Lake Geneva Fishing Report 5/11/14 through 5/18/14
With the warmer weather making an appearance this week, the fishing has improved immensely. There are catches of 15-30 smallmouth in a 5 hour trip available. The water is warming and the fish are becoming much more active.
Smallmouth bass can be caught on either a small pink headed hair jig or a football head jig with a root beer colored trailer. Look for the fish by Bigfoot Beach or just east of Trinkes. The fish are in 12-15 ft of water. The fish are pretty active so if you aren’t getting bit, move around. The spawning is probably 2-3 weeks away. Once the spawn starts, they will be by Elgin Club, Belvidere Park and the former Military Academy.
The pan fish are still very slow. The best bite remains in the marinas, Abbey Harbor and in Trinkes. You want to use bobbers with leaf worms and wax worms. The perch do remain active by Knollwood and Belvidere Park and are in 8-12 ft of water.
Northern Pike remain in the shallows. They can be caught on slip bobbers with large golden shiners or medium suckers. You want to position the bait one foot above the weeds. The best location is by Fontana Beach or Williams Bay.
Largemouth bass are still a bit difficult with the water temperature where it is. The only success is coming off of slow moving crankbaits or Husky jerks. Look for them in 6-8 ft of water. The best locations are in Geneva Bay by the Riviera Docks or Trinkes.
Lake Trout has slowed quite a bit with the warming waters. They are starting to move into their summer haunts. I’ve stopped fishing for them and will look for a bit again in a couple of weeks when they should deep in the main lake basin.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050