Lake Monona Fishing Guides
A downtown Madison lake with a genuine trophy musky population, where the state capitol sits on the skyline and a guided boat can be on fish ten minutes after launching.
Guides on the Lake Monona
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About the Lake Monona
Lake Monona is the second lake in the Yahara chain, sitting immediately downstream of Mendota and wrapped on three sides by the city of Madison. It covers a little over three thousand acres and runs to about seventy feet at its deepest point, which is enough water to hold fish through a hot summer and enough shoreline development to make it one of the most convenient urban fisheries in the Midwest. The state capitol dome is visible from most of the lake, and that view is a fair summary of what fishing here is like: serious water in an unserious setting.
Musky are the headline. The Yahara lakes produce fish in the fifty-inch class every year, and Monona in particular has a reputation among Wisconsin guides as a lake where a client with no musky experience has a realistic chance of moving one. The population is supported by stocking and by an enormous forage base of panfish and cisco. Walleye are present and fished hard in spring near the Yahara outlets, and both bass species are abundant, with smallmouth relating to the rock and rip-rap along the causeways and largemouth in the weed edges and boat lifts.
The lake’s character changes sharply through the year. Summer brings heavy recreational boat traffic, which pushes serious fishing into the early morning and the last hour of light. Late fall is the best window for a big musky and the quietest the lake ever gets. Winter ice fishing for panfish and the occasional walleye is a Madison institution, though ice conditions on an urban lake with current at both ends deserve real caution. Because the chain is connected, guides frequently move a party between Monona, Mendota and Waubesa within a single trip, following clearer water or a wind-protected shoreline rather than committing the whole day to one basin.
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The photo at the top of this page is not Lake Monona.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
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Pool right now
- 24 hours-0.02 ft → steady
- Water temperature68 F
Reading taken 1h ago at USGS 05429000, LAKE MONONA AT MADISON, WI. Elevation is the surface of the lake above the survey datum, not depth. Source.
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Access
Olbrich Park launch - the main east side ramp, with parking and quick access to the north end weed beds.
Olin Park launch - the west side ramp closest to downtown and the Yahara outlet.
Brittingham Park - small launch and shore access on the northwest corner near the isthmus.
Yahara River between Mendota and Monona - current, walleye in spring, and a productive shore fishery.
Squaw Bay and Turville Point - protected shallow water and weed edges on the south shore.
The railroad causeway - rip-rap holding smallmouth bass and a reliable musky spot in fall.
Belle Isle and the east shore drop - the deepest structure on the lake and a summer musky area.
Seasons
Spring: walleye stack near the Yahara outlets after ice-out and bass move shallow as the water warms through May.
Summer: heavy boat traffic pushes good fishing into first and last light, with panfish steady all day on the weed edges.
Fall: the best musky window of the year, with cooling water, fewer boats and the largest fish of the season moving.
Winter: a Madison tradition for panfish and the occasional walleye, though current at both ends makes ice conditions variable.
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Questions
What species can you catch on the Lake Monona?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Yellow Perch on the Lake Monona in Wisconsin.
Where can you access the Lake Monona?
Olbrich Park launch - the main east side ramp, with parking and quick access to the north end weed beds. Olin Park launch - the west side ramp closest to downtown and the Yahara outlet. Brittingham Park - small launch and shore access on the northwest corner near the isthmus. Yahara River between Mendota and Monona - current, walleye in spring, and a productive shore fishery. Squaw Bay and Turville Point - protected shallow water and weed edges on the south shore. The railroad causeway - rip-rap holding smallmouth bass and a reliable musky spot in fall. Belle Isle and the east shore drop - the...
When is the best time to fish the Lake Monona?
Spring: walleye stack near the Yahara outlets after ice-out and bass move shallow as the water warms through May. Summer: heavy boat traffic pushes good fishing into first and last light, with panfish steady all day on the weed edges. Fall: the best musky window of the year, with cooling water, fewer boats and the largest fish of the season moving. Winter: a Madison tradition for panfish and the occasional walleye, though current at both ends makes ice conditions variable.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Lake Monona?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the Wisconsin agency site: https://dnr.wisconsin.gov/topic/Fishing/regulations