Lake Geneva 6/1/20 through 6/8/20
With the cooler spring the lake seems to be about two weeks behind schedule as far as fishing goes.
There are a lot of smallmouth bass in the shallow flats making nests and cruising. They are still relatively easy to catch for the sight fishermen. Some of the smallmouth have been almost 5 pounds. The best depth seems to be 9-12 ft. of water. The best locations are by Elgin Club and Cisco beach. The best bait has been jigs or white tube jigs. There are some fish still on the outside breaks in the 16-20 ft. depth range. These fish can be caught on a night crawler fished on either a lindy rig or a split shot rig. Smallmouth fishing should be pretty good for the next few weeks.
Largemouth bass are shallow and are preparing to spawn. Look for them around the boat docks. Most of the fish are cruising looking for their spawning area. The most consistent success has still been in the Abbey Harbor, fishing around the boat docks. Most of the fish have been caught on night crawlers or jerk baits. With the clear water the fish have been quite spooky. Remember to keep a good distance when sight fishing, it will improve your results.
Rock bass are biting literally everywhere. They are being caught mostly on night crawlers and small jigs fished with a twister tail. Any color seems to work just fine. It has been nothing to go out and catch 50-100 of them. The best depth has been 9-12 ft. I’ve been fishing areas close to where the smallmouth typically spawn. Areas such as the Elgin Club, Maytag point and Bigfoot beach are all pretty good.
Some crappies are showing up in the shallows as they prepare to spawn. They are around boat docks in Bigfoot beach bay. The best depth has been 8-10 ft. The best approach is fishing a small shiner on a slip bobber. This fishing should remain consistent for the next few weeks.
The bluegills are starting to show up in pretty good numbers in the shallow bays. The best location was Geneva Bay, fishing in 5-6 ft. of water around the moored boats and by the Riviera Pier. You have to sort through quite a few small ones but could catch a nice meal if you are persistent.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063.