Thursday, June 5, 2008

Free Fishing Weekend

Greetings,

I apologize for the double post on this, but this weekend is the annual “free fishing” weekend in the state of Wisconsin. You may fish legally this weekend without purchasing a fishing license.

This weekend is a great time to take youngsters out to try fishing. Keep it simple when taking kids out for the first time. Its been my experience that action is far more important than size with kids that are new to fishing.

While the cooler weather this spring has made fishing a bit on the slow side, it has provided you with an excellent opportunity for this weekend. The water temperature is just about right for panfish to start schooling up in the shallow water, and in many places this means there are fish accessible with a cast from shore.

You won’t need much in the way of tackle. A few bobbers, a bag of split shots and some quality hooks and some live bait will provide you plenty of action. Small minnows, waxworms, redworms, panfish plumpers and/or leeches are great options for chasing shallow water panfish.

Personally, I like the public landings at the Okauchee or Moose Lake boat launches for shore fishing. Other good spots are Forest Lake (in Nashotah Park) and the public shorelines around Upper Gennessee. There's a good list of local shore fishing locations in the right hand column.

If you’re heading out in a boat, The Cranes Nest, Bay Five, Icehouse and Stumpy Bay on Okauchee Lake, or Ashippun, Garvin, Silver, Golden, Lower and Middle Gennessee lakes all have active gills in the shallow water right now.

Stop in the shop, and we’ll get you set up. We have handouts with directions to local shore fishing areas, and we can provide that last minute advice to make your trip successful. Take a kid fishing this weekend. Trust me, the smile on their face is more than worth the effort.

Cheers
CT

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