Fishing report 07 September 2024

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, a chilly one as I am typing this!  Saw some frost this morning, but that looks to be short lived as the extended forecast looks to bring warm temps for the week.  Aside from today’s high of 64 the rest of the week looks to be in the 80s with very little chances of rain until next weekend.  Water temps are still holding in the low 70s and that shouldn’t change too much even with the warmer temps.  I would say fishing has been decent, but not great.

Musky–Anglers are still seeing musky on all sorts of baits.  Small bass sized baits, bigger rubber baits, and suckers are all getting hit.  It sounds like musky are in pretty shallow water yet, mostly on weed beds and around points/islands.

Northern pike–Pike of all sizes are still active and eating mostly faster moving blade baits.  Pike are also in and around weed beds or on shallow structures.  If you prefer not to cast, walleye/northern suckers would be an excellent live bait choice right now for pike.  

Walleye–I have not got much info on the walleye bite as of late, but a good place to start would be on the deep weed edges or deep rocky ledges/points.  Deep diving crank baits, lindy rigs, or crawler harnesses dragged in 15-20 FOW should find fish.  Even jigging minnows or plastics on these spots can work well.

LMB–Not many anglers are targeting bass right now, but those fishing for them seem to be using soft plastics for suspended fish.  The topwater bite should remain good with the temps staying warm, however fish are starting to transition a bit to more of a fall pattern (bass included).  Going back to plastics rigged in any presentation and also spinnerbaits and even live bait can be excellent choices.

SMB–Anglers are targeting smallies using jig/minnow combos, jig/plastic combos and similar rigged presentations and working transitions from hard to soft bottoms.  Look for deep weed edges or where points extend into the basins.  

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–Anglers are still finding all sorts of panfish in and around weed beds, both on flats on big lakes and bays on smaller lakes.  Look for fish anywhere from 4-10 FOW and target them using minnows, crawlers, and artificial presentations as well.  

We are kind of in that weird transition from summer to fall as far as fishing goes even though the weather does not correlate to that! Have a great weekend everyone and we will talk soon. 

Greg

Fishing report 31 August 2024

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, it looks like we have an excellent weekend of weather on tap for the unofficial “end of summer”. A high of 80 today and then slightly cooler for Sunday and Monday. Thursday looks to cool down more and bring some rain but that is about it. The fishing slowed down a little bit over the last week, as we had some pretty good thunderstorms, lots of rain, and a major cold front early last week.
 
Musky–The cold fronts last week definitely had an effect on the musky bite. Lots of anglers were seeing followers or fish high in the water column but not eating. Those who caught fish seemed to do so on mid sized baits and in heavy cover. Fish were holding tight to cover and hitting baits on the pause. Fast moving baits such as bucktails will find active fish, however with the cooler weather slowing presentations down is not a bad idea. It is that time of year that dragging meat can start to be effective. Personally I think water temps are still a little warm for that, but we do have some musky suckers in stock for anglers wanting to fish live bait. Target ‘skis right now in and on weed edges or rocky points or timber.
 
Northern pike–Pike have still been active although it seems like they are all on the smaller side. Bass sized baits have been the most productive to catch pike so far this year. Pike are still holding in weed beds anywhere from 4-10 FOW and should continue to do so regardless of what the weather and water temps do.
 
Walleye–The walleye bite has been slow at best. Walleye have been scattered both deep and shallow, with smaller fish seeming to be on shallow structure and bigger fish holding a bit deeper. Jigging with minnows/walleye suckers is working to catch shallow fish, while deep running crank baits or crawler harnesses trolled at a slow pace is working to find deep fish. Look for edges and transitions in bottom structure in both cases.
 
LMB–The largemouth bite has been pretty good on a topwater bite yet. Frogs are working the best around lily pads and bulrushes, with prop/poppers/walk the dog styles working the best off of docks around dusk.
 
SMB–Smallies can be found on deeper rocky points and shorelines. Anglers are having some success on plastics ned rigged or wacky rigged, however we have had a good number of anglers in that have caught them on topwater baits such as Whopper Ploppers. Throw the top water baits on that same structure and hold on as top water strikes are no doubt the most exciting way for fish to eat baits!
 
Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–Anglers are finding success in and around weed beds for all of the panfish right now. Small tube jigs, Beetle Spins, Mimic Minnows cast out and retrieved are all catching panfish. Live bait in the form of minnows or chunks of nightcrawlers under a float will also trigger strikes from panfish. Look for fish in the weeds anywhere from 3-12 FOW.
 
I forgot to mention above that water temps are holding in the low 70s right now from what I am hearing. We hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and doesn’t work too hard!
 
Greg