Minocqua Area Fishing Report
Despite it being the beginning of summer (so says the calendar), weather conditions have not been very summer like. Constantly changing weather, wind direction and some cold nights (one morning launched at 38 degrees) have made coming up with any type of productive pattern difficult.
Musky: Good-Very good. Best in afternoons and evenings. Good numbers of fish being raised and caught. Still fairly shallow due to waiting for the bluegills to move in for spawn (I’m guessing). Small bucktails, 6 &7” twitch baits and smaller topwater baits have been best.
Northern: Good-very good. Like their larger cousins, these fish have not been as affected by the crazy weather as other species. At times, it’s been tough to get bites, but, if casting square-lipped shallow running crankbaits and double bladed spinner baits don’t produce, return with a jig and chub combo.
Crappies: Good. Best if you can find deep wood (12-160) to float small minnows on ½ crawlers to fish suspending 3-5’ off the bottom. On lakes with good stands of northern milfoil, fish over weed tops with Gapen Freshwater Shrimp or Charlie Bees. Nice fish of 10-12” with a few 13-14”ers being caught.
Walleyes: Fair-Good. Weather and scattered mayfly hatches are making this species tough to nail down. On lakes with hatches, target mud flats using ½ crawlers on 1/8 oz jigs in depths of 14-30’. Weed fish (pre or post hatches) have been giving up fish on chubs or leeches.
Smallmouth: Fair-Good. Target 12-14’ rocky breaks either banging the rocky bottoms with crank baits in crawfish patterns or by working jig and worm or plastic crawls along the same areas.
Largemouth Bass: Fair-Good. On many lakes, spawning has not fully started due to lake temps not breaking into the 70’s. Weeds of 12’ and less have been holding staging fish willing to hit jigs and grubs as well as jig and creature baits. Casting wacky worms into pockets in weed flats also working.
Perch: Fair-Good. Wood in depths of 12-16’ holding perch that are feeding heavily on small crayfish. Use ½ crawler on 1/8 oz jigs or below slip-floats can’t be beat. Thunderbugs are like pizza to a teenager for this species.
Bluegills: Fair-Good. This species should be at the top of the list, but, waters need to crest the 70 degree mark to see better spawning activity. Small leeches, thunderbugs and tiny jigs tipped with waxies. Fly anglers have done well with nymphs, but, not enough warm, flat afternoon and evenings for popper fishing.
All we can do is hope for a warmer July to stabilize things here in the Lakeland area. While fishing has not been as easy as would all like – it’s still fishing and it hasn’t been all that bad.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop