Delavan Lake Fishing Report 7/30/12 through 8/6/12
Delavan Lake has seen a lot of fishing pressure this week. John Gillespie was out the middle of this week, so I don’t expect it to let up anytime soon. On Saturday, the boat launch was exceptionally busy between 5 and 6 a.m. so plan accordingly. The good news is that the fishing remains consistent and most species have available action.
Bluegill fishing has been very consistent off the weedline in 15-20 ft of water. They can be caught on small split shots with a single hook. The best location has been by Assembly park, just west of the Yacht club or by Browns Channel. The key to success is getting just outside the thick weedline and fishing straight beneath the boat. Most of the fish have been 7-8 inches, a nice size for keeping fish.
Largemouth bass have been on the weed points and are schooled up. You want to fish for them with either drop shot rig or a split shot rigged nightcrawler. For the drop shot fishermen, use a 1 ft drop and a small 4 inch Yum Hoodini worm. The best color is green pumpkin. The deep weedline bite has either been a split shot rigged nightcrawler or casting a swimming jig in black and blue with a black trailer. The best location has been the points like the Yacht Club, Willow Point or the Oriental boathouse. The fish are schooled up so if you catch one you should be able to catch 4 or 5.
Northern Pike fishing has been very slow for me. I’ve been catching a couple. Lakeside bait and tackle has been saying that a bunch are being caught on medium suckers, but I personally haven’t found much success. Most of my success on the suckers are largemouth bass fished beneath a Thill big fish slip bobber in 12 ft of water. The best location for the northerns has been by Belvidere Park or just west of the Yacht club.
Walleye fishing has been spotty. Most of the action is coming at dusk or pre-dawn. You can either troll medium diving crank baits in a crappie pattern or lindy rigging jumbo leeches. The best depth is about 22-24 ft of water. The floating weeds are a real problem for trolling so you need to constantly clear your line and lures. With perseverance you can catch quite a few.
Crappie fishing has been slow. Most of the fish are suspended 6-10 ft down in 30 ft of water. The best location has been by Willow Point or by the orange marina. The key is that you need to move off the weedline and with a good depth finder find the active fish. I’ve been throwing a 1/32 oz jig with purple plastic for the best success. With almost 80 degree water temperature, the crappies are very soft so I haven’t been keeping any.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050
Daily Reports
7/28/12 - Delavan Lake, 75 degrees and sunny, winds E at 5 mph, water temp 79 degrees. Caught 13 largemouth, 2 walleyes and a bunch of bluegills. We fished both shallow and deep today with equal success. The larger fish came on slip bobber rigged suckers in about 8 ft of water. The rest of the fish came off of split shot rigged nightcrawlers. We fished all over the lake, weed points with a hard bottom were the best locations.
7/26/12 - Delavan Lake, 70 degrees, winds 15 mph out of the West. Water temp 79 degrees. Caught 10 largemouth, 2 walleyes and a plethora of big bluegills. Most of the fish were caught in 15-20 ft of water. A split shot rigged nightcrawler produced most of the action. Fishing near the Oriental boathouse was the most productive.
7/25/12 - Lake Geneva, sunny, 80 degrees, SE winds at 10 mph. Water temp 79 degrees. Caught 3 smallmouth and 2 largemouth bass as well as many bluegills and perch. When we first started in the a.m., it was cloudy with a slight chance of rain and the fish bit very well, when the skies cleared the fishing slowed. All the fish were caught on split shot rigged nightcrawlers. The best location was the Military Academy.