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Location: Northern Wisconsin | how is the traffic this time of the year on the chain. is it bad enough to make the fishing expirience
unenjoyable? |
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Posts: 2893
Location: Yahara River Chain | I always though so. I like to fish during the week and early if possibl as week nights can get crowded as well. It doesn't really let up on weekend till well into Sept.
But that said, I hear a few club members (both CCMI & Flatlanders) are getting out and catching a few fish. |
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| It's very bad on weekends, but now that school is starting it should get better during the week. The muskies don't care, so fish anyway. If you catch some, it will be enjoyable. The sights are cool anyway, especially the State Cap |
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Posts: 8867
| Its....
uh...
Well...
It's what you would expect from Madison. Lots and lots of jet skiers, pleasure boaters, weekend warriors, etc. Lots of people with waaayyyy too much money and way too many toys who never learned how to operate a boat safely around other boats.
There's quite a few guys out there fishing, so you may have to wait in line for a spot, but there's lots of good places to fish.
I usually fish it during the week, so it's not so bad, but Saturdays are kind of a zoo.
Can;t be any worse than any other metro lakes. I know they've had some problems with bacteria and toxic algae blooms this year, but that may have cleared up after the rain and cooler weather.
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Location: Northern Wisconsin | thanks.
any good muskie lake in southern wis thats not going to be as packed on a saterday or sunday. i
can fish with boat traffic but the mad chain sounds bad. pewakee? okachee? if not i can always head
to shabbona. |
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Posts: 8867
| Saturday afternoons anywhere South of Minocqua and you're fighting crowds.
Surprisingly enough, Madtown isn't as bad as you might think. I mean it's crowded, but no more than say Silver Lake.
Pewaukee I'm not sure about. Fished it in early May this year, freaking nasty cold day, 30 MPH winds... Sure enough, there were pleasure boaters out cruising around....
Dude, you're wearing a COAT, how much fun can you really be having screaming across the lake at 65 MPH?
The nice thing about Pewaukee is its 7 miles long, so you can work some of the islands and shorelines without worrying about the idiots. |
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Posts: 2893
Location: Yahara River Chain | You want peace and quite? Try Twin Valley in Govenor Dodge Sate Park (just outside of Dodgeville). It electric motor only and I have not heard much about it so I think it won't be very crowded. Need a State Park pass (daily or season) to get into the park. |
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Posts: 476
Location: WI | Lake Wingra is also a no motor (electric only) on the weekends. An easier lake to fish than the others on a weekend.
GotOne |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | I would second Wingra.
I would start on Monona or waubesa till the crowds came out...then head over to wingra. With the cooling down the fish there should start picking up.
Cory |
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Posts: 8867
| I LOVE Wingra! 
If it was a girl I'd marry that lake...
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Location: Contrarian Island | Wingra is action water...there are on avg. bigger fish in Monona/Waubesa...boat traffic lightens up after Labor Day weekend big time... |
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Posts: 8867
| Hnr/Cory
You guys ever fish Kegonsa?
I've had miserable luck on Monona this year, and I'm thinking of skipping it all together in the fall, and going for Waubesa or Kegonsa instead.
The thing is I know Monona pretty well, but I've never fished Waubesa or Kegonsa. It would be like starting all over, and I'm not sure I want to do that.
Am I just working the wrong spots on Monona? I like the North end in the morning, I'll usually work the East shoreline over by the power plant discharge in the fall, and then pound the water hard from Turville point all the way to the launch at Olin. I've tried everything this year, and I think I've had three fish up.
Jeff |
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Posts: 2893
Location: Yahara River Chain | Jeff, if you never try new water, how do you ever get by on only waters that you fished before? Using the knowledge that you learned on Monona should cut your learning curve on either of those water considerbly. Kegonsa may have less traffic with fewer fish, but they may have seen very few muskie baits. Waubesa gets it share of pressure from the motor trollers - their reasoning is it shallow and it limits where they could be. Being mostly 20 ft deep, they know the muskies will live 10 to 20 ft eliminating a lot of deep water that is in Monona.
I love looking for new water and I have been on Kegonsa a couple of times, but not enough to find anything that I could pass on. Sorry.
Gerard |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Yeah...Monona has handing it to me BIG TIME this year.....Yeah, stay off it this fall...fall sucks out there
There are fish in Kegonsa..and I am sure someone out there has their eye twitching because people want to start fishing their little secret. I just don't fish it because its further for me to drive....lazy i guess. Not as many fish in there...but....plenty for them to eat...so you know what that means...
There really isn't a BAD spot to fish on monona really....I haven't been out a ton since fishing has been SOO TOUGH as a whole on the chain...but now with the cooling down I am hearing of fish being caught...actually I am hitting it for an hour tonight with the wife!
Don't worry, your hitting good spots...just been a tough year...stick with it this fall...
Think of it this way...not NEARLY as many people have been muskie fishing this summer (Since it sucked)....catch numbers are WAY down here (for our club)....fish aren't even being seen....so that to me means less educated fish come this fall...at least it sounds good!
Good luck!
Cory |
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Posts: 8867
| Thanks, Cory!
Gerard, You're absolutely right. My experience on new waters this year has been eye opening to say the least...
I saw so little action I could barely keep my eyes open!
8 days on 5 new waters and not a single fish to show for it. Granted that was all in July, with stupid-hot weather and stupid-hot water.
I'm giving Monona one full moon day in October to give up some fish, and then I think I'm heading south to give Shelbyville, Webster, and Kincaid a shot. Those #*^@ Monona fish have GOT to turn on sooner or later.
We had a blast out there in November last year fishing the power plant discharge. We only caught a few pike and one skinny musky, but there were so many carp stacked up in there we kept snagging them.
Oooohooo, big fish, heavy fish! Aw sh*t, it's another carp, LOL...
We were laughing so hard we could hardly cast! |
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Location: Contrarian Island | I know there are fish on Kegonsa,,,not nearly as many but for sure a fishable population...would I fish it? Nope, not with the Monona and Waubesa fatties so close...
This fall should be good...water temps are starting to cool and by all indications fish are starting to move...and eat baits...
I'm gonna try to give them a few to look at tonite.
Brad |
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| Can you power load at Wingra on the weekends? |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | your not suppose to powerload on weekends...do as you will..
Cory |
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Posts: 8867
| Well...
No.
When they say no motor they mean no motor.
I mean I don't think anybody's gonna shoot you over it or anything, but the more it happens the more likely people are going to complain about it.
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| Can you power load at Wingra on the weekends?
because it's too hard to turn the winch a few extra times? |
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Posts: 8867
| Or because you're just too old...
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| It is on a a 21 ft ranger on bunks. Lures aren't the only tools. |
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Posts: 8867
| The thing is it's impossible to powerload from that launch without everyone knowing it. |
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Posts: 2893
Location: Yahara River Chain | You own a boat like that and not your own lake?
I find that hard to believe! |
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| It is on a a 21 ft ranger on bunks. Lures aren't the only tools.
boats DO float...
and it's amazing how easily a little bitty winch can move something big...behold the power of leverage.
mind you, i power load my boat all the time, it's one of the advantages of having a bunk trailer.
but it's not because i can't crank it on, which is what i do on no-motor lakes like Wingra which are in busy parks that the city is trying to keep relatively peaceful.
i do it because i'm generally lazy, and it's kinda fun.
avoiding a lake because you won't be able to power-load is HILARIOUS to me. |
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mad chain boat traffic