Minocqua Area Fishing Report 07/24/16
A good week of true summer has helped holster the success of anglers in the Lakeland area for those willing to fish early and late.
Temps in the upper 80’s brought the surface temps into the upper 70’s, even on the bigger lakes. Warm water means higher metabolism for fish, the shallows (during low light conditions) filled up with schools of small perch for all kinds of predator fish to hunt.
Walleyes: Very Good. Moved into weedy flats following the perch; hitting well on X-Large leeches, crawlers and redtailed chubs. Some anglers reporting nice catches on #5 and #6 Shad Raps in Yellow Perch, Silver and Purpledescent. Early and late are the key, wind and clouds help, too much sun and the bite stops till dusk. After dark with lighted slip-floats and big leeches!
Smallmouth Bass: Very Good. Responding well to the heat. Overcast on early mornings- work just outside weed points with X-Raps, Husky Jerks, as well as crawlers or leeches. Late morning through late afternoon head out to off shore humps of 18-28’. Drop shot 2 ½ “Jackall split tails, 2 ½” Gulp Minnows, 3” Wacky worms.
Largemouth Bass: Very Good. Cashing in on the influx of minnows in the weeds (8-12’_. From the looks of what both Largemouth and Smallmouth have been spitting up, 2” perch and 1-1 ½ mimic shiners are being gobbled up. Spinnerbaits (Boonies, Booyahs) #3 Mepps Comets, pre-rigged plastic worms (The Worm) and Chatterbaits. Come evening Buzz Baits and top water frogs have been HO in the slop. Great time to fish surface with Jitterbugs, Hula Poppers, Torpedos, Spooks and Pompadours.
Northern Pike: Very Good. By the weekend, great reports of anglers working Boonie Baits in weedy bays of 6-9’ towards evening are catching pike of 28-32”. Johnson Silver Minnows dressed with pork skirts or plastic twister tails, 3-4” swimbaits, chatterbaits and stick baits (X-Raps) worked quickly and erratically, eliciting strike!
Bluegills: Very Good. Morning till late afternoons- work outside weed edges of coontail in 12-18’ for nice gills on small leeches, pieces of crawlers. Towards dusk switch to poppers on dry flies on surface.
Crappies: Good-Very Good. Deep wood on flowages using medium fatheads. On lakes- target narrow leaf cabbage in 10-14’ of water, fish the top two feet of the weeds using Gapen freshwater shrimp, mini-mites, 1-2” twistertails.
Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good. Good #’s in weeds of 6-12’ using medium fats, ½ crawlers. Big perch out over sandgrass of 18-26’ using ½ crawlers or softshells.
Musky: Good. Heat has fish up and moving in bays, chasing big bladed bucktails and spinnerbaits as well as topwater towards and after dusk.
Heat in our area almost always is followed by storms. Keep an eye on the forecast and target pre-front conditions for the hottest bite.