Delavan Lake Fishing Report 5/3/15 through 5/10/15
Opening Day is finally here. Delavan Lake was a complete a zoo on Saturday. By 6:00 a.m. the boat launch was just about full. The pressure on the lake appears to be continuing into 2015. Overall fishing was rather slow, some people did have success once they found some active fish.
Crappie action has been okay in the Lake Lawn Marina and the Highlands and Viewcrest Channel. The best approach is small fat head minnows fished beneath a bobber. Work a depth of 3-4 ft of water. Crappie fishing will be improving once the water temperature warms a few degrees. I have my best success once the crappies get out in the main lake basin and off the weeds.
Bluegill fishing has been average. The best success has been in 2-3 ft of water by the outlet dam, which is the warmest water on the lake at present. This pattern will only be good for the next week because already the outlet area is becoming tremendously weedy. As always the channels contain a lot of fish, but you will need to do a lot of sorting to get the nice sized ones.
Largemouth bass are in pre-spawn. They are cruising in water depths of 2-3 feet. Most of the fish are by Lake Lawn golf course, Viewcrest and Highlands Bays. With the present water temperatures the best approach are green pumpkin or rootbeer red flake Senkos. I use 5 inch sized with a 2/0 offset worm hook. This bite will be improving as the water warms. The water seems to be a few degrees warmer than last opening day.
Northern Pike are in the shallow weedy bays, like Browns Channel, Viewcrest and Highlands Bay. They are very susceptible to harvest with medium suckers fished on a slip bobber. I’ve been working a water depth of 8-10 ft.
Some walleyes have been caught in the channels while casting small Rapalas or small chrome/blue crankbaits. The best depth is 3-5 ft of water. Once the water warms, the walleyes will move into the deeper weedlines and will likely occur within the next two weeks.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050