The busy city skyline looks like that of a 21st century metropolis, but something seemingly prehistoric lurks beneath the surface in Madison, Wisconsin: pike, and lots of them.
The Madison chain of lakes sports a robust pike population, including many trophy-class fish. And although the lakes might be better known for perch or even muskies, ice anglers flock here every winter for the chance at a big northern.
“It’s a great fishery we have here,” said Patrick Hasburgh, owner of D&S Bait, Tackle and Fly Shop in Madison. “There are still some huge fish in the system.”
Best of all, those fish are relatively accessible, and catching them can be straightforward.
The Chain-of-Lakes Scene
The Madison-area lakes, part of the Yahara River Chain, include Mendota, Monona, Wingra, Waubesa and Kegonsa. All have healthy pike populations, but Mendota — the largest and deepest lake — produces the most trophy fish, thanks in part to a 40-inch size limit and one-fish daily bag limit.
“Mendota boasts a higher proportion of larger fish than the lower lakes, but the lower lakes have some lunkers, too — just higher harvest rates since they have a 26-inch minimum (and two-fish bag limit),” said Daniel Oele, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries biologist for Dane, Green and Rock counties.
A 2019 comprehensive fishery survey of Mendota indicated that the lake’s pike population has remained relatively stable since 2002 in all size classes, with a stronger 2014 year class being evident. Fish sampled during the survey ranged from 11.1 to 41.5 inches, with an average size of 27.1 inches.
“Northern pike in Lake Mendota had excellent growth trajectories,” the survey said. “They grow faster and reach longer sizes than their cohorts from similar lakes, and females grow larger than males.”

Recent survey data wasn’t available for Lake Monona. A 2018 study on Lake Wingra sampled fish 23.3 to 33.3 inches long, with an average length of 29.5 inches. A 2017 survey of Lake Waubesa showed fish from 8.8 to 39.7 inches, with an average length of 23.4 inches. And a 2016 Lake Kegonsa survey sampled fish 9.2 to 40.3 inches, with an average size of 24 inches.
The lakes share one element when it comes to pike: a bright future, with solid numbers of younger fish.
“There’s a great population of pike right now in that 20- to 30-inch range,” Hasburgh said. “It’s really exciting with the numbers of smaller pike coming up.”
Locations and Methods
Pike location varies somewhat as winter progresses, but Hasburgh said Cherokee Marsh — a massive wetlands complex on the Yahara River northeast of where it dumps into Lake Mendota — is typically a great place to start the season.
“It’s always the first spot to freeze over, and those fish are up there,” he said. “Every year, they pull some massive pike out of there in the 40-inch range.”
After Mendota freezes — typically late December to early January — many pike anglers concentrate on the northern end of the lake. Spots near Governor’s Island and Warner Bay attract lots of attention, Hasburgh said. Dunn’s Bar, out from Governor’s Island, is another popular spot.
“Generally, folks on the north side set up near breaks, putting their tip-ups out over flats near breaks where there’s access to deeper water,” Hasburgh said. “Governor’s Island is a perfect example where it’s flat for several hundred yards and then it drops right off into 60 to 70 feet of water right there. Dunn’s Bar is like that, too. I know they catch them in the middle of the day. And during evenings, I see a lot of flags going off when I’m out at Dunn’s Bar.”
On the lake’s southern end, Hasburgh said, fishermen ply Picnic Point, University Bay, Second Point and Commodore Bar, which is west of Second Point.
“Those are also very good areas to check out for pike, especially the big ones,” he said. “A couple of years ago, they were getting many big pike out of the University Bay area. I also hear about good numbers (of pike) along the city shoreline, but I don’t hear of a lot of big pike out there.”
Hotspots on the other Madison-area lakes vary, but Hasburgh said weed edges — especially those near deeper water — are always good bets.
“Winter pike love cruising weed edges in search of an easy meal,” he said. “A weed line on a flat or near those breaks dropping off into deeper water are pretty safe bets.”
As mentioned, most winter pike anglers use tip-ups. Hasburgh said he sells extra-large shiners, which measure about 6 inches, as those are popular for northerns. A few anglers use smelt. Mendota pike forage on shiners and also ciscoes, which are making a comeback in the lake. However, a trophy fish someone caught recently had about 30 small crappies and bluegills in its gut. Hasburgh said Mendota has great numbers of small perch and bluegills right now, and he expects those panfish to be a major forage base for pike in years to come.
And sometimes, Hasburgh said, local anglers catch big pike on a nontraditional bait.
“Every now and then up in Cherokee Marsh, you’ll hear about someone who catches a pike on a hot dog on a tip-up in the shallow water there,” he said. “I didn’t believe it when I heard it, but sure enough. Last year, a guy got a 42- or 44-inch fish up there on a hot dog. It’s a thing.”
Most area pike anglers use quick-strike rigs with two treble hooks to facilitate good releases on sublegal pike, Hasburgh said. A few use circle hooks.
“Generally, treble hooks and quick-strike rigs are pretty much the norm,” he said. “There’s not a ton of mortality with those rigs. People can get on fish pretty quickly.”
Conclusion
Hasburgh said that he probably doesn’t see as many 40-plus-inch pike from the Madison chain as he did about five years ago. However, he said that might be because there are so many smaller — and perhaps more aggressive — fish in the system.
“The big ones are definitely still out there,” he said, adding that a customer recently caught a 42- and a 44-inch pike from Mendota. “It might just be a case of trying to keep your bait away from the smaller fish. It could be a function of the smaller fish being so active.”
With excellent odds of icing a trophy fish, the Madison lakes remain a great winter pike destination. And booming numbers of up-and-coming fish point toward a brighter future. Give it a try this season. Maybe you’ll discover that you don’t have to visit Canada to find the pike of a lifetime.
