Lake Geneva Fishing Report 10-1-12
Delavan Lake has been slow, but Lake Geneva has been very good for fishing. The fish are in their late summer, early fall patterns and can be easily harvested. Most of the fish I’ve been catching are in 20 ft of water yet, however there is also a good bite in 8-10 ft of water.
Largemouth bass can be caught in 10 ft of water. They are biting on split shot rigged nightcrawlers. The best location is Colemans Point or the Military Academy. Some of the fish have been very large and are loading up this fall for the winter. As the water cools, the fish will start associating with main lake points and will be in large schools. This appears to be about 2 weeks away. Currently nightcrawlers have been producing the most, but with cooler nights that will switch to extra large fat head minnows.
Smallmouth bass fishing has been excellent. They are biting in 22-25 ft of water. They are in big schools. On Sunday we caught 20 smallmouth bass in one hour. They are almost exclusively biting on extra large fat head minnows or small yellow perch caught in the lake. I’ve been fishing both minnows and perch on a lindy rig. With the depth I’m fishing, I’ve found that a ¼ oz sinker and a 2 ft leader is working the best.
Bluegills and Sun fish have been in the 10-12 ft depth range. The best location is by the Elgin Club. They can be readily caught on split shot rigged nightcrawlers. On Saturday of last week, we caught several over 9 inches. If you want to catch a bunch for a fish fry, it’s a good time to go.
Yellow Perch fishing has been good. They are in the scattered weeds in 10-12 ft of water. Look for the fish by Knollwood and Belvidere Park. The best approach has been slip bobbering with small crappie minnows. You want to place the bait about 1 ft off bottom.
Lake Trout fishing is closed and will re-open this winter.
With the thermocline dissipating the Northern Pike are again moving shallow. The best depths is 12-15 ft of water. They can be caught on slip bobbers with medium suckers or yellow perch. The best location has been by the beach in Fontana or in Williams Bay. You want to place the bait about 1 ft above the weeds.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050