Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, the 4/10ths of an inch of rain we got yesterday out towards the bait shop most likely won’t help bring the lakes back up to a decent level. Water levels are down a foot to a foot and half or more on most lakes so be cautious if you are trimmed down and don’t know the water. Looks to be a great weekend in the Northwoods, with temps topping out in the upper 70s and nights down into the mid 50s.  Chances of rain on Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday so far but I won’t hold my breath on that. Fishing has been pretty slow lately for most species, and water temps have creeped back up into the upper 70s on most lakes.

Musky–Anglers were starting to target musky again over the past week since water temps did cool to a reasonable level to not have fish die during the catch.  Blades are probably the best producing baits right now, followed by twitch/jerk baits.  Look for ‘skies pushed up onto the tops of flats/bars during low light conditions and off of the deeper edges during the day.

Northern pike–Pike action has been consistent and anglers are finding them in and around weeds.  Thick cabbage, grass, and coontail will all hold pike this time of year.  Chatterbaits have been lighting up pike lately and should continue to do so.  Small inline spinners and crank/jerkbaits will also work.

Walleye–The walleye bite hasn’t been on fire, but some fish are getting caught.  Trolling deep edges of rocks and weeds, jigging with leeches/minnows/crawlers all seem to have a time and place to pick off a few ‘eyes here and there. The last few hours of the day into the first darkness really seem to be good windows to catch walleye right now.

LMB–The bass bite either has not been as good as it should be or anglers aren’t talking too much about catching them.  Plastic worms or frogs would be the top two choices I would use to catch bass right now, and spinnerbaits would be a close third.  Work through cover, whether that be lily pads, bulrushes, timber, or cabbage and look for fish anywhere from 3-10 FOW right now.

SMB–Smallies will most likely be in deeper water hanging around deeper rock or weed transitions out into the basins.  Jigs and leeches or plastics are great choices for mid-day presentations, while topwater baits such as whopper ploppers can be excellent early morning or evening presentations.  

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–The panfish bite has been okay and somewhat predictable.  Gills and crappie are in the weeds anywhere from 3-12 FOW and perch seem to be relating more to the deeper edge in 10-15 FOW.  Minnows, plastics, and crawlers all seem to be catching panfish right now, so whatever your favorite presentation is go with that! 

Having confidence is key to a mid summer bite, as fishing can get pretty discouraging during the doldrums.  It should be a pretty pleasant week to be enjoying the Northwoods regardless of if the fish are cooperating or not!  That is all I have for this week’s report.  Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

Category: Fishing Reports