Minocqua Area Fishing Report
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop
09/08/15
Maybe it was the late Labor Day weekend or the threat of rain (that never amounted to much), but, traffic was light in the Lakeland area both on and off the water. Warm weather (highs in the mid 80’s) continued to warm the lakes. Combine this will some clouds and fishable wind, those that decided to get out on the water had good fishing.
Walleye: Good to very good. Certain early fall-type patterns are setting up. Natural lakes with deep gravel humps are producing walleyes on 1/8 to ¼ oz. jigs over 22-40’ of water using large fatheads or redtail chubs. Flowages seeing the best action shallow casting 1/6 oz. weedless jigs tipped with redtails, fatheads, ½ crawler or 3” Gulp Alive minnows. Three inch twister tail grubs also scoring fish from depths of 5’ to as little as 2’.
Northern Pike: Good to very good. Lots of reports of anglers catching pike on spinnerbaits over 6-8’ weed beds. Mepps Comets, #4 Aglias and Vibrax spinners as well as 4” swimbaits are working. Plenty of 22-28” fish with some fish of 30-33” being caught. Suckers and chubs on jigs are also producing. This weekend has produced some of the best pike action of the year so far and should only improve into the fall.
Musky: Good to very good. With most action occurring up in weeds of 6-10’, spinnerbaits have been a hot lure as of late. The ability to fish above the weeds without getting fouled up has put a lot of fish in the net lately. Rizzo Tails, #700 series Buchertails, Mepps Musky Killers as well as top water tail baits such as Whopper Ploppers, Pacemakers, Top Raiders and Tally Wackers moving fish with surface temps all the way up to 77 degrees on some lakes. The blades and top water will produce until turn over (which is a ways off).
Largemouth Bass: Good. Anglers targeting this species doing well with shallow running cranks and lipless cranks (Rattlin’ Raps, Rat-L-Traps), spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Casting Wacky Worms, Beaver baits and jig with plastic craws into heavy weeds of 8-12’ when fast moving baits are not working.
Smallmouth Bass: Good. Drop-shotting gravel humps and deep coontail edges using 3” Gulp Alive minnows, pin minnows and plastic craws. Working sandgrass flats of 18-24’ Carolina rigging creature baits and plastic craws still producing.
Bluegills: Fair to Good. Warm days found gills moving in shore a bit, but not tight. Swim rafts and other forms of shade/cover holding gills waiting to gobble up small leeches, waxies or worms. Dying weeds pushing gills out of shallows in most lakes. Look for suspended gills relating to standing, live coontail.
Perch: Fair to good. Frozen soft shells hard to resist. Target drowned wood and the base of deep weed edges.
Crappies: Fair. Surprisingly not showing up in the usual early fall haunts. Casting small jig/spinner combos best to locate active or aggressive fish.
Last week’s long range forecast called for a warm September. That was easy to believe after a weekend of 80 degree days. Now the forecast is switching to cooler weather with highs in the 60’s. Temperature drops are not good in spring and summer, but, should bring lakes back in line for fall. Expect lakes to cool some and actually help bites of most species, especially musky, pike, walleye and crappies.
Kurt Justice