Artificial Lure here, with your Lake Winnebago fishing report for Saturday, November 8th, 2025. After a night of crisp temps, the morning is starting off cool and calm, with light winds out of the northwest. No tides on Winnebago—it’s all wind influence here, and today’s forecast calls for a high around 43°F, with partly cloudy skies and a light breeze. Sunrise hit us at 6:45 AM, with sunset expected about 4:40 PM, so we’re dealing with a tight window—make use of every minute.
Water temps have slipped into the low 40s, and the fall bite is hanging on strong, particularly for smallmouth bass and walleye. According to D&S Bait Tackle & Fly Shop’s latest Madison area report, fish are moving deeper but are still pretty aggressive, just a little more finicky about presentation. Local anglers on YouTube and Outdoor News have noted the smallmouth bite “exploded” in recent days, especially along rock bars and transition zones around the west shore; fish are feeding heavy ahead of winter, with live minnows and plastics drawing solid strikes.
Yellow perch numbers are climbing, especially near the Fond du Lac area, and some nice slabs are coming up on small jigs tipped with waxies or fathead minnows. Walleye catches remain steady, with the best bites coming from trolling crankbaits, especially near Oshkosh and around the mouth of the Fox River—hard plastics remain a top choice. The musky crowd is still seeing active fish near the mouth of the river and close to the De Pere Dam, where trolling big crankbaits is producing last-chance giants.
Crappie action is more hit-or-miss, but those putting in the work on brush piles or deeper basin holes are pulling dinner-sized slabs by slow trolling small tube jigs or using slip bobbers with crappie minnows. Gorman Outdoors’ October footage out of Winnebago shows some hefty fish, even as temperatures drop.
For bait and tackle: live bait is king right now. Fathead minnows for perch and crappie, big suckers or chubs for your predators. Artificial options—use deep-diving crankbaits or blade baits for walleye, and paddle-tail swimbaits for smallmouth. For perch and panfish, go with micro-jigs, spoons, or bare hooks with a split shot.
Hot spots:
- West shore rock bars between Oshkosh and Black Wolf—plenty of smallmouth and the walleye bite turns on just before dusk.
- Mouth of the Fox River, especially where the current slows—walleye and musky are both lurking.
- Fond du Lac shoreline, near Lakeside Park—yellow perch and crappie moving in and out of weed beds and channels.
Reminder: Duck and deer hunters are out, so mind the launches and shorelines this week. Also, keep an eye on the wind forecast—any shift south will stir up the shallows and push fish tighter to structure.
That wraps up today’s Lake Winnebago fishing report—thanks for tuning in. Don’t forget to subscribe for more updates and tips from your local water. This has been a Quiet Please production; for more, check out quietplease dot ai.
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