Minocqua Area Fishing Report 6-4-13
I thought we were in the clear, but Mother Nature has her own ideas. Wind switches and cold temps have confused fish and fishermen alike. It’s been tough getting a handle on the bites as things seem to be in a constant state of change here in the Northwoods.
Pike: Good to Very good. This species seems to not mind the cooler than usual temps of early June. Though not hitting hard, they are hitting often enough to take up the slack of the other species. Live bait rigs such as jig and minnow combinations or chubs under slip-floats are doing best. Some action on spinnerbaits, paddle-tailed soft minnow baits. New, green weeds from 3-8’ is key depth.
Crappies: Good to Very good. Finding the good bite depends on locating crappies on their beds that have committed and are staying put despite the cold nights. Reed beds and drowned wood are the places to search. Crappie minnows, Gulp Alive 1” minnows, mini-mites have been the ticket. If not finding bedded fish, move out to next available weed cover to find staging fish in 4-8’.
Musky: Good. Done with spawn for the most part. Search shallows with 4-6” twitch baits (Cranes, Grandmas, Husky Jerks) as cool temps require a bit of slow down approach.
Largemouth Bass: Good. Shallow, soft bottom areas holding nice largemouth, look to warmest areas of the lakes. Floating Rapalas and Smithwick Rattlin Rouges slow retrieved or just twitched scoring nice bass up to 18-20”. Try jig and plastic worm.
Walleye: Fair. Wind switches and cold fronts affecting these fish. Soft bites, lots of drops. Down size to smaller minnows, medium leeches or ½ crawlers. Work windward side of lakes for warmest water and most active fish.
Smallmouth Bass: Fair. Still staging, if water warms a few more degrees, they will be up on beds. Tubes on 1/8oz jigs or twitch X-Raps near fish breaks to likely spawning areas.
Bluegill: Fair. Wind and cold not a good weather for gills. Thunderbugs and small leeches best bait choice.
Perch: Fair. Light bite for now. Small minnow, leeches and thunderbugs in 4-7’ weeds.
Playing the wind has been key lately. A 180 degree wind shift recently left a “hot” walleye/pike shop shut out – a move to the opposite end of the lake where water temps were 5 degrees warmer found the fish in that portion of the lake turned on.
Storms, rain, hail, wind and cold have made success brief for some species on some lakes. Most surface temps average 60-62 degrees, with warm, windward areas as high as 65 degrees, pay attention to these areas for now. Also weed growth is still behind, green weed = success. Most lakes and flowages are full, the deeper water and lack of sun, plus late ice-out has delayed weed growth.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop
www.kurtsislandsports.com