Lake Geneva 9/07/20 through 9/14/20
What a difference a week makes! It’s like a light switch, once Labor day hits, the Lake Geneva area goes quiet. The boat launch in Williams Bay has an average of 4 or 5 boats in the water. Just a note, the Williams Bay boat launch will close for the season September 19th, they are going to be raising the road and repaving.
Largemouth bass fishing has been up and down. There are some days that you can get them really good and then the next day in the same spot, they vanish. It appears that the key to the bite is some wind. When the lake is dead calm, they have a tendency not to bite. The best location has been by Trinkes or by Linn Pier. A lot of success has been coming on split shot rigged nightcrawlers or casting medium diving crankbaits in chrome/blue color.
Perch fishing has been improving by the day. There is some sorting that needs to be done, however the average size has increased quite a bit in recent years. This bite will be improving as the water cools even more. Look for the fish by Rainbow Point or by Belvidere Park. The best depth is 10-12 ft of water. Slip bobbers with small fathead minnows are producing most of the action. Position the minnow about 1 ft off bottom.
Rock bass fishing has been excellent. The bigger fish seem to be in 15-20 ft of water. However, for better action, the 12 ft range seems to always produce. No need to get fancy, the old split shot rig and a single hook works fine.
Smallmouth bass are just off the weedline in 18-22 ft of water. They can be caught on a lindy rigged nightcrawler or a lindy rigged yellow perch. The best location is by the Military Academy or off of Black Point. With cooling water temperatures, the smallmouth bass are starting to school up and within the next couple of weeks with start moving to the main lake points.
Walleye fishing remains consistent. Like always, they are only being caught at night. Trolling crank baits or crawler harnesses have been producing nearly all the fish. The best depth has been on the weedlines in 15-17 ft of water. Look for the fish near Trinkes, Maytag, or in Geneva Bay.
Bluegills are being caught in 12-15 ft of water by Chapin Road. They can be caught on slip bobber rigged leaf worms positioned 6 inches to 1 ft off bottom. Some of the bluegills last week were in excess of 9 inches.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050