Fishing report 30 July 2022

Good morning, great weather for this weekend, and really all week is looking pretty good.  Not sweltering and not too cold for this time of year!  Fishing overall has been a bit tough, but the ski’s have been heating up just in the last few days.  Water temps are at a good point to target all species safely and with the cooler nights they should stay pretty consistent.  Here is a rundown for last week and the week ahead.
 
Musky–The musky bite is heating up, both in numbers being caught and the size of the fish going up.  Most fish are still being taken on bucktails/spinner baits with bright colors being the most popular.  There has been a few daytime bites, but most are coming at dawn/dusk periods.  Fish are still relating to the deep weed edges and a little bit deeper structure.
 
Northern Pike–Lots of northern being caught from bass and musky anglers alike.  Fast moving baits like spinner baits and crankbaits seem to be the ticket.  Focus on the weeds where prey fish are trying to hide from predators.  Weed edges both shallow and deep will be holding fish this time of year.
 
Walleye–The walleye bite has been a bit tough the last couple of weeks, but the fish that are being caught seem to be good quality fish.  Walleye seem to be holding out on deeper structure off of main lake humps and points.  Jigs tipped with minnows and leeches are still producing fish for most guys.  
 
Largemouth bass–Lots of bass being caught on artificial and live bait right now.  Fishing off of docks with nightcrawlers is working well, as are spinner baits through weed cover.  Shallow heavy weed cover can be a good spot and using weedless worms or jigs/trailers down through the cover works well to put big bass in the boat.
 
Smallmouth bass–The smallmouth bite has been in line with the walleye bite and guys/gals are finding both species in the same locations using the same techniques.  Deeper water with rocks/structure are holding fish and jigging with leeches or minnows seems to be doing the trick.
 
Crappie–Another tough bite has been the crappie lately.  Not a lot to report, but fish seem to be holding tight to cover near bottom.  Just inside deep weed edges where they are hiding from predators.  Small jig heads tipped with minnows under a bobber are still producing more than anything else.
 
Bluegill–Wax worms on small jigs, nightcrawlers on plain hooks and panfish leeches on either one are all catching gills’ right now.  Most are being caught up tight against shoreline structure/weeds and off of docks.  
 
Perch–Perch are still mixing it up with crappie from what I am being told.  Minnows seem to be the ticket in catching perch right now and using a bobber with a jig under it is the preferred technique.  
 
I know not a ton of info but we are in the summer doldrums so just getting out and locating fish is key.  
 
Greg

Fishing report 23 July 2022

Good morning quiet lakes, looks like thunderstorms this afternoon and then a bit of a cool down for the upcoming week.  A few more chances at rain during the week, but does not appear to be anything to be too concerned about.  Fishing has still been pretty slow overall so patience is key.  Knowing that you are fishing over fish keeps you in the game mentally and it’s really just a matter of finding fish that want to eat.  Hopefully this little cool down will help as sometimes it’s the little changes that make a big difference.  Water temps are in the upper 70s and I was even reading 80.7 at one point last night.
 
Musky–The musky bite for a few people (myself NOT included) has been pretty good this past week.  Bigger baits and slower presentations have been putting some fish in the net.  Dive and rise and glide baits work well to slow down and pick apart spots.  Using faster baits such as bucktails will find active fish, and if they follow but don’t commit, slowing down and keeping a bait hanging in their face can be the difference between getting skunked and putting fish in the net.
 
Walleye–The walleye bite has been pretty tough the last couple of weeks, there are still fish around but you have to work a little bit to find them.  Slip bobber rigs over rocks/wood/weeds tipped with a jig and livebait work well this time of year.  Trolling/casting crankbaits can also be effective on certain waters depending on what the lake structure is like.  Fish should be located in mid summer spots which typically relates to deeper humps/structure.  
 
Largemouth bass–I have not heard a whole lot on the bass bite lately, but water temps should dictate a topwater bite for largemouth.  Buzzbaits, frogs, and even chatterbaits that ride high in the water column and are semi weedless would be excellent choices to target lunker largemouth.  Focus on thick weed cover and large patches of lily pads this time of year for big bass.
 
Smallmouth–Not a lot to report on the smallmouth bite either, but they should be locating on deeper lake structure as well.  Working jigs and soft plastics or livebait along deeper rocks, main lakes humps with sand/rocks on them and even wood in certain areas will hold smallmouth.  Casting crankbaits into those same areas can be very effective as well.
 
Crappie–Live bait under bobbers has been the most consistent way to catch crappie so far this summer.  Most fish seem to be relating to weeds and running plain hooks tipped with crappie minnows seems to be the ticket.  Working through big weed beds that are adjacent to deep basins in the lake is a good place to start.  
 
Perch–Perch can also be found using live bait such as crappie minnows and chunks of nightcrawler.  You can find perch in these same weed beds as crappie and even out into the basin, or they can be up shallow on sandy shore lines.  
 
Bluegill–Nightcrawlers under bobbers…work…every…time….There is honestly not much else to say about bluegill fishing this time of year other than that.  It is the best way for kids and adults alike to catch bluegill and it works everywhere from the pier to the boat.  
 
Have a great week everyone!!
 
Greg