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