Fishing Report

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, a little bit of rain this morning and a stray shower or thunderstorm this afternoon. Sunday and Monday look hot with temps in the mid 80s and an air quality alert until Monday afternoon. Mid week looks to be wet with high chances of rain Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This weather pattern will most likely NOT help an already odd fishing season we have had so far. A few species have been active and predictable, but most have not. Water temps have shot way up also, and I am hearing anywhere from 75-80 degree surface temps on most lakes.

Musky–The musky bite has been a tough go this year. Lots of following fish, but not a great number of hook ups. We did fill our first musky chart for the 2025 season, and reviewing that chart shows small bucktails, bass/walleye sized crankbaits, and smaller glide baits have got the job done. Top water baits should really start to get hot if we get any kind of consistent weather, so think in any relation to structure to be on top or over it. Please be sure to handle fish minimally when water gets this warm, keep fish in the net as long as possible, only get a measurement if its meaningful (first musky, personal best fish, etc.) and have all tools/cameras ready to unhook the fish, get a quick pic or two and get the fish back into the water.

Pike–It should come as no surprise to anyone, but the pike bite has been solid lately. A number of good sized 24″+ pike are being caught as well as the typical hammer handles. Bucktails, spinnerbaits, live bait, and just about anything else anglers have in the water are getting eaten by pike. Shallow to mid depth weeds are key to finding pike on most lakes.

Walleye–Walleye have become nomadic, and most anglers are only picking up a few fish on any given spot. This is not uncommon for mid summer, as fish tend to be more sporadic throughout the lake. Some fish will relate to rocks, others to weeds and some anywhere in the water column in between the shallow and deep edges. Leeches and crawlers are tough to beat slowly worked through an area. Walleye should still be sliding up into shallower water at night to feed, and catching them on transitions in twilight can offer the best chances of seeing fish.

LMB–Largemouth have been active lately, and anglers are doing well on buzz baits, frogs, and plastic/live worms. Lily pads, reeds and other shallow weeds are all hot spots for targeting big largemouth bass.

SMB–Anglers have had some success finding smallies on the deep weed edges on rocky points or bars. Wacky rigs have worked excellent from what I am hearing although any similar presentation should work also.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–The panfish bite has been decent with anglers finding fish in and around weed beds. Crappie minnows rigged under a float, or small baits such as beetle spins or minnow baits are producing crappie. A number of anglers have told me they are seeing some big bluegills on small inline spinners such as rooster tails and #3 Mepps. Perch have also been caught on all of these presentations.

That is all I have for this week’s report. I wish it was better, but that is just how the season has been so far. Anglers gotta grind for any kind of payoff! Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, fantastic weather the past couple of days should have allowed everyone to get their fireworks shows done. Yesterday was hot, but it stayed dry and the winds were mild. Today looks to be a soaker with rain and thunderstorms off and on all day. The coming week looks to have great weather with highs in the upper 70s to low 80s and very little chance of rain until next Friday. Some stable weather should help the fishing, as our current pattern of a few hot days followed up by good amounts of rain has had some species tough to catch.

Musky–The musky bite has been a bit tough lately and I feel it’s mostly due to weather. Bait and forage fish are scattered and musky are as well. Anglers should find fish in and around weeds on most lakes, although some deeper basin lakes may have fish under bait balls or forage out in open water. Bucktails, topwater baits, and dive and rise or glide baits are all good options for casting. Trolling crankbaits through or around schools of bait fish in open water can be an excellent choice as well.

Pike–Pike have still been active and anglers have done well on small crank baits, spinnerbaits and bucktails. Pike are in and around weed beds and in weedy bays.

Walleye–The walleye bite has been pretty good lately and leeches, either jigged or under a float around deeper rocks and weeds are producing fish. Anglers should focus on those transition areas of rock to weeds or soft bottom anywhere from 10-18 FOW depending on the lake.

LMB–The largemouth bite has been solid lately and anglers should have good success using topwater baits such as frogs, prop style baits, and poppers or buzzbaits. Work these baits over or through thick cover such as lily pads and reeds.

SMB–Smallie action has been good and anglers are finding success on both deep presentations and top water presentations. Whopper Ploppers are the staple for topwater baits to throw (in this area anyway) for smallies, and jigs with plastics for live bait are great choices for deep fish. Look for rocky shorelines and work them top to bottom.

Crappie–The crappie bite has been up and down lately, and fish have been scattered. Anglers are having some success finding fish in cabbage weed beds and using small jig/tube combos. Crappie minnows rigged under a float will work also. Look for fish anywhere from 5-12 FOW.

Bluegill/Perch–Bluegill have been up shallow under docks and shoreline structure, and also in and around shallow weeds. Small hooks/jigs tipped with leaf worms or crawlers have been producing some nice panfish.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July and has a great weekend, and we will talk soon.

Greg