellow, orange/yellow, and pink/white. Also some smaller glow jigs. Ratso's and rat finky jigs also work well. Whatever jigs you use at 3rd Lake will also work on the lake. What I usually do is buy a few when I go fishing, this way you get a stock of them without breaking the bank all at once. Just use a few different types of jigs until you get proficient with them and then try different types. Most small teardrops will work well for a variety of fish in the lake. Tip-ups also can be a blast there as well. But, lately they have not been producing. I have not been to Dresbach yet, but have heard reports of people fishing there. Seems most are using tipups for northern. Also there have been some panfish being caught. I am not sure if there is good ice out to the wall yet to fish for yes and sauger. Let me know when you would like to try the lake. I will probably head back on Sun. Today was a great day with a lot of fish being caught. I caught a limit of gills in about two hours while being very selective. The water was so clear I watched all the fish take the jigs.

[innate123]

hey frozen..

thx for the reply...i'll be going on a iowa muzzleloader hunt...Xmas night thru next weekend...but will be back after that...i have tues and thurs mornings open..and then weekends if my boys don't have basketball..so i'll definitely touch base...3rd lake was brutal today...slow fishing and marginal size fish...

how do i get your email?..i didnt see it here..mine is [email protected]

thx again..

tim

[frozen toes]

innate- Sorry about the email thing, I thought it was on the profile. Anyway it is [email protected]
Good luck in Iowa. I went with a friend during the early muzzle season. We were in my DB blind on the edge of an alfalfa field that several deer used to feed in the evenings. At about 5:30 that evening a few smaller bucks and does came out. He was about to take one of the bucks when I caught something out of the corner of my eye about 300 yards out. I told him to hold off so I could try and grunt him in. My part went really good, the huge buck came like he was on a string. I ranged him at 107 yards and my buddy took the shot. Missed bigger than life. That was the honest to goodness biggest buck I have ever seen in the wild. Sad thing was he was still coming closer and my buddy just couldn't wait any longer. His nerves were rattled, LOL. He is still sick about that incident. He lives right outside of Lansing on some prime hunting land (I think all of the land is prime in that area). Definitely get back to me when you can fish. I am siding a house for a few more days, then after that I will have almost every day to fish.

[innate123]

howdy again..

i'll email you to touch base...it is my first muzzleloader hunt..and i'll be south of de moines...they've shot a few 150 class there this year...mostly with shotgun...

the muzzleloader thing is tuff...i just have a red dot on this one...but ya...i'd like to have that deer within 75 yds or so...

bummer on that miss...but heck...still nice to know that you have the opportunities...

i'm originally from north of green bay...when i was in my teens..a spike was a trophy...lol...so the hunting around here is fabulous ...miss or not...i'll send a test email today...have a gr8 holiday..

tim