Musky Shop Northwoods Fishing Report: Early January 2025
Hello Everyone,
We hope you had a great holiday season and wish you a Happy New Year.
Ice fishing in the Minocqua area has been excellent. Depending on the type of lake you are on, Ice conditions are in the 12"-16" range. There is little to no snow currently on the ice, so ice travel is easy. Ice cleats are a very good recommendation, as with little to no snow cover, they help greatly with slippage and traction. As always, use a bit of caution.
The crappie and panfish bite has been great, with some really nice-sized crappie and bluegill being reported. Most of them have been in the 6-foot to 10-foot range, depending on the type of lake you are fishing. The Willow Flowage and Rainbow Flowage have been great producers.
Crappie Minnows, Rosy Reds, Waxworms, and Red and White Spikes are all working very well.
Similar to panfish, walleye vary depending on the type of lake you are fishing. For the smaller lakes and flowages, walleye are in the 6-foot to 10-foot range, and if you are fishing one of the deep clear lakes in the Minocqua area, Walleyes are a bit deeper, in the 8-foot to 18-foot range, in weeds or near the weed edge. A variety of live bait has been very productive. Walleye Suckers, Large and Medium Golden Shiners are all good minnows to take out with you.
If you target Northern Pike, they will primarily be in the same areas as Walleye's. Northern Pike minnows are a great minnow to use when targeting Pike. Walleye's and Northern Pike's tip-ups and jigging applications work equally well. All of our Live Bait is housed in circulating icy well water to ensure our live bait is always fresh and lively.
Enclosed are a couple of reminders:
Mark your calendar for Tuesday, March 4th. That is the day the Brand-New Livingston Lures Magnus will go on sale for the very first time. Please sign up for an email notification so that you will be notified immediately when they go up for sale. The Magnus will be a great bait, in my opinion, and they could sell very fast. Livingston Lures has also manufactured some very nice replacement tails for the Magnus as well.
Lastly, please mark your calendar for Saturday, July 19th, for our 2025 Musky Shop Summer Bash. This will be our 5th Summer Bash, and it truly is an event you don't want to miss. There are Great sales promotions and a Bunch of vendor partners in attendance. One can learn a ton as well as take advantage of some great promotions and meet and greet many of the faces behind the Brands of the Musky Manufactures that will be in attendance. This is a Free event and really is the most fun day of the year. We would be honored if each of you could join us on Saturday, July 19th. Mark your calendar and make lodging arrangements now.
Thank you all very much for your business and support, which we greatly appreciate.
Please let us know if we can be of service to you.
Good Fishing, and God Bless, Jim Stewart