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Fishing Report for Lake Winnebago, WI: Walleyes Shallowing, Perch Biting, Catfish Lurking
Published 7 months, 2 weeks ago
Description
Artificial Lure here with your Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, fishing report for Saturday, September 13, 2025. Early risers saw a sunrise around 6:35 AM with a light haze on the water, and you can expect sunset close to 7:11 PM. No tides to watch out here, and the water temp sits right at a comfortable 70°F according to SeaTemperature.info—great news for both anglers and the fish.
Weatherwise, the National Weather Service is calling for mostly sunny skies, with a slight chance of an isolated shower in the early afternoon. Winds are light and variable, bouncing between south and east at 5–10 knots, with waves steady around a foot. That means it’ll be easy for boaters to stay on the bite without getting knocked around. The steady cooling trend that started after last week’s front is helping push fish out of their deep summer patterns and into productive fall feeding.
On the fishing front, Walleyes are starting to come in shallower, moving off the deeper summer haunts. Most folks are finding schools along drop-offs and the edges of the main lake reefs in 14–22 feet. Jig and minnow combos are working best this week, especially with the stable weather. Color-wise, don’t overlook orange or chartreuse, and if the water gets a little stained after any rain, make the switch to pink or a black/orange jig. Lindy rigs with crawler harnesses are picking up some bonus fish, too, but jigging is outperforming slow-trolling right now—stop and work likely spots rather than dragging spinners all day.
Perch action has been heating up, especially on those overcast mornings. Look for these tasty panfish in the 8–12 foot range near brush piles or isolated weed clumps. A small jig—tip it with a piece of worm or a fathead minnow—will get you into fish, and plenty are running keeper size up to 11 inches. Seasoned locals say the north shore near Stockbridge often produces solid catches.
Catfish fans with a nose for evening action are heading to the mouths of inflow rivers, working stinkbait or nightcrawlers near structure. Channel cats are regulars along the rocks and snags east of Oshkosh—just fish upstream of structure and let the scent do the hard work.
White bass have been popping up well in the main lake chutes and along current seams—especially around the south end of the lake. Toss small crankbaits, inline spinners, or even jigs tipped with plastic. Dawn and dusk are peak hours, and you’ll see the telltale surface boils if they’re feeding aggressively.
A few crappie limits came in midweek off Tundra's edge just north of Fond du Lac; small jigs in 10–15 feet on submerged wood were the ticket. Bluegills are out deeper, around isolated humps—drop a tiny red worm or waxie under a float for a mess of palm-sized slabs.
Hot spots to check today: the reefs off Garlic Island, where a mix of walleyes and white bass have been working, and the weedline just offshore from Bray’s Point, where perch and bluegills are settling in. And don’t pass on the mouth of the Fox River, especially in the evening for catfish and mixed bags.
Best baits this week: fathead minnows, nightcrawlers, and plastics in orange or chartreuse. For artificial lure anglers, jigging Rapalas and small Shad Raps are taking hits along deeper breaks.
Keep your lines tight and your drag set right—fish are transitioning, so don’t be afraid to hop around until you find the action. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.
Weatherwise, the National Weather Service is calling for mostly sunny skies, with a slight chance of an isolated shower in the early afternoon. Winds are light and variable, bouncing between south and east at 5–10 knots, with waves steady around a foot. That means it’ll be easy for boaters to stay on the bite without getting knocked around. The steady cooling trend that started after last week’s front is helping push fish out of their deep summer patterns and into productive fall feeding.
On the fishing front, Walleyes are starting to come in shallower, moving off the deeper summer haunts. Most folks are finding schools along drop-offs and the edges of the main lake reefs in 14–22 feet. Jig and minnow combos are working best this week, especially with the stable weather. Color-wise, don’t overlook orange or chartreuse, and if the water gets a little stained after any rain, make the switch to pink or a black/orange jig. Lindy rigs with crawler harnesses are picking up some bonus fish, too, but jigging is outperforming slow-trolling right now—stop and work likely spots rather than dragging spinners all day.
Perch action has been heating up, especially on those overcast mornings. Look for these tasty panfish in the 8–12 foot range near brush piles or isolated weed clumps. A small jig—tip it with a piece of worm or a fathead minnow—will get you into fish, and plenty are running keeper size up to 11 inches. Seasoned locals say the north shore near Stockbridge often produces solid catches.
Catfish fans with a nose for evening action are heading to the mouths of inflow rivers, working stinkbait or nightcrawlers near structure. Channel cats are regulars along the rocks and snags east of Oshkosh—just fish upstream of structure and let the scent do the hard work.
White bass have been popping up well in the main lake chutes and along current seams—especially around the south end of the lake. Toss small crankbaits, inline spinners, or even jigs tipped with plastic. Dawn and dusk are peak hours, and you’ll see the telltale surface boils if they’re feeding aggressively.
A few crappie limits came in midweek off Tundra's edge just north of Fond du Lac; small jigs in 10–15 feet on submerged wood were the ticket. Bluegills are out deeper, around isolated humps—drop a tiny red worm or waxie under a float for a mess of palm-sized slabs.
Hot spots to check today: the reefs off Garlic Island, where a mix of walleyes and white bass have been working, and the weedline just offshore from Bray’s Point, where perch and bluegills are settling in. And don’t pass on the mouth of the Fox River, especially in the evening for catfish and mixed bags.
Best baits this week: fathead minnows, nightcrawlers, and plastics in orange or chartreuse. For artificial lure anglers, jigging Rapalas and small Shad Raps are taking hits along deeper breaks.
Keep your lines tight and your drag set right—fish are transitioning, so don’t be afraid to hop around until you find the action. Thanks for tuning in, and don’t forget to subscribe! This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.
Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn
This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI
This episode includes AI-generated content.