Minocqua Area Fishing Report
High skies, hot weather and boat traffic was the talk last week. Throw in some late Mayfly hatches on our favorite Walleye waters and for some anglers, it was a tough week of fishing.
Largemouth Bass: Very Good – One of the few bright spots. Largemouth fishing has been very good towards dusk on top-water lures such as Whopper Ploppers, Spooks, Jitterbugs and Lunker Hunter Frogs. Mornings, very early, are also good. Switch to stickbaits for a while after, then start pitching plastics into the cabbage beds. Spinnerbaits and pre-rigged plastics also have been working when wind or cloud cover moves Bass off bottoms.
Smallmouth Bass: Good – Not as hot as the Green Bass, but work deep rock/gravel humps in 18-26’ using drop-shop rigs with 2 ½” Gulp minnows, 3” Jackall baits or small tubes.
Bluegill: Good – Cabbage and some coontail edges holding good #’s with size depending on lake and locale. Worms, Beavertails, small Leeches. 1” tubes and Mini Mites tipped with Waxies also working.
Northern Pike: Good-Fair – Spinnerbaits best working weed flats. For shot at larger fish, work outside Coontail edges of 12-18’ using 4” Swimbaits or large Chub/Sucker on jig or Lindy style rig.
Crappie: Fair – Best reports are deeper over wood using medium Fatheads. Fan cast narrow Leaf Cabbage tops with small jigs, Spinners, Beetle Spins, to locate Crappies. Return with small minnows under floats.
Musky: Fair – Despite a near World Line Class Record Musky being caught (#10 Class, 44 #’er) most action spotty. Bucktails and top-water best.
Yellow Perch: Fair – Cabbage beds holding #’s. Sandgrass for size. Use ½ crawlers on jigs in cabbage. Rig frozen soft shells on Lindy style rigs.
Walleye: Poor-Fair – Deeper cooler lakes best, but late Mayfly (Hexagenia) hatches throwing bite off our best lakes. Crawlers, Leeches (getting hard to find) best.
Cooler temps this week may make it easier for anglers as far as comfort and maybe (?) less traffic on lakes. How this will affect mostly mediocre fishing remains to be seen.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop
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