Lake Geneva Fishing Report 9/16/13 through 9/23/13
The week started with unseasonably warm temperatures and by the end of the week we had a massive cold front. You would think that this would slow fishing down, but since the fish are still so deep it didn’t affect it at all. The boat traffic has been very light though which makes fishing much more pleasurable.
Smallmouth bass are still relating to hard bottoms in deep water. The best depth has been 21-25 ft of water. The best locations are by Fontana Beach, Conference Point or by Black Point. I’ve been using nightcrawlers and fat head minnows with equal success. The bigger fish are coming out of slightly deeper water in the 25-28 ft depth range, but the majority are a few feet shallower.
Largemouth bass fishing has been improving. The bass are starting to move into shallower water from their deep summer haunts. Look for the fish in Williams Bay or by Trinkes. The best depth currently is about 14 ft. Use drop shot rigs or Carolina rigged green pumpkin lizards.
Northern Pike action has been almost non-existent this summer and that continues. There are a few fish being caught in the 25-30 ft depth range. Lindy rigs with medium suckers have been producing the most but it’s still not that great of a bite. The northern pike will continue to move shallower as the water cools and the fishing should improve significantly.
Bluegills remain in the deep water locations. Some of the nicest fish I’ve caught in recent years are coming right now. The best depth is 22-25 ft of water. Look for the fish by Fontana Beach or by the Chicago Club. Straight lining leaf worms beneath the boat has been producing most of the fish.
Lake Trout fishing has started to slow with the cooling water. The fish aren’t suspended as much and they are laying close to the bottom making them hard to catch. There are still some people trying for them 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
Daily Report
9/14/13 - Delavan Lake, sunny, light winds, air temp 60 degrees, water temp 73 degrees. Caught 24 largemouth bass and 4 northern pike. The overall size of the fish this week, were smaller than we've been seeing, only one legal fish. We used nightcrawlers, leeches and fat head minnows with similar success for all.
9/13/13 - Lake Geneva, sunny, north winds at 12 mph. Air temp, 65 degrees, water temp, 75 degrees. Caught 30 smallmouth bass and 6 largemouth bass. The cold front did not affect the deep water bite. The fish were caught in 21-24 ft of water. The best approach was a lindy rigged nightcrawler.