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

Fishing report 16 July 2022

Good morning from the bait shop, the fishing report is not looking great this week as the fishing has been inconsistent and it appears the summer doldrums are here.  It is looking like a mixed bag for weather again this week starting out hot, then getting some precipitation mid week and looks to be stable by the end of the week with temps in the mid 80s.  Maybe this warm front and cool down will get fish moving a little bit.

Musky–Musky are biting, however they seem to be on the smaller end of the tape measure with not many fish at all over 40″ being reported.  They still seem to be on a small bucktail bite around weeds.  Most fish are being caught on Mepps #5s or Mepps Musky Killers from what I am hearing.  Focus on good weed beds and at dawn and dusk the topwater bite should see some action as well.
Northern pike–The northern pike bite has also been a bit slow for this time of year.  There are still fish around, they just do not seem to be very active right now.  Down sizing baits and slowing down the presentation can make negative/neutral fish eat.  Pike should still be relating to the weeds both in thick weed beds and off of the edges so be sure to fish through spots thoroughly.
Walleye–Mid summer patterns should see walleye relating to deeper structure, although that is completely subjective and relative to the lake/lakes you want to fish.  Some guys are still jigging with fatheads on deeper structure and others are using leeches under slip bobbers and some are pulling crawler harnesses slowly over and around these spots.
Largemouth bass–Lots of reports of good size largemouth being caught on topwater baits right now.  Frogs, small whopper ploppers and baits that stay up over the weeds and around lily pads are producing well.  Live bait is working well too for fish that are in deeper weeds with night crawlers and fathead minnows under bobbers catching fish.
Smallmouth bass–Deep structure (rocks/logs/cribs) are holding smallmouth and jumbo leeches jigged or on hooks under slip bobbers still catching good fish.  Bouncing crankbaits off of rocks is a good way to catch smallies as well.
Crappie–The crappie seemed to have scattered and some fish are out in the basins schooled up and others are still mixing it up in the weeds.  Small hair jigs tipped with waxies or crappie minnows and even plain hooks tipped with either has been working.  Work deeper weed edges and main lake structure over deeper water to find them.
Perch/Bluegill–Live bait under bobbers will catch perch/bluegill anytime of year and pretty much under any conditions.  If fishing off of the dock little chunks of nightcrawler are tough to beat.  If out on the main lake, nightcrawlers, panfish leeches and crappie minnows all work great.  Find weed beds that are near sandy shorelines and fish on the shallow edges and just into the weeds.  Casting out small hair jigs or small spinning baits with plastics on them such as beetle spins or mister twisters can also be great for panfish in summer.
Hope you guys can get out and enjoy the woods/waters!
Greg