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Lake Wisconsin
Mon Oct 26 – Wed Oct 28, 2026 · Central Time · Walleye
- Shallow cover, points, creek mouths
- First light (first light CDT) → ~9 AM
- Use any ripple as cover
- Shade lines, docks, deeper edges
- Electronics for bait height first
- Slow down once the sun is overhead
- Revisit shallow shade as sun drops
- Topwater if the surface lays down
- Weekday traffic is lighter — work quiet pockets
Lake Wisconsin walleye and sauger are in their fall feeding period. As the water cools, they move along the old river channel and onto nearby flats to feed, especially in low light.
What's on the menu: gizzard shad, shiners, yellow perch and other small baitfish. Match that with shad- and shiner-colored crankbaits and jigs, and live fathead minnows.
White bass · crappie. White bass school and chase baitfish in fall; small spinners and jigs catch them, and crappie hold near cover.
Weekday traffic — lighter than the weekend. Fish early, give ramps and swim areas room.
Fixed Dam-controlled water. No shared generation/level feed this cycle — check the agency page the morning you fish; releases and pool levels change daily. Stay outside buoyed restricted zones.
| Item | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permit / regs | Check the current Wisconsin DNR fishing regulations for Lake Wisconsin before you keep any fish. | |
Lake Wisconsin has several public shore spots. The Moon Valley Public Boat Launch in the Town of Merrimac and the Summer Oaks Boat Landing in Sauk County offer access near the water, and the river below the Prairie du Sac Dam is a popular fall shore-fishing area.
Launch at Moon Valley in the Town of Merrimac, Summer Oaks or another public landing near a sheltered stretch. Morning are the calmest windows. The south wind can make the wide lower lake rough, so stay in the narrower upper sections or sheltered bays.
Launch at Moon Valley, Summer Oaks, West Point, O'kee or another of the 15 public ramps Wisconsin DNR lists on the lake. Use your electronics to follow the old river channel, and fish a jig and minnow or three-way rig slowly along the edges during the day. As the light fades, troll shallow crankbaits on flats next to the channel.
Shallow minnow bait cast over weed flats at dusk. Slip bobber with a leech or minnow on calm evenings. Surface action is limited, so focus lower in the water.
Lipless rattle bait ripped through shallow weeds. Shallow-running crankbait trolled along breaks after dark. Swimbait on a light jighead along weed edges.
Jig tipped with a minnow on river channel edges and wing dams. Three-way rig with a minnow or nightcrawler in current. Blade bait snapped off the bottom along deeper breaks.