Lake Winnebago and the Wolf River system

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I often get asked, what's your favorite body of water? and over the last 10 years or so I would have to say Lake Winnebago and the Wolf River system. The system is huge with some 260,000 acres of fishable water. I will use Winneconne as a starting point because most tournaments are run out of Winneconne. I have fished tournaments where my partner and I have run an hour or longer before we get to our first spot, then their are times when we don't even put the boat on plain. To me that's why I favor the system to any other body of water in Wisconsin. Sure their are better bass fisheries, but none as diverse as the Bago and the Wolf River system, it has everything a bass fisherman may be looking for, back waters, main river channels, huge lakes, small rivers, and everything in-between. All of these areas accessible from Winneconne.      Bass fishing on the system is great as well, the only thing the it lacks compared to other great fisheriers are big fish. A big fish on the system is a 4 pounder, but it's loaded with 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pound fish. My personal best is a 5 pounder that feel to a black & blue pitchin jig, my heaviest 5 bass stringer weighed 20.2 pounds, smallmouth on Lake Winnebago using a jerkbait in mid April. The system has every type of cover a bass fisherman might be looking for, wood, weeds, rocks, gravel, sand, mud, slop, and tons of man made structures. The system bass also fall to almost every type of bait known to fisherman, you can fish top water, on the bottom, and everywhere in-between with good success. When I fisrt started fishing tournaments on the system I hated it, but as I got to know more about the water and figured out more of it, it became a fishery I looked forward to fishing, and the best part about it is that I still have so much more to learn. Sure I have my go to spots which have given me some tournament wins and alot of respectable finishes, but I have only scratched the surface as to what the system has to offer.      The Lake Winnebago, Wolf River system is made up of some very large bodies of water, Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne, Lake Butte des Morts, lake Winnebago, Fox River, Wolf River and numerous other smaller rivers make up the system, and each holds a good number of bass. Largemouth and Smallmouth can be found all throughout the system which is another reason why it is my most favorite body of water. I love fishing smallies on the lakes and the fishing can be fast and furious, with 30 to 40 fish on many trips out, then the next time out you wonder what happened and if their are any fish left in the water. The one thing I have learned fishing smallies on the lakes is that when the wind blows the fish will bite, but when the wind stops and the water muddies the fish get lock jaw. That's when it's time to hit the rivers and fish for largemouth, and they can be found all throughout the system and caught using a number of different techniques. My favorite technique would be flipping and pitching a jig, along with throwing crankbaits over gravel rock bars, and rip rap. These are my favorite ways to fish the system, not necessarily my best ways to catch big stringers, but some things I have to keep to myself, if you know what I mean.      The Lake Winnebago and Wolf River system is a great bass fishery and I look forward to each and every trip out on the water. Hope you picked up a few things on the system, and hope to see you out on the water. Strictly Bassin Carl Scharenbroch

Sorry for the spelling, must have been one of those days {Winnebago}