Lake Geneva Fishing Report 5/8/17 through 5/14/17
Fishing season has finally arrived! Opening Day is the first Saturday in May for gamefish in Wisconsin. With the cooler spring, the fishing is getting off to a somewhat slow start. The best bite on the lake has been the pan fish in the shallows of Abbey Harbor or Trinkes. The game fish have been a bit sporadic so far.
Smallmouth bass have been biting while using two different methods. The first is a hair jig fished suspended in the water column about 5 ft down in 12 ft of water. The best colors for the jig are pink and white. The best locations are by the South Shore club or Elgin Club. The second method is a football head jig with a root beer colored Arkie Crawlin’ Grub. The best location for this bite is the main lake point, like Maytag, Cedar and Conference Point. For right now, the green slimy weeds are not a factor when fishing on the bottom. The bass are in a pre spawn pattern.
Crappie fishing has been good in Williams Bay in 10-12 ft of water. The best action is on the east side of the bay. The fish can be caught on either white plastics or small fat head minnows. The fish are located about 3-4 ft off the bottom.
Largemouth bass fishing has been spotty with the cooler water temperatures. The best location for the bass are in Abbey Harbor or Trinkes Harbor. These locations have a bit warmer water than the rest of the lake which helps keep the fish more active. My best success has come off of nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig or 4 inch green pumpkin Senkos.
Perch fishing has been good by Knollwood and Rainbow Point. The perch can be caught on a thill slip bobber with a small fat head minnow fished 2 feet off bottom. The best depth is 6-8 ft of water. The perch bite will be consistent with the cooler water, once the water starts to warm they will be more difficult to locate.
Lake Trout fishing is good. They are located off the shallow rocky main lake points, such as Conference Point, Black Point and Rainbow point. Slip bobbers with lake shiners are producing most of the catches. The best depth is 8-10 ft of water.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063