Delavan Lake Fishing Report 9/24/12 through 10/1/12
The water temperature has been dropping rapidly causing the fish to be in a transition period. They could be deep or shallow at this point depending on the day. They will all be shallow as the water temp continues to drop. The fishing will probably be spotty until the lake turnsover. The fish have switched from nightcrawlers and worms and are now biting on minnows. After the lake turns over, crank baits will be the primary presentation. One of the keys to success this time of year is to make sure you are fishing in live green weeds. The fish don’t associate with the dying weeds.
Largemouth bass have been biting on medium suckers and extra large fat heads. The fish are in 12-13 ft of water in scattered weeds. The best location has been by Viewcrest or by the Yacht Club. If there isn’t a lot of wind, fishing has been okay, with wind it gets mighty tough to present the bait.
Bluegill fishing has been average. Most of the fish are in the 30-40 ft depth range, suspended 10 ft off bottom. The best approach has been a split shot and an ice jig fished straight beneath the boat. Look for the fish by Willow Point or by the Yacht Club.
Walleye fishing has been spotty. Most of the fish are being caught at dusk or dawn. The best location has been by the Yacht Club or by the Marina on the north shore. The best depth has been 22-26 ft of water. The best bait has been extra large fat heads fished on a lindy rig. You want to fish the lindy rig with at least a 24 inch leader, a lot of times I’ve been going up to 36 inches. You want to slowing back troll into the wind.
Northern Pike action has started to pick up. The fish are in the weed flats in 12-15 ft of water. The best approach has been Thill slip bobbers with medium suckers. The best location has been the buoy line on the west end or by Assembly park.
 |
 |
| Bruce with a Delavan Lake largemouth monster, six pounds caught on a medium sucker. | Kevin Johnson with a 21-inch Delavan Lake smallmouth. |
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050
Daily Reports
9/23/12 Delavan Lake, sunny, 40 degrees, winds were switching from west to north at 15 mph. Water temp 63 degrees. Caught 7 largemouth bass, the biggest was 18 inches and 1- 20" smallmouth. With the cooler water, all the fish were caught on split shot rigged extra large fat head minnows. I caught most of the fish by 3 flags and by the Yacht Club. No fish were caught on medium suckers or nightcrawlers.
9/22/12 Lake Geneva, cloudy, 50 degrees, NW winds at 25 mph. Water temp 65 degrees. Caught 7 largemouth bass and 3 smallmouth plus a load of rock bass and bluegills. Due to the inclement weather, the guide party cancelled, I went out for a couple hours anyway. Most of the fish were caught in 13-20 ft of water. The water temperature is such that the fish are still biting on nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig. The best location was Elgin Club or Belvidere Park.
9/20/12 Delavan Lake, sunny, 65 degrees, west winds at 15-20 mph. Water temp 65 degrees. Caught 8 largemouth bass, 2 were legal, and 15 bluegills. Again, the wind was a big issue. Most of the fish were caught 12-13 ft of water. Nightcrawlers worked the best but lindy rigged medium suckers also produced. The best location was by Viewcrest or the Yacht club.
9/19/12 Delavan Lake, sunny, 65 degrees, winds W at 30-40 mph. Water temp 66 degrees. Caught 1 - 6 lb Largemouth bass and a few pan fish. Due to the wind, most of the lake was un-fishable. The fish were caught in 6-7 ft of water.