Dave Duwe Lake Geneva fishing reports 6/16/14 through 6/22/14
Happy Fathers Day to all you fishing dads out there. Lake Geneva fishing remains really good. The summer boat traffic has started however, so plan to be off the lake by about 10:30 a.m. to avoid the waves and chaos, especially on weekends. I had a 8 hour guide trip planned for Saturday and the boat traffic drove us in after about 6 hours.
Largemouth bass have not spawned yet. I’ve been catching them in 8-12 ft of water pre-spawn. The best location has been by Colemans Point and by the narrows. I tried by Trinkes but the fish haven’t moved into that location heavy yet. The best presentation has been split shot rigged green pumpkin finesse worms or a split shot rigged nightcrawlers.
Smallmouth bass have completed their spawn and they are now suspended throughout the water column. The fish remain near their spawning flats, such as Elgin Club and Belvidere Park. The best approach is either split shot rigged nightcrawlers or casting a white hair jig. Depending on the location of the fish in the water column you want to swim the hair jig back in the strike zone, typically 2-5 ft below the surface of the water.
Rock bass have slowed slightly, however, the fish can still be readily caught, although the big numbers have been reduced. It’s not an instantaneous bite, you need to fish for them a bit. The best approach is either nightcrawlers or fat head minnows. Look for them by Elgin Club or Big Foot Beach.
Bluegills have not spawned yet. The fish I’ve been catching are in 8-10 ft of water. The best location has been by Fontana Beach or by Trinkes. The key to the presentation is a split shot rigged leaf worm or nightcrawler half. A lot of the fish have been hooked on accident while fishing for smallmouth bass. The biggest fish are the sunfish, I’ve caught some big bluegills but they are harder to find than the sunfish.
Lake Trout have been biting in the main lake basin. The best depth has been 10 ft off bottom in 110-130 ft of water. The best approach is nickel and green or nickel and chrome spoons. I’ve also been using pearl colored dodgers and green flies with good success.
Walleye fishing remains rather slow. There are a few fish being caught at night. The best location is in Trinkes Bay or by Abbey Springs. You want to troll large Rapallas in chrome and blue or chrome and black. The best depth has been 12-15 ft of water.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050