Fisheree Season Is Here

In Wisconsin even winter can’t keep people from having a party. Somewhere back on a winter day, someone decided to get a bunch of people together and have a fishing contest. These first little get-togethers turned into what is now an annual event, held in the middle of the winter.

Fisherees consist of fishing, playing cards, door prizes and contests of skills. Many have separate contests for young kids, hole drilling competitions, raffles and who knows what else. It’s all accompanied by lots of good chili and hot dogs and usually a few cold beers too.

The annual Fisheree at Blackhawk Lake is this weekend on Sunday the 31st. There is free park admission and all are welcomed whether you fish or not. If you’ve never attended one of these winter events, give it a try. You don’t have to be a fisherman to enjoy a Fisheree.

Dan Bomkamp

Author & Radio Show Host
 
 
http://www.MyOakPro.com/

Weekend Rain Didn’t Hurt the Ice

Even though the rain Saturday night and Sunday made the ice look terrible, it’s still plenty safe for fishing. All the rain did was to melt all the snow on top of the ice and turn the snow piles into little swells in the ice that are very treacherous to walk over. The average ice thickness in the area is about sixteen inches and it will take a lot more rain than we got to melt all of that ice. Do be careful when walking across the frozen lakes. If you own ice cleats, wear them. If you don’t have any, get some. A simple thing like attaching a $5 pair of ice cleats could keep you from serious injury.

Dan Bomkamp
Author and Host of "How's Fishing"

Great Crappie Fishing Is Coming

     The ice fishing remains slow this winter but I think once we’re through January, it will pick up. One bright thing for the future is the fact that fishermen are catching a lot of small crappies, running 3 and 4 inches. Why would that be good? It’s because in a couple of years we’ll have tremendous crappie fishing.
     Crappies are somewhat cyclic. When you have a good year-class, they grow up and eat like a pack of wolves. The problem is that they eat all the baby crappies too. So what happens is you have a large population of big crappies and none coming behind to take their place and once fishermen catch the majority of the adults, the population crashes.
     Then the surviving adults spawn and the baby fish have a chance to survive, and the cycle begins again. It looks like we’re heading for some great crappie fishing in another couple of years. So, don’t give up on ice fishing. February will be much better than what we’ve been seeing and if the ice holds up, March will be great.

Dan Bomkamp - Author and host of "How's Fishing"

Dan has teamed up with My Oak Pro to bring his outdoor sports commentary to the web.

Frosty January

Conditions were just right here in the river valley this week to paint everything a beautiful white each morning.  It's been absolutely gorgeous when the sun comes out.  Everything sparkles like diamonds and then it's gone within the hour.  I took a couple photos yesterday morning just a block from our office.  Yes, we really do work next to the river.  That's why waterfront properties are one of our specialties.

Jill Frazier
Administrative Assistant

Try Redworms When the Fishing is Slow

Here in Southwest Wisconsin, ice fishermen have gotten used to waxworms as their standard ice fishing bait and usually they work quite well. But when the fishing slows down because of cold fronts or it’s just one of those days when the fish don’t seem hungry, try a redworm. When fish are finicky, they will often be willing to bite a slowly moving redworm on a jig that is just left to sit without being jigged. There is something about that natural movement that gets their attention and often a small box of redworms will save the day on one of those slow fishing trips. Give them a try. They may help you bring some fillets to the table.

Dan Bomkamp
Host of "How's Fishing"
Author of 8 outdoor adventure novels
Click Here to View His Books

Cold Fronts Are Making Fishing Slow

Not only has the cold weather slowed down traffic and kept many people indoors, it’s also made ice fishing very slow. January is always a difficult time for fishermen in because of the cold but also because of the many cold fronts that pass through the mid-west. A cold front is a high pressure system and high pressure equals slow fishing.


Fish react to high pressure by becoming sluggish and lethargic. Instead of feeding actively they lay on or near the bottom and pretty much just stay put. How can high pressure make the fish quit biting? High pressure affects the swim bladder in a fish which is a device that keeps them neutrally buoyant in the water. When high clear skies are here, slow down your jig. Go to the tiniest jig you own, and use the lightest spring bobber you can find. Fish can be caught in cold front situations but you need to work hard for them and scale things down.


Two fisherees are coming up: Blackhawk Lake, Highland/Cobb will be held on Jan 31st. The Avoca Fisheree in the village of Avoca is scheduled for Feb 14. More details to come.

Dan Bomkamp

Outdoor enthusiast & host of HOW'S FISHING

Author of 8 outdoor adventure novels.  Click here to view my books.

Snow, Snow, Go Away!

We've had over a foot of snow on the ground since the beginning of December which has made doing our job a bit of a challenge.  Buyers don't seem to be intimidated by the snow though.  Showing them a 120 acre piece of rural property means putting the truck in four wheel drive and bucking the drifts.  Either that, or borrowing a snowmobile, which one of the guys did a few days ago.  With the temps predicted to be above freezing through Monday, we're hoping some of the snow will melt so the Rangers can be put back to work.
 

Jay Frazier - Mossy Oak Properties of Wisconsin
Managing Broker - Muscoda, WI

Southwest Wisconsin Real Estate

Southwest Wisconsin Real Estate, land, homes, acreage, and farms.

Mossy Oak Properties of Wisconsin, LLC is now bringing rural real estate to the web. Our office is located in the heart of Southwest Wisconsin. Jay Frazier and Ed Kraisinger are two of the top realtors in the area. Both have spent their entire lives hunting and fishing this area and they bring that knowledge to you. You can also visit us on facebook as well as other blogs and websites.