Shelters Must Be Off By March 5th On Big Green

Game fish season closes March 4th
Ice shelters must be removed by March 5th
Big drifts and 12'' of snow on the ice

• Beyer's Cove turned on during the snow storm and produced some nice catches of big gills. When all was quiet the fish bit really well, and when people were coming and going they shut right down. This bite should continue until ice out with the exception of the dirty water we will encounter with the big snow melt.
• Panfish, Lake Trout, White Bass, Cisco, and Catfish will remain open when the general inland fishing season closes on March 4th.
• Catfish should really turn on with the big influx of water with the snow storm. Tip ups with shad or bloaters fished in 30-40 ft of water on the inlet should produce.
• White Bass have not been consistent this winter. There are some fish being caught off of Pilgrim Camp in 40-55 ft of water. This bite may pick up in the next week.

Big Fish Dominate Walker's Fisheree

Creepers (ice cleats) a must
Pressure cracks are still dangerous to cross
Most of the lake has very good ice conditions

• Early returns from Walker's fisheree are, a 29'' walleye weighing over eight pounds, and a couple 13+ pound northern pike, and a 37'' lake trout tipping the scales at 22.35 pounds.
• A fisherman called to inform us of a 50.5 inch musky caught and released on the west end of big green. Unfortunately the fish did not survive and is under the ice on the west end. Musky season is closed and any fish accidently caught must be released regardless of the condition of the fish. Care must be taken with these large fish and returned to the water as quickly as possible.

Big Pike Rule Winterfest

No snow on the lake (ice creepers are a must have item)
Conditions of cracks change daily
Rough ice on a lot of the east end

• Northern Pike seemed to be the most active fish for the Winterfest fisheree. A 17+ pound fish and a 16+ pound fish took first and second. One fish was caught on the Baptist Bar and the other on the east end of the lake. There were numerous smaller pike caught through out the weekend.
• Walleye fishing has been tough to impossible. One 18'' fish was registered for the Winterfest. That fish was taken on the east end in about 15ft of water. Some fish have been caught by the ''all nighters'', but not every night.
• Lake Trout action seems to be a mid-level bite right now. A large number of 3-4 pound fish are coming out of 28-48ft of water. The deep bite has been very tough and frustrating. A lot of fish are coming to look and not taking. The Baptist Bar produced the first and second place fish for the Winterfest. Both fish were about 4 pounds.
• Bluegill fishing has been slow, there are some fish coming from Beyer's Cove and the Baptist Boat House.
• White Bass action has been pretty quiet although we should hear something from this weekend with Walker's fisheree coming up.
• Cisco were ''on a bite'' in front of Horner's in 55ft of water at night last week.
• ------The major pressure crack runs from Robinhood on the north shore to Sandstone on the south shore and heads east past Horner's landing. This crack changes daily and can be quite risky at times. I have been crossing it to get to the Big Bar (Baptist Bar) close to shore in front of Robinhood without any problems. If you cross there, you will have to cross it twice, but it is less than 3 ft of water close to shore. I would not cross it with a car or truck. The Baptist Bar has a lot of fish activity on top right now with lake trout being the most active. You can go through Green Lake Center with a $5 day pass to access the mid-lake section. Stay away from the island in Pigeon Cove because the geese have an open hole in by shore. There is another big crack running the west end that runs from Sugarloaf.., out, and to the south. I have not checked this pressure crack to see if there is a safe cross-over. Use caution on the lake around all of these cracks and remember as the sun gets higher, the road bed in the bay and the one on the west end will start to thaw.

The Whole Lake Is Ice Covered

• The east end from Horner's landing has anywhere from 4'' of ice to 12'' of ice. West of sandstone is new territory and anyone venturing in that direction must use extreme caution. Cars and trucks are not on the lake anywhere at this time.

Sugarloaf And West End Are Open Water

• New ice is from Sandstone across to Oakwood and west. This ice is very thin and treacherous. Portable shacks were slowly moving down to Cisco City(sandstone) today. Check ice conditions as you go. Do not try to go west of Sandstone.
• Ice conditions from Horner's landing east continue to improve with the frigid temperatures. Reports of 5 to 8 inches of ice are common. There are numerous wood shacks being placed on this ice and cautious ATV travel is taking place. Don't break any new trails without checking ice conditions because we have a lot of holes which froze at different time intervals.
• There were some Lakers caught today off of Horner's Landing. Bluegills in the Bay, Beyer's Cove, and the Mill Pond have been a late and early bite with very few aggressive fish. Northern fishermen will start to move onto the east end as ice conditions improve and temperatures move above zero.