Onalaska is known as the “Sunfish Capital of the World.” Big fat bluegill and pumpkinseed are certainly one of the area’s greatest angling resources. However, there’s much more to the fishing than just sunfish. Onalaska has everything from whopper walleye and brutish bass to some of the biggest catfish in the U.S.

Spring and Summer Fishing

Spring is a time when many anglers in Onalaska turn their eyes to walleye. Shortly after ice leaves the river, walleye are running, and the catching can be spectacular. On the Mississippi, many anglers head to the dams where large numbers of walleye congregate. However, there’s often great fishing downriver as well. As waters warm in the spring, panfish action starts picking up, particularly in the flats and backwaters of the Black River, Mississippi River and Lake Onalaska that tend to warm faster than the moving waters near the river’s channel. The warming waters also make northern pike fishing pick up.

Late spring, early summer can be an excellent time to catch nearly every species of fish, but bass fishing really stands out. Both largemouth and smallmouth can be found in the river system around Onalaska. Look for smallmouth in the main river channels in spots that protect them from the heavy current, such as rocks, downfalls and wingdams. Largemouth bass are plentiful in the shallow backwaters. Fishing for catfish during the warmest months of the year can be an exciting affair, with both channel cats and flatheads providing some of the best catfishing in the Midwest.

A family fishing during Sunfish Days, held annually each May.

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Lake Onalaska has excellent ice fishing.

Fall and Winter Fishing

The cooling temperatures of fall bring wonderful color to the woodlands and bluffs. Fall also brings some of the year’s best fishing. Walleye begin to move again in the fall, and while the fall walleye run tends to be less lively than in the spring, the fall run tends to be more predictable and can provide steady action right up until the lakes, pools and waterways freeze over. The first areas to catch the attention of ice anglers are the area’s many backwaters. As ice creeps out from the shores of Lake Onalaska, so do intrepid ice anglers looking for some of the best panfishing of the year. As ice covers a wider area, ice anglers begin moving further out to deeper water in search of walleye, yellow perch and northern pike.

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