Lake Geneva Fishing Report 5/6/12 through 5/13/12
The water on Geneva remains very cold for Opening Day. There isn’t much action on the main lake. Rock bass and perch were the only species biting in the cold water of the main lake basin. We tried for smallmouth bass without success. My friends were out there on Saturday as well and no smallies were caught with 8 people trying for them.
Largemouth bass are biting in the shallows, 3-4 ft of water is the best bet. The best locations are Geneva Bay and near the Abbey. The fish are all pre-spawn and waiting for a few degrees of water temperature increase to begin. My success came on a split shot rigged nightcrawler, basically just casting it out and letting it do what it does. The problem with so few shallow areas on Lake Geneva, is the boat traffic on those key locations.
Perch remain in 3-5 ft of water. They can be caught by Knollwood, Black Point and by Fontana Beach. I found that the bigger the fathead minnow, the bigger the perch. The perch we caught on Saturday were nice keepers. The best rig was the slip bobber rig with a small single hook and a 3/0 weight.
Rock bass are biting in the main lake basin. They can be caught in anywhere from 12 to 15 ft of water. Small hair jigs or fat head minnows are producing most of the fish. The best action is by Elgin Club or by the Military Academy.
Smallmouth bass fishing is really tough. The water is just too cold for them yet. We need a few warm days for the fishing to improve. The lake bottom is covered in the green slimy weeds, so you need to fish the bass up in the water column. You can use a drop shot rig with a 4 inch Houdini worm or cast Arkie lures Shinee Hinee.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050