Lake Geneva 5/19/19 through 5/26/19
With the weather patterns such that they are and the depth of Lake Geneva, the lake is still very cool. The most consistent fishing is in the 3-4 ft water depth range.
Smallmouth bass have been sporadic. If you can find the bait fish, you will likely find the smallmouth. They can be caught on hair jigs or a smoke colored twister tail. The fish are suspended 6 or 7 ft down in 15-20 ft of water. The best location is Elgin Club or the Military Academy.
Largemouth bass are in the shallows in 3-4 ft. Look for the fish in Geneva Bay or by Williams Bay. Nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig are producing a lot of action. Water temperatures are too cold and the fish aren’t even close to spawning yet.
Perch can be caught in the 8-10 ft depth range where there are scattered weeds and hard sand bottom. They can be caught on slip bobbers fished with minnows or nightcrawler pieces. Look for them by Knollwood or Rainbow point.
Bluegills and Rock bass are around the boat docks. The best location is Williams Bay or Geneva Bay. Worms fished on bobbers have been producing most of the action. The best depth is 3-4 ft. Be prepared to sort, the numbers are decent but there are a lot of small fish in the mix.
There has been a lot of walleyes being caught at night. The best depth has been 7-12 feet of water. Knollwood or Bigfoot beach has been the best locations. Trolling crankbaits has been the ticket. With the clear water you need to use planer boards to get the baits away from the boat.
Northern pike are in the shallow weeds. The best depth is 8-10 ft of water. They are being caught on Lindys Shadling, the perch color has been producing the best for me. Another good bait is a white spinner bait, in a slow rolling retrieve.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050