FISHING WITH THE GUIDES with George Langley - WEEK OF 2/1/26 to 2/8/26

The February sun is a bit warmer, it’s out a bit longer, and has given us some nice days on the ice. The extreme cold we experienced recently definitely slowed the bite in general, but things are picking up nicely and we saw good action over the last weekend. Ice conditions in the Eagle River and Vilas County area continue to be generally in the 12–18 inch range. There are still some pressure cracks, shoreline heaves, and “layer cake” ice/snow/slush buildup in places, so take your time getting around on foot or machine, especially if you’re going off the beaten path.

The walleye bite remains one of the more consistent highlights of winter, although we did see a slowdown in action during the extreme cold. Anglers are still catching fish along weed edges, structured breaks and transitions in the typical 8–14 foot depths, with medium shiners and sucker minnows on tip-ups continuing to produce. Whether one or the other works seems to depend a little on depth, with those fishing deeper flats and breaks finding suckers working best.  Evening into after dark has proved to be the most productive period, although we’ve heard from a few groups of anglers that have had great success with big fish right at the noon mark.  

Northern pike anglers are reporting good to very good success with baited tip-ups in 8–15 feet around remaining weed edges. Larger shiners or big sucker minnows fished near that cover are still generating steady flags, and shifting between pike early in the day and walleye in the late afternoon can make for a full day of action.

Panfish action is holding steady for those willing to put in the time. Perch have been showing up primarily on deeper flats in the 14–20 foot range, with heavier spoons or tungsten jigs tipped with spikes, waxies or small plastics getting bites. While we usually find the bluegills a little shallower, they’ve been hanging in the deeper water with the cold and seem happiest on small jigs tipped with spikes or waxies. Crappies continue to be a little more fickle, but they are being found in transition areas and weed edges around 10–15 feet; slow presentations and small plastics or crappie minnows on a tip-down often help entice bites.  Right now it seems the trick for panfish is to be willing to move around. Depending on the weather and time of day, you might find them in unexpected places.

Even with the brutally cold stretches we’ve had, many anglers have still enjoyed solid action across species and depths. The trick this time of year is to slow your presentation, pay attention to productive breaks and structure, and adjust depths and type of bait if the fish aren’t cooperating right away. Fingers crossed that a gradual warming trend brings even more comfortable conditions — and maybe a few more willing bites — as we inch closer to that late-winter transition.

Good luck and good fishin’! 

Wisconsin Fishing Information

                                                                                                                           

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