Fishing report 11 July 2026

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes. Well I wish I could say the fishing has been as hot as the weather…….but it has not.  Water temps have shot back up into the 80s and the fish have either pushed deep or hunkered down into cover and have been quiet since the holiday.  We continue our warm weather trend, seeing near record highs with temps topping out at 93 on both Monday and Tuesday.  I am seeing nothing as far as rain until at least next Sunday and that only sits at a 34% chance.  Might as well leave the rods/reels at home and only bring up the swimsuits and rafts!

Musky–The musky bite pretty much shut down this past week and we only added 3 fish to the board.  Those were all on small baits and those fish were around weeds.  I know I bring it up every year and I hate to be the guy that harps on people, but musky anglers should really limit targeting musky with water temps being so high.  We know musky are a gamefish that is getting harder to catch, as reproduction  rates are low, and our stocking efforts are dismal.  I totally understand if an angler only gets a week or so vacation a year and wants to target and catch musky and I am all for that.  I only ask that those anglers be prepared (have release tools, a good net, camera ready if a pic is needed) and don’t measure the fish if it’s not a PB.  The longer the fish stays in the water and the less stress it has, the better chance it swims another day.  

Northern pike–Even the pike have slowed down a bit, and you know fishing is tough when that happens.  Pike should still be in and around weeds anywhere from 3-12 FOW and will still be chasing spinnerbaits, swimbaits, live bait, and topwater baits.  

Walleye–The walleye have become pretty tight lipped as well, although a midsummer pattern seems to favor that year to year.  Leeches jigged off of deeper transitions, bottom bouncers or crankbaits trolled mid water column, or worm harnesses rolled slow through basins can all be effective.  Look for walleye anywhere from 12-25 FOW or deeper depending on the lake.  

LMB–If there is one species that favors hot water and hot air temps, its the largemouth.  My guess is the bass bite should really pick up, and anglers will find bass in the thickest cover of lily pads, bulrushes, or cabbage or grass.  Top water baits would be my first choice to throw as there is no more exciting way to catch fish!  Scum frogs, Whopper Ploppers, Buzzbaits and baits such as Zara Spooks can all be great choices.  For suspended fish, plastic worms and spinnerbaits are a go-to.  

SMB–Anglers are finding some smallies all over the water column right now.  Deep rocks, up on top of mid lake reefs, and anywhere in between smallies can be caught right now.  Jigs/plastics, topwaters, and live bait worked around these structures can all catch fish.  

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–All of the panfish are in and around weeds or shoreline structures.  Anglers are finding crappie anywhere from 6-10 FOW in and around weed beds and doing well on crappie minnows and plastics.  Bluegill are up shallow around docks and shoreline weeds/structure and anglers are catching them on leaf worms and crawlers.  Perch can be mixed in with crappie, but may be on the deeper edges of the weeds adjacent to the basins.

We are certainly going to be in the summer doldrums with this hot/stable weather.  Have a great weekend, stay cool and we will talk soon.

Greg