Minocqua Area Fishing Report
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop 8/18/2015
Early in the week high pressure moved towards a three day heat wave over the weekend, pushing surface temps into the mid to upper 70’s all over the Lakeland area. Monday brought cooler, but not cold, system with clouds and a lower barometer, improving fishing.
Largemouth Bass: Very good to good. Great top water action over weekend using Jitter bugs, Hula Poppers, Plastic frogs and buzz baits. The warming water sped up the bite- spinnerbaits, chatter baits and lipless cranks during the day.
Musky: Very good to good. Like bass the top water action picked up with the heat. Tail baits (Pacemakers, Whopper Ploppers, Top Raiders) and prop baits all hot! Surprisingly, smaller blade baits- Rizzo whizzes and # 5 mepps have produced as well as the big bladed baits during this time.
Smallmouth Bass: Good. Early and late casting lipless cranks (Battle Traps, Rattle Raps) and spinner baits. Mid-morning through afternoons moves off shore using jig / craw or drop shot pin minnows or plastic craws. Leeches and crawlers on 1/8 oz. jigs also good choice.
Northern Pike: Good. Casting over weed tops of 5-10’ with spinnerbaits and swimbaits (use a light wire leader). Lots of pike caught by musky anglers this week on buck tails.
Bluegills: Good. A bit windy on some days. Nicer gills suspended outside coon tail edges of 12-14’, 6-8’ off bottom. Small leeches, leaf worms and waxies are no brainers. Even small minnows work to target larger gills.
Crappies: Good to fair. Best over weed tops. Small spinner/jig combos (Beetle spins, Crappie Thumpers, Charlie Bee’s) to cover areas till fish are found. Fishing for this species will improve as we head into September.
Walleye: Good to fair. Action slowed on many bodies of water during high pressure of early last week. Heat brought more concentrated bites at dusk and dawn. Leeches, crawlers, even chubs and walleye suckers on Lindy rigs out isolated rock / gravel humps best of late.
Perch: Fair. Lakes- weeds of 8-12’, sand grass of 8-12’. Flowages- drowned wood of 10-14’ ½ crawlers or frozen softshells best.
Despite recent “heat wave” this is typically a time of mild cool down and changing patterns to some extent. Walleyes start to transition from weeds to rocks, smallies work the sand grass flats and also gravel/ rock humps. By this time a “ cold night” will turn a Sugar Maple or two- hasn’t happened yet so still on warm side. Surface temps around 74-75 degrees average.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop