Lake Geneva 7/27/15 through 8/3/15
The fish are starting to come into their mid summer patterns. The fish are moving deeper and are actively feeding. The only problem has been the summer time boat traffic which has been excessive after 10 a.m. most days of the week.
Smallmouth bass fishing is good if you can find the active school of feeding fish. A few times last week it took me several hours to find a feeding school. The best depth has been 21-25 ft of water. They’ve been associating with deep water structure. They are feeding on the schools of small yellow perch. Some of the good locations are in the deep water in Geneva Bay, Fontana Beach area and Belvidere Park. The key to catching them is fishing where you mark the fish and if they don’t bite in 10 minutes or so, move on. It might take a while, but when you find an active school they will come fast and furious. You can catch them on drop shot rigs with a 4 inch green pumpkin Yum Houdini worm or a lindy rigged nightcrawler with a 24 inch leader.
Largemouth bass have been hit or miss. There are a lot of fish in the 9-12 ft range however, they are relatively small, around 12-14 inches. Most of the fish are coming by Colemans Point or Knollwood. The best approach is either a split shot rigged nightcrawler or a Texas rigged 6 inch green pumpkin plastic worm.
Bluegills have started to move deep. The best success for the bigger fish is in 16-20 ft of water. Look for the fish by Gage Marine or by Elgin club. The best approach has been straight lining leaf worms on a split shot right beneath the boat. As the water warms this bite should improve.
Lake Trout fishing has been excellent in the main lake basin. The best depth has been 108-120 ft of water. Look for them suspended in 70-90 ft of water. The best time is early a.m. you want to use chrome and blue or chrome and green spoons fished about 20 ft behind the down rigger ball.
Yellow perch are starting to show up in the 8-10 ft depth range in Williams Bay by Conference Point. Most of the fish are being caught on split shot rigged nightcrawlers. You have to due a lot of sorting to find the bigger fish, although last week I did catch several over 12 inches.
Walleye fishing has been good at night. You want to go out on nights that have some wind, they tend not to bite if it’s calm. The best location has been by Trinkes and by Fontana Beach. Try trolling crawler harnesses in purple color or lindy rigged jumbo leeches. The best success is between 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050