How to find luck with late ice lakes during Wisconsin fishing opener

This Saturday marks the 2022 Wisconsin fishing opener. Since it’s been a chilly spring some lakes are still holding ice, but there are a few ways to angle around late ice outs.

"Focus your efforts on the lakes that have been open longer," recommends Wisconsin DNR fisheries biologist Nate Thomas. "They’re going to be a little bit warmer, water temps should be higher up, fish will be more active because of that." He added, "if you’re hitting your favorite spot and it’s recently iced off focus in on those shallow bays, kind of the darker sub-straight, that water temp should be a little bit warmer."

Thomas also noted anglers should be careful when wading into rivers, as melting snow and ice may cause them to run high and fast.

On the safety side of opening weekend, he also recommends double checking your boat motor before hitting a lake.

"A lot of times people put them away in the winter and they haven’t touched them in a year, or you know several months, so tune them up," Thomas said. "Make sure everything is running good. Make sure you’ve got your equipment in order and you’re spending your time our there fishing instead of fixing things."

For up to date information on this Wisconsin fishing season, head to the DNR’s website.