Kurt's Island Sport Shop

Weather was beautiful, but wicked. Colors in the Northwoods peaked, unusually warm weather (highs 81-83°) made for great sight-seeing and bicycling, but winds with gusts into the 30’s made for tough boat and cast control. Surface temps did not shoot up as predicted. Still, most lake temps reading 58° (mornings up North) to 61° in the Minocqua area. 54-55° is usually the tipping point for turn-overs to start on lakes. With so many different sized lakes and varying depths

Beautiful fall colors and weather this past week. Water temps not dropping much due to mild, sunny afternoons (10/4 was rather windy). Biggest concerns are getting on the water on some lakes due to low water and the DNR has started taking some piers out already. They always do, as posted, starting October 1st! As typical, I’ll start report off with what I had the best reports on the previous week. But here’s a tip, many times the lowest ranking fish will surprise me wit

Despite a bit of a warm spell, the past couple days (highs in low 70’s), we look to more of a cool down by the weekend. Highs in low 60’s to upper 50’s with lows from 37-42° will bring surface temps down from the 62-65° readings we’ve seen the past few days! The full moon period seemed to have had an effect over the weekend, and not an overly nice one. Yes, fish were caught, but it seemed the windows were small. 10:30 am – noon over the weekend. Dense fog helped the Mond

Now its feeling and looking like early fall! Lake surface temps averaging 60-64° and colors starting to pop! Plenty of good fishing this past week, once the winds laid down enough by Wednesday (9/16) so anglers could control their boats and get down to business. Musky: Good-Very Good – Musky very active, providing lots of action for anglers no matter how they fished. Bucktails, top-water twitchbaits and swimbaits. Even the sucker bite has turned on! Most action relate

Moving into mid-September and surface temps finally breaking below 70° and some color coming up to the trees! Monday morning (9/14), temps in the 30’s helped a bunch! Forecast of lows in the 50’s the highs in the upper 60’s bodes well for a smooth transition. Should make for an easier to pattern remainder to September. Largemouth Bass: Good–Very good - Working heavy weed growth, drop shotting, Texas rigging, jig and creatures to get down into the thick stuff. Wind wasn

An incredible Labor Day weekend of weather, us anglers call Chamber of Commerce days. Beautiful, warm, calm-not great for us anglers, but the boaters, skiers and wake boarders sure loved it. The larger lakes and chains were full of boaters, so the smaller lakes (some) Flowages and rivers were best for anglers. Bluegill: Very Good-Good – Another flying ant hatch was spotted last week, a week from the last. That gets the Gills up and moving in the water column as the ants

Summer isn’t done with us yet according to the forecast. Highs in the mid to upper-80’s (8/31-9/1), following with upper-70’s. So not expected to see surface temps, which dipped into the upper-60’s, drop any further. Actually, may rise a little again. Due to the heat, as usual for this time of year, algae blooms have occurred. Big and Little Arbor Lakes, Big St. Germaine and Bearskin are a few of the recently visited and reported “green” lakes. Fish are being caught, bu

Minocqua Area Fishing Report 8/25 A slow roll into the fall season as of August 24th! Mild highs in the mid 70s followed by nights in the 50s. Water temps are slowly dropping, with most lakes in the 71-72o range and a few early morning surface temps at 69o. Have not seen much for sugar maples turning, though a few poplar trees are. Largemouth Bass: Good – Action falling off a little. Still good for evening top-water and midday working weed tops with 3 ½” swimbaits or pre-ri

A fairly steady week of weather again made for some similar fishing as the week prior. A few bumps here and there, but overall, cool mornings (mid-40’s – mid-50’s) followed by high in mid-upper 70’s for the most part. Lake surface temps are averaging in the 72-73° marks in the AM but still rising to the 77° mark. Largemouth Bass: Very Good – Continues to keep the rods bending. Top-water action, especially in late afternoon/evenings when water is warmest has continued to

Nice, stable summer weather. A little cool in the AM, but warm enough in the afternoons. Surface temps hovering around 73° on average. That, and the moon period coming in and should be a good week. Largemouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Continuing to top the charts as the “green goblins” keep action up for all types of bassin’ tactics. Top-water, buzz, spinnerbaits and chatters for the restless. Wacky, Neds and urchin style baits for the patient. Time of day? Topside daw