MAZOMANIE, Wis. -- Dane County's Crystal Lake is located about a half an hour from Madison, Wisconsin's state capital, and a few miles north of Roxbury and east of Sauk City and the Wisconsin River.

Though only a few miles from Lake Wisconsin and the Wisconsin River, anglers have a tendency to forget about fishing Crystal Lake when fishing gets difficult in the summer. Locals are about the only people who fish the lake during that time. There's an improved boat landing at the south side of the lake that usually will be full on weekends, but only a half a dozen or so boats will be there during the week.

Crystal Lake gets pounded early in the year because it is so shallow (the deepest water is only 11 or 12 feet) and warms up quickly in the spring. Crappies and bluegills are easily caught from the rip-rapped shoreline by anglers who come from all over for the easy pickings. Many shore anglers regularly get their daily limit of 25 panfish in the spring. I'm amazed at the large number of fish that this 500-acre lake produces, but it is extremely fertile and the Department of Natural Resources says it has the capacity for large harvests.

The boat landing is on the south end of the lake, just off Crystal Lake Road.

After the initial spring attack, things slow down on Crystal Lake. 

I happened to talk to a friend, Larry Wipperfurth, who is the manager of Wilderness Fish and Game store in Sauk Prairie. Wipperfurth lives only a couple of miles from the lake and constantly fishes it. A recent conversation revealed how good the fishing had been at Crystal Lake.

Wipperfurth used to be a guide so I know the information he passes is on the money. He is always on the water before sunrise and off by mid-morning -- meaning he's out in low-light periods.

The bluegills, crappies and occasional perch are away from the shorelines this time of year and out in the shallow lake basin. Drifting across the main lake is the technique that Wipperfurth uses to catch his fish. He rigs a 6-foot light-action rod (such as a G. Loomis SJR 720), a Daiwa SS 700 ultra-light reel and spools it with Berkley Trilene XL in green color and 4-pound test monofilament line.

He then puts on a quality Thill slip-float and an ice fishing jig baited with a wax worm hooked in the middle. The depth he sets the slip-float can vary from day to day, so you have to experiment at different depths till you find the right one for the day you're fishing. In Wisconsin, anglers are allowed to fish with 3 rods, so it's easy to set your slip-floats at different depths from the top to the bottom of the water column till you find what depth the active fish are at. Active fish are usually higher up in the water.

Make sure that you have a good assortment of ice fishing jigs in various sizes and colors (try the Bait Rigs Cobra, Dots, Teardrops, Rat Finkies, Ratsos and Shrimpos). Also, bring some small plastics (try Techni-Glo tails that can be charged, Wedgies, and finesse plastic) because they work well when the fish are active. Last, bring plenty of wax worms and red worms because if the fish are biting, you'll go through plenty of bait.

Also rig a rod with a plain long shank Aberdeen hook (10-pound or 12-pound) and a small split shot under a slip-float baited with a piece of worm. You're now covered for any situation you may run into on Crystal Lake this summer.

Drift with the wind and watch your slip-floats. If there is too much wind and you're drifting too fast, put out a drift sock to slow you down and allow you to fish over the side of the boat. The bluegills have been biting regularly with most fish in the 8-inch range. Crappies are 10 to 12 inches long and the perch are 8 to 10 inches. Most of the action lately has been on bluegills, but don't be surprised to catch crappies, perch and largemouth bass.

If you fish a crawler on the bottom, you'll catch all the bullheads you want. This is a great place to take the kids because they'll catch fish.

For more information, contact Wilderness Fish and Game at 608-643-2433 or guides Wally Banfi at 608-644-9823 or call me at Gary Engberg at 608-795-4208.