Weekly Fishing Report
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This week for Rod and Reel fishing we focused mainly on fishing the Rock River in Fort Atkinson Wi, and the Bark River Just outside of whitewater Wi.
The Rock River was pretty slow for us on white bass. We managed to catch a few but only ended up with about 5. We used spinners, Jig heads with twister tails, and Rapala crankbaits.
The Bark River was a different story. It was very hit or miss depending on the day, but we did manage to catch 34 white bass on one day and 48 on another. These fish bit on anything from a Rapala crankbait to jig heads. Colors changed by the day, but green and gold seemed to do the best.
Now for Bowfishing we only managed to make it out on Lake Koshkonong near Fort Atkinson Wi. Water Clarity varied heavily depending on the location of the lake you were on. some places like just off of vinne ha ha boat ramp was a bit murky, to over by stinker’s bay which was crystal clear. We did manage to find some fish though! mostly commons with the occasional Buff. We ended our night with a total of 51 fish and plenty of missed shots that could have led to more!
Week of 5/04/26
This week for Rod and Reel fishing, our primary focus was the Rock River in Fort Atkinson Wisconsin.
The Water In Fort Atkinson is still extremely high, and the water conditions are rough, especially if you are fishing from shore. That being said we were able to get 32 white bass one evening so it is worth it to get out there and give it a shot! Males and Females were both caught so the spring White bass run is on!
For Bowfishing we tried out Tripp Lake in Whitewater Wi, Bark River outside of Whitewater Wi, and Lake Koshkonong in Fort Atkinson Wi.
Tripp Lake and the Bark River were both a bust with seeing zero fish between the two. Still a bit early but do not shy away from giving them a chance, because the fish will be in the shallows very soon.
On Lake Koshkonong we did very well. Water clarity was pretty decent, and the fish were definitely moving! We filled 3 barrels with 65 fish. This was a mix between commons and buffs. Many fish out there to be found, so get out there and enjoy the outdoors!
Week of 4/27/26
Week Of 4/20/26
This week for Rod and Reel fishing our primary focus was the Rock River in Janesville WI.
Water is extremely high and current is extremely strong! Primary lures being used were green ¼ jigs. Most fish caught were Bigmouth Buffalo suckers ranging from the 7-15lbs and also common carp ranging from 5-12lbs. We did catch a few drum and 1 white bass.
For Bowfishing we focused on Lake Koshkonong near Fort Atkinson Wi, and Whitewater Lake near Whitewater WI. For Lake Koshkonong, the buffalo are definitely spawning and there are definitely some commons starting to come into the shallows also. The lake is very flooded, so it can make it difficult to get back far enough to find the fish, but if you manage to do it, the fish are there!
For Whitewater Lake the Lake is also a bit flooded but the water is crystal clear. Almost all fish were very deep and not that many were seen. In my opinion it is still a bit early for this lake and I would recommend going elsewhere until it warms up a bit.
Sure, would be nice if the rain would let up, but we did manage to make it out a few times this week.
This week for rod and reel fishing we made it over to the Rock River in Janesville Wisconsin. The water was extremely high from recent storms. I used a green 1/4oz with a green twister tail throughout the day with quite a bit of success. Now we were not catching the prized walleyes by any means, but we had Bigmouth Buffalo suckers and common carp constantly crushing our jigs. These fish put up a great fight and sure made it to be a fun time out on the water. We hooked up on a new fish about every 5 minutes or so and didn’t stop until we decided our arms were too sore to continue. One 14” white bass was caught which was great to see because it is a nice reminder that the white bass run is right around the corner!
For anyone who hasn’t tried to eat a Bigmouth Buffalo sucker, you are missing out!!
Now for Bowfishing we made it out on two different lakes this week. First lake was Tripp Lake in Whitewater Wisconsin. The water here was extremely muddy from the recent flooding and after scouring the entire lake, we never even seen one single carp. Still a bit too cold for that body of water.
Second Lake we tried out was Rice Lake just outside of Whitewater Wisconsin. We trolled the entire lake with mediocre water conditions, and we did end up finding around 30-40 carp. The majority of all fish were seen in 3 specific locations. First location was the first bay just off of the boat launch to the right. Do not skip this area, there are almost always carp in there! The other two locations were the two small bays on the southeast corner of the lake. Travel all the way down by the Rice Lake Dry Prairie State Natural Area, and you should find the fish!
Hope this Report Helps! Get out there and enjoy the Outdoors!
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Week of 4/13/26
This week we primary focused close to home and checked out the Rock River in Janesville WI. We fished above where the old dam used to be near “It’s a Keeper bait and Tackle shop” We were fishing from shore this week due to the high water and storms but still made it a point to get out there. Lures tried were 1/4oz and 1/2oz jig heads tipped with minnows and also tried them tipped with night crawlers. Only fish was that was caught was one 12” walleye. Could have been a better week but with all of the storms getting out there even a little was better than nothing!
I also had a wedding to go to up in Vernon County so of course I brought the trout fishing gear! We fished the Kickapoo river right outside of Lafarge Wi and also right near Rockton WI. Water Levels are still a bit high but have dropped well over 8ft in the last 6 days. Water clarity was surprisingly well. Not crystal clear but nowhere near mud brown.
Lures used were black and gold panther martins. Gold panther martin. 1/16oz jig head with white tail. I did not get any bites on any of the lures used, but I was not expecting much at all with how much the water levels have been changing due to the recent flooding.
Week of 4/6/2026
Week of 3/30/26
This week we focused mainly on the Rock River near Fort Atkinson Wi.
Water was high with fast moving currents from the recent rains. Fishing was very slow for us, and we are attributing that mainly to the colder weather and higher water. We did mark plenty of fish with the occasional walleye caught.
We did best in the afternoon bite using 1/4oz jig (green worked best for us) tipped with a large live fathead minnow.
Moving our baits slow was some of the key to our success.
Average size walleye caught from us this week was between 12-14” with approximately 18 fish caught throughout a 3-day timeframe.
We did try to fish the Root River in Racine County, but the river was extremely flooded from the storms we have had.
Very high water and extremely dirty.
No fish were caught, but we did see one brown trout surface near shore.
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