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.