Minocqua Area Fishing Report 7-9-13
Summer patterns, while still behind due to late ice, clouds, cool weather and rain are starting to set up. With most signs of bug hatches over, that missing food source should help to concentrate the bites to the food sources remaining. That doesn’t mean angling gets easier, there is still a lot of food out there, just fewer choices.
Walleye: Good. With help from a new moon and some good cloud cover at times, walleye fishing picked up nicely. Larger, deeper lakes are best. Key in on depths of 18-24’ using big leeches or crawlers. Early morning walleye have been found in water as shallow as 6-8’ on cloudy/foggy days feeding in cabbage. Very nice fish to 26” with most in the 17-22” range.
Perch: Good. Crayfish tails as well as crayfish imitations such as the 2 ½” Craw Papis have produced good catches in deep weeds of 12-14’. As waters warm these fish will move deeper over sand grass of 14-24’, but for now work outside weed lines.
Musky: Good. Still holding to weed cover. Smaller bucktails and twitch baits, smaller rubber baits are also a good choice. Not many larger fish this week, but plenty of upper 30” to lower 40” fish.
Smallmouth Bass: Fair-Good. Not set up like they usually would be at this time, but some larger fish (19-20’+) being caught on plastic craws, tubes. Most still fairly shallow for this time of year, 12-18’ gravel.
Largemouth Bass: Fair-Good. Best catches on Wacky Worming Senkos, Dingers. Look to weeds rather than gravel.
Pike: Fair-Good. Spinnerbaits, spoons, Chatterbaits taking their share. Chubs in better supply now, so they are also a good option.
Bluegills: Fair-Good. It’s been picking up as the water temperatures rise. Small leeches, Gulp Alive Crickets/Fish Fry.
Crappies: Fair. Most reports of smaller fish (7-9”) in good numbers found in 7-10’ weeds. Small minnows, tiny tubes, small beetle spins.
Water temps averaging 70-74 degrees, some flowages higher (cresting 80) on hot afternoons.
Strong crawler and leech bite. Leeches becoming hard to get.
Kurt Justice
Kurt’s Island Sport Shop
www.kurtsislandsports.com