Minocqua Area Fishing Report
While still a bit warm for mid-September, temps are cooling a bit on area lakes. Once again, wind was the biggest hindrance to anglers this past week, with bouts of high pressure also making things a bit difficult. Overall though, fishing has been good.
Walleyes: Very good. Casting 1/16 oz. weedless jigs tipped with redtails or large fatheads best along wind-blown shorelines of smaller, shallower lakes and flowages. Larger, deeper lakes seeing best action in 28-34’ using larger chubs on Lindy rigs or ¼ oz jigs. Night time walleyes on glow jigs or lighted slip-floats with large fatheads.
Pike: Very good. Cast spinnerbaits, swimbaits or #3 or #4 Mepps Aglia spinners over weedy flats of 5-9’. Live suckers or chubs jigged in same areas have also been effective. Lots of numbers, but also some nice pike of 27-32’ caught this week.
Musky: Good. Haven’t gotten reports of big fish like last week, mostly fish of 34-42” on bucktails, Rizzo Tails and Spinnerbaits. Some fast moving twitch baits and gliders also moving fish.
Crappies: Good. Reports are improving. High winds are the biggest draw-back to fishing deep wood. On natural lakes, key in on green weeds that remain in 8-12’. Thumper jigs tipped with minnows, crawlers as well as just jig/shaking minnows along deep weed edges producing slabs to 14”.
Largemouth Bass: Good. As water slowly cools, top water action has slowed, but sub surface twitch baits and shallow running lipless cranks are producing. Plastics still a good choice as wacky worming still working.
Smallmouth Bass: Good. Big smallies being caught on flowages. Shallow in 2-6’. X-raps, spinnerbaits and 3 ½-4” swimbaits working. Natural lakes rig for deeper water (22-34’) using 4-6” suckers on Lindy rigs.
Perch: Fair-Good. Pieces of frozen soft shell craws or ½ night crawlers dragged around drowned wood or cribs working best.
Bluegills: Fair. Few reports. Not a lot of anglers targeting this species.
Water temps that crested 70 degrees early last week due to a couple of 80 degree days have seen temps drop back into the mid 60’s. Cold, clear nights in the 40’s being checked by daytime highs in the 70’s. Sucker bite for musky just getting started, but, with above average temps, we are still a ways away from the hot “meat” bite.
Trees showing little color, maybe 5-8%.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop