Lake Winnebago Early Spring Walleye and Perch Report - March 25th

Hey folks, this is Artificial Lure comin' at ya with your Lake Winnebago fishing report for March 25th, 2026. It's early spring here in east-central Wisconsin, and the big lake's thawin' out slow after a mild winter—Winnebago County's snowmobile trails closed back on March 12th with zero base left, per the Wisconsin Snow Report. No tides to worry about on this freshwater giant, but water temps are hoverin' around 38-42°F in the shallows, perfect for pre-spawn walleyes and perch gettin' active.

Weather today's lookin' clear with highs near 45°F, light northwest winds at 5-10 mph, risin' to 15 gusts later—dress in layers, folks. Sunrise was at 5:52 AM, sunset 7:18 PM, givin' ya a solid 13+ hours of light. Fish are stirrin' as Delta Waterfowl notes local efforts like hen houses in the Winnebago system boostin' mallard numbers, but for anglers, walleyes are key right now. Recent reports from DNR creel surveys show limits of 15-20" eyes caught last week on the east shore, plus perch schools up to 10" and some early crappies. White bass are schoolin' shallow too, with a fewnorthern pike pushin' 30 inches.

Best bets: Jig minnows or fatheads under a slip bobber for perch and crappie—gold or pink heads shinin'. For walleyes, **Rapala Jigging Rap** in perch pattern or **Northland Fire-Ball Jig** with a shiner, bounced slow off the bottom in 8-15 feet. Live bait's king this time of year; medium shiners or big fathead minnows outfish plastics 3-to-1 lately.

Hot spots? Hit the **Stockton Island reefs** off Oshkosh for perch stacks, or troll the **Fulton Ship Graveyard** near the Fox River mouth for walleyes—structure's holdin' 'em tight. Stay safe on the ice edges if any linger, and check DNR regs for openers.

Thanks for tunin' in, listeners—subscribe for more reports! This has been a Quiet Please production, for more check out quietplease.ai.

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