Lake Winnebago is the nation’s second largest inland freshwater lake. It is 28 miles long, 11 miles wide and covers 137,700 acres. It is so big that it takes up space in 3 different counties including Winnebago, Fond du Lac and Calumet. The lake covers 85 miles of shoreline and you can find plenty of lighthouses, launch ramps, harbors, parks and restaurants around the water. The lake is very popular for a variety of outdoor activities. There is plenty of room on the lake for everyone.
The fishing on Lake Winnebago is excellent. It is a large lake, but it is not as overwhelming as some would think. It is known as a great numbers lake for walleye and there are many other species of fish that you can catch here too. Because the lake is so large, we decided to break it into smaller parts to help anglers learn the lake better.
Learn About the Fish
Lake Winnebago is known as a tremendous walleye fishery and that’s why most anglers come to fish Lake Winnebago. The white bass fishery is also very good. If you target these fish, you can put up some pretty big numbers once you learn the lake.
This lake has such a diverse fishery. Some of the other species of fish that anglers target here are crappie, perch, bluegill, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, northern pike, muskie and catfish. Some trophy fish are here too, but it is definitely more of an action lake. If you can use baits that appeal to many different species of fish, you can catch a nice mixed bag of fish on Lake Winnebago.
West vs. East
Most anglers that fish the lake would agree that the west side of the lake is a lot more appealing to fish than the east side. The west side of the lake has numerous bays, points, inlets and rivers that provide all kinds of awesome fishing areas for a variety of fish. The east side of the lake’s shoreline doesn’t really offer anything that really stands out, but some anglers do well by fishing the open waters off the first major breakline. The wind can obviously push baitfish anywhere throughout the lake, so one some days, you may do just as well on the east side as you do on the west. For most anglers though, they prefer to stick to the west side of the lake.
North Part of the Lake
Appleton is the major city on the north side of the lake. The Fox River enters the lake up here and you have some bays and points to fish here too. You will find good migrations of fish into the river during the spring and fall, so this part of the lake gets a lot of attention from anglers. Whether you are fishing in the river or out on the lake, anglers do well for a variety of fish up here. Walleye, white bass and catfish are most common, but you can catch every species of fish in the lake up here throughout the open water fishing season.
Central Part of the Lake
The central part of the lake is where you will find Osh Kosh. The annual air show brings a lot of visitors to Osh Kosh. The lake draws a lot of people from spring through fall as well. This part of the lake is interesting because you have so many options. At times, you have too many options, which makes it difficult to figure out where you should start at times. To go along with Lake Winnebago, anglers fish the river, Lake Poygan, Lake Winneconne and Lake Butte des Morts. With all the bays in this part of the lake, you have a lot of good bass fishing spots that also hold some nice northern pike too. You can easily go from the bays to further offshore to target walleye, white bass and smallmouth bass. For some anglers, they never feel the need to go explore other parts of the lake since they can find everything they want in the central part of the lake.
South Part of the Lake
The south part of the lake is shallow, which helps it warm quickly in the spring. Anglers report good fishing in this part of the lake in the spring and fall. Most people come here to target the walleye and white bass, but largemouth bass can be found in pretty good numbers in this part of the lake and most anglers don’t fish for them. Fond du Lac is the major town on the south part of the lake and you will find plenty of lodging, grocery stores, restaurants and more.