Lake Geneva 8/29/22 through 9/5/22
It’s the calm before the storm. Labor Day weekend is just about here so be prepared for a great deal of boat traffic on the lake. It will be much busier than it has been lately.
Smallmouth bass are starting to come off their sporadic summer pattern and starting to position themselves on the break lines in 15-20 ft. of water. The best presentation I have found is Carolina Rigging, watermelon or root beer colored Arkie crawling grubs or split shotting live night crawlers. Most of the fish being caught are by Coleman’s Point or by Linn Pier. As the water cools the small mouth bass will move shallower and concentrate on the main lake points, like Conference Point, Black Point and Rainbow Point.
Largemouth bass fishing has been all right. Most of the bass are being caught in 12-13 ft. of water. The best bait is night crawlers fished on the split shot rig. A secondary pattern was the split shot rig with 5 inch zoom lizards, green pumkin/chartreuse seemed to produce the most. Many of the fish being caught were on the Geneva Bay break line or by Coleman’s Point.
Northern Pike fishing has been average. The fish are still deep but are starting to move shallow. Most of the northerns being caught this past week have been in 35-40 ft. of water. They are not as concentrated as they were in mid-August. Six inch chubs seem to be the best approach when fished on a lindy rig. Chubs will out fish the suckers about 5 to 1 right now. The best locations have been Cedar Point, the Narrows and Covenant Harbor point.
Walleye fishing has been very good. Some are still being caught at night in about 13 ft. of water. They are still associating with the weed flats. Crank baits or crawler harnesses remain the best approach. Look for them in Fontana Beach or Trinkes. Remember wind is still the key to success.
Panfish continue to be a constant bite. The key to catching them is a live night crawler fished on the split shot rig. The depth has been 10-13 ft. of water for the most action. I’ve caught good fish pretty much in every spot I’ve been fishing for bass.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050.