Delavan Lake Fishing Report 5/27/13 through 6/3/13
Fishing is really very good and improving daily. The bass and bluegills spawn is mere days away. Most fish are starting to move into the shallows in 1-2 ft of water. Boat traffic for this time of year is still very low due to the cool water temps.
Bluegill fishing is improving daily. The heavy spawn should happen within the next few days. I’ve been starting to pick up some bigger fish in 2-3 ft of water. The best bait is a small Thill bobber with a red worm. Don’t be afraid of the green slimy weeds, the fish are underneath them. You just need to cast around them. Most of the fish are coming when you find the hard sand bottom in places like Viewcrest and Browns Channel.
Largemouth bass are spawning in 3-4 ft of water. They are located in Highlands Bay and in front of Lake Lawn Lodge and in Viewcrest Bay. Like the bluegills, they prefer sand bottom for spawning. The best approach is fishing weightless Senkos in green pumpkin or root beer colors. The water remains very clear so long casts are necessary.
Northern Pike action remains constant in the 9-10 ft depth range. I’ve been catching all my fishing on medium suckers fished beneath a Thill big fish slip bobber. I’ve been anchoring and casting with the wind to keep the baits away from the boat. The best location has been by Browns Channel.
With the cooler water temperatures, the walleye are throughout the water column. I’ve caught fish as shallow as 3 ft and as deep as 23 ft. Some of the fish I’ve caught have been on nightcrawlers and some have come off of fathead minnows. With stable weather, the fish will become easier to pattern. My biggest walleye to date was 19 inches caught in 3 ft of water caught in front of Lake Lawn Lodge. I’ve caught several others on the deep break by the Yacht Club with fathead minnows.
Crappie fishing has been improving. They are on the weedline in 10-12 ft of water. The best bait is purple or pink plastics, cast out with a slow retrieve. They tend to bite when you pause the bait for a second or two, they like the free fall of the lure. I put the plastics on a 1/32 oz jig head with a small split shot positioned 12 inches above it. This aids with longer casts.
This past week, I’ve been picking up some really nice yellow perch in 3-4 ft of water. They are scattered in with the spawning bluegills. The best bait has been the small round hellgrammites fished beneath a Thill bobber. The best location is by Belvidere Park or Willow Point.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050.
Daily Reports
5/26/13 - Lake Michigan - sunny, 55 degrees, SE wind at 5 mph. Water temp 47 degrees. Caught 10 coho salmon in about 1 hour. Fished with Brew City Charters. Thanks Todd!
5/25/13 - Lake Geneva - cloudy, 60 degrees, E winds at 10 mph. Water temp 60 degrees. Caught 4 smallmouth bass; 2 were legal, 10 largemouth and a boat load of rock bass and bluegills. Fished in Abbey Harbor and the best depth was 3-4 ft. Due to the Holiday weekend, the lake was busy and made fishing tough. Fished the main lake and caught the smallmouth and rock bass in 7-10 ft of water. The best presentation was a split shot rigged fathead minnow.
5/22/13 - Delavan Lake - cloudy, 65 degrees, SW winds at 15 mph. Water temp 63 degrees. Caught 1 northern, 2 walleyes and 10 largemouth plus a bunch of bluegills. Most of the fish were caught in 3-4 ft of water using a split shot rigged nightcrawlers. The northern was on a slip bobber rigged suckers. With the warmer water the bluegills are starting to move in to spawn.
5/21/13 - Delavan Lake - sunny, 75 degrees, water temp 63 degrees, SW winds at 15 mph. Caught 9 northern pike, 8 largemouth and several bluegills. The bluegills and bass were caught in 2-3 ft of water. The northern pike were caught slip bobbering in 9-10 ft of water by Browns Channel. Long casts are imperative with the clear water.
5/20/13 - Delavan Lake - sunny, 80 degrees, SE wind at 15 mph, water temp 63 degrees. Fished in the afternoon, caught 6 largemouth bass and 2 northern pike. Fishing was tough, we did the 1-5 pm trip, so the time of day was the issue. The northern pike were caught on slip bobbered suckers and the bass were caught on nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig.