Fishing Report

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, we got a fair amount of rain out this way yesterday, right around three quarters of an inch.  We could use way more than that, as the lakes are still way down in the area.  It does not appear we will see much if any precipitation over the next week and the weather looks pleasant with temps in the 60s and 70s for the 15 day forecast.  Overnight lows range anywhere from the low 40s to the mid 50s.  This should really help water temps cool down and get fish more into early fall patterns.  Fishing overall has been pretty slow, but it should get better as the water cools down and we have stable weather.

Musky–The musky bite has been hit or miss, and anglers seem to still be having more success than not on small baits.  Small bucktails have put a few fish on the board this week here, however an angler did put a fish on our board and caught it on a double 10 yesterday before the storms rolled in so that is a good sign!  Fish are still related to weeds and edges.

Northern pike–A few pike have been caught lately, but they have slowed down a bit as well.  Pike are still too related to weeds and edges and fast moving baits such as bucktails or shallow running crank baits and slow moving stuff like live bait is working too.  

Walleye–I have honestly not heard much on a walleye bite this past week, as most anglers (here at least) aren’t targeting them as much as say musky or pike.  Walleye should be relating to basins this time of year and coming up shallow towards dusk.  This does change from lake to lake as some lakes hold walleye in weeds vs. the basin.  For basin fish, trolling crankbaits can be effective, and in the weeds, jigs and plastics or minnows snapped through cabbage can be excellent.

LMB–Largemouth have been active on everything from jigs/minnows all the way up to topwater baits.  Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are working too and those fish might start to slide deeper as the water cools down.

SMB–Anglers have done well catching smallies on deep rocks.  Slip bobbers with crawlers anywhere from 12-20 FOW with rocks have been good for smallies right now.  

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–The panfish bite has either slowed down, or more anglers are fishing other species and not targeting panfish.  I have not really heard much of an active panfish bite, although they should still be in green weeds and shallow.  Minnows and crawlers with jigs or under a float are great choices to target panfish.  Plastics on jigs can work as well.  

Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, thunder is rolling as I type this and it looks like we are in for some solid thunderstorms this morning.  It looks like we have chances of rain tomorrow and Monday as well, then it settles down.  Air temps look to be pleasant in the 70s all week, which, combined with any rain we get should keep water temps in check.  From what I am hearing water temps are still around the mid 70s on most lakes.  Water levels are down on most lakes, and the Quiet Lakes around here are down, probably close to 18″.  Overall fishing has not been great, and it’s hard to tell if the storms today will help or hurt.  

Musky–The musky bite has slowed down (at least on our boards) with only one fish put up on the board in the last 10 days.  That fish, and a few others were seen on small bass sized crankbaits and spinnerbaits.  Fish were still related to weeds, but not very active.  

Northern Pike–You know fishing is tough when pike slow down, and that appears to be the case right now.  A few anglers saw some small pike, mostly on spinnerbaits.  Small bucktails and spinners are great choices right now for pike, and they too are related to weeds.

Walleye–Walleye have also been a tough bite lately, and I have heard almost zero reports on a walleye bite.  If I had to choose a style to fish for walleye right now, it would be using crawler harnesses slow trolled with bottom bouncers on deeper rocks.  Lindy rigs or jigs tipped with crawlers would be other solid choices.  I would look for fish anywhere from 12-20 FOW.

LMB–The largemouth bite has been pretty good yet, and anglers are seeing fish on topwater baits, spinnerbaits, and plastics right now.  Look for bass around lily pads and emergent vegetation.  

SMB–Smallies have been active as well, and anglers are catching them on a wide range of baits as well.  Everything from top waters to jigs and plastics are catching smallies right now.  Anglers are finding smallies on weed or rock edges adjacent to deeper water.  

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–The panfish bite has been up and down this past week, some days fish were all over and easy to catch, and other days they had disappeared from where they were.  Nightcrawlers have been the ticket for bluegill and perch, while minnows have been great for crappie.  Gulp! and other plastics have also worked for panfish this past week.  Simply rigged under a float or cast out and retrieved through weed beds are the spots to find panfish right now.

That is all I have for this week’s report.  Sort of a stagnant bite right now, hopefully these storms will fire the fish up a little bit.  Have a great weekend, stay dry and we will talk soon!

Greg