Will This Be The Year?
I guess we may be in a fishing rut. These last two years have been less productive then we would have liked. This has been true for the surrounding area lakes as well, according to the local fishermen. But you never know, this could be a banner year. No one has been able to point to any specific reason why.
The ice went out on or about April 9th and the lake water levels remain high due to all the recent rain. Spearing did occur again with over 200 walleyes taken which was below the permitted max. Never the less, Oxbow was the largest producer in the Annual Walleye Tournament (3rd weekend in May) with Birch Lake a close second. The largest walleye taken on Oxbow was 181/2 in. Most of the registered fish were in the 12 to 14 inch range, which is typical of Oxbow.
Oxbow is a Paradise of structure, with its 13.5 miles of shoreline, 11 islands and many bays. Fish relate to structure of all kinds; shoreline, rock bars, downed timber, weed beds, etc., thus the fish are scattered around the lake. Look for deeper water adjacent to structure for better productivity.
We again encourage you to return any walleye over 17 inches (probably a female) as they are important to the future of the fishery. DNR studies show the larger older females produce larger eggs which have a higher survival rate. Keep the smaller fish for the table they are the tastiest.
Beginning this year, our intent is to publish a monthly (June-Sept) Fishing Report on the web site. They will contain fishing stories and experiences shared by Oxbow Lake fisher-people…we encourage you to let us know how the fishing is going so we have material for the “Fishing Report” Submit Your Fishing Report.