Delavan Lake 7/8/19 through 7/15/19
Fishing remains very good. Even the hot weather hasn’t hurt the productivity or the size of the fish. The only factor continues to be the excessive boat traffic.
Bluegills remain on the deep weedline in 15-18 ft of water. They can be caught on leaf worms and nightcrawler pieces. Look for the fish by Assembly park point, Willow Point or by the Village Supper Club. They are still schooling by size so you continue to need to move if you are into the small fish.
Largemouth bass are located on the deep weedline with weeds and hard rock. Good locations have been by the Oriental boathouse, Browns Channel or the island. They can be drop shotted or split shot rigged with nightcrawlers or 4 inch finesse worms. Green pumpkin is the best color for the finesse worms. Most of my trips last week, were in excess of 15 bass for a 4 hour trip. Some bass are also being caught off of the north shore boat docks.
Northern Pike have been very good. If you find a school, you will catch a bunch. . Again, the right size suckers has been the key, 6-7 inches has been the best size. Any bigger and the smaller fish will take them and run but will ultimately kill the bait. The best location has been by the Slow No Wake buoy, just west of Willow point or by Browns Channel. You need to keep moving as the legal fish can be had. I caught several last week over 32 inches.
Walleye fishing has been slower this week. The fish are still in the 20-24 ft depth range. They can be caught near the Yacht Club or by Browns Channel. The best approach has been lindy rigging leeches or nightcrawlers. As a rule, the first light and dusk have been producing most of the fish. Once you get on an active school, you can catch several of them so don’t move too soon.
Perch are starting to show up in the shallower weeds in 12-14 ft of water. Already in July, I have caught 5 times as many as I caught all of last year. Most of them are small, however I did catch some in excess of 12 inches last week. The best bait has been hellgrammites. You want to fish them on a single hook or a Thill slip bobber rig. Most of my action has been coming in front of the old Boy Scout camp which is on the west end.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050