Fishing Report

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, we got about an inch and a half of rain between Wednesday and Thursday.  No damage from any storms or anything, just some good soaking rains.  The rains dropped the water temps in a big way, but I actually think it helped the fishing a little bit.   Water temps started the week around 80 degrees and yesterday on the same lake I saw 69-71 degrees depending on the spot we were in.  Other anglers have told me the fishing got better after the first round of rain as well.  

Musky–The musky bite has picked up some, and it sounds like small, bright colored bucktails are working best right now.  Marabou tails seem to favor bucktail or tinsel.  Weed beds seem to be the structure fish are holding too.  Look for ‘skies anywhere from 4-12 FOW.

Pike–PIke have been active, and we caught 5 yesterday and all were in weed beds or shallow weedy bays.  They mostly ate spinnerbaits for us, although one did manage to eat my musky lure that was half his size.  

Walleye–The walleye bite has gotten better from what I am hearing and mostly live bait (either leeches or minnows) are working best.  Fish are sort of where anglers should expect them around deeper weed/rock transitions anywhere from 8-14 FOW or deeper depending on the lake.  

LMB–Bass are up in the thick stuff around lily pads and other submerged or emergent weeds.  Spinnerbaits and topwater prop baits or frogs are solid choices to throw right now.  

SMB–We caught a nice smallie off of a rocky point yesterday, and he was up shallower than I would have expected.  Deep rocks should be holding fish, and jigs/leeches jigs/minnows or plastics are good choices.  Deep running crank baits bounced off of rocks can also work well.  Look for fish on these spots in 12-20 FOW.

Crappie–The crappie bite picked up a little bit over the past week, and anglers are doing well with crappie minnows rigged under floats in weed beds.  Look for crappie in 5-10 FOW and work/drift through weed beds.  Or pick spots and cast floats into those areas.

Bluegill/Perch–I have not heard to much on a gill or perch bite, but they too should be holding to cover pretty tightly.  Gills should be up shallow around docks and fallen timber or sunken timber in shallow water, while perch may be holding to the deeper weed edge near main lake basins.  Crawlers and leaf worms are good choices for gills, while minnows and small leeches are great for perch.

That is all I have for this weeks report.  Looks like we may see more rain tonight and then chances on the 3rd and 4th.  Air temps warm up a little bit, with highs right around 80 all week.  Have a great week and an excellent 4th of July and we will talk soon!

Greg

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, some nasty thunderstorms came through last night and brought some wind, rain and crazy lightning.  Our rain gauge is showing we got around 1″ of rain, and from what I saw from a few pics of downtown Hayward, lots of vendors lost tents.  Very unfortunate downtown.  It is supposed to get extremely hot today and tomorrow topping out in the mid 90s.  Next week looks like it could be a wet one as well although we do get reprieve from the heat on Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the 60s and 70s.  Fishing has picked up some for a few species, while others are still not cooperating.

Musky–The musky bite has been tough, with fish still favoring smaller baits from what I am gathering.  Work weed beds and shallower rock flats with downsized bucktails, smaller minnow/crankbaits or even smaller rubber baits.  

Pike–PIke action has been consistent and pike are still hammering almost all baits thrown their way.  Spinnerbaits, inline spinners, crankbaits and live bait are all producing pike for anglers.  Shallow weedy bays and weed beds are key to finding pike.  Bass and walleye sized baits seem to be the size pike want right now.

Walleye–The walleye bite has been tough lately, and they are hunkered down in deep weeds or on deeper rock transitions.  Leeches seem to be getting hot as the bait to use, and with this warm weather should be excellent moving forward.  Simple jig/leech presentations vertically jigged over the side of the boat, or slip bobbers cast out with leeches towards bottom should produce fish.  

LMB–Largemouth have gotten active again, and they are up in shallow weeds such as reed beds, lily pads, and fallen timber.  Plastic worms, and even top water frogs should really start to get good with the hot weather and water warming up.  Cast towards shorelines and get baits deep into weeds.

SMB–Smallmouth bass have been caught on deeper rocks off of main lake points, and reefs.  Jigs/minnows, leeches or plastics will all work right now to catch smallies.  Look for fish anywhere from 10-20 FOW off of these deeper rocks.

Crappie–The crappie bite has gotten much better over the past week and anglers are having success on crappie minnows under a bobber.  I have heard some reports of fish suspended out over basins and others in the weeds.  Target fish with baits anywhere from the 4-10 FOW range depending on the lake.

Bluegill/Perch–I have not heard too much on a bluegill or perch bite, but anglers should see success off of docks and shoreline areas with downed timber or sparse weeds.  Nightcrawlers and leaf worms are great choices, as well as small jigs and plastic baits.  

Fishing is picking up a little bit, but these thunderstorms may have fish in limbo.  I hope everyone who enjoys Musky Fest the rest of the weekend is able to stay cool!!  It’s going to be a hot one!  Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg