Delavan Lake 4/29/12 through 5/6/12
Opening Day is this coming Saturday, May 5th. The water is still pretty cool, it is supposed to be warming up a bit this week so that should help. The fish should be biting pretty well by next week.
Northern Pike will be in 6-7 ft of water in the weed flats. The best approach will be fishing Thill slip bobbers with golden shiners. This is the only time of year I like to anchor. I will cast out 6-8 poles to see where the pike are hiding. Some of my best spots are the Highlands and Viewcrest Bays.
Largemouth bass will not be spawning yet, they should be in pre-spawn mode in 3-4 ft of water. I will be casting Senkos and Yum Dingers in green pumpkin color. The best location is by Lake Lawn Lodge or way back in Viewcrest Bay. The warm March has made the weed growth pretty thick for this time of year so the normal spots are going to be harder to fish.
Walleye action will be in the 6-8 ft depth range. The best presentation will be slip bobbers and shiner minnows. Look for the fish by Browns Channel or by Belvidere Park. The best time to fish them is low light conditions. Pre-dawn or Sunset in particular.
Pan fish will remain in the shallow waters. The bluegills will be in 3-4 ft of water. Bobbers with small ice jigs tipped with wax or red worms will be the best bet. The best locations will be by Lake Lawn Lodge and the channels. Crappies have been in 6-8 ft of water. They are aggressively hitting purple plastics fished about 2-3 ft beneath the bobber. My best location has been in Viewcrest Bay.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050
Daily Reports
4/29/12 - Rock River, 53 degrees, partly cloudy, winds E at 15 mph. Caught 10 whitebass and 2 walleye. The fish were caught on a jig and minnow. The best depth was 5-7 ft of water. We only fished a few hours. The wind made boat control difficult. The best colored jig was orange.
4/24/12 - Delavan Lake, 60 degrees, little to no wind, water temp 53 degrees. Caught 25 crappies and about 40 bluegills, kept about 30 fish total. The crappies were caught in Viewcrest Bay, they were in 7-8 ft of water. They were caught on small plastics fishing them about 3 ft beneath the bobber. A nice slow retrieve was the best. The bluegills were in 3 ft of water, they were caught on an ice jig with a small red worm. The best location was in Lake Lawn Lodge.