8/29/17

It’s been a slow summer for musky reports, but things started kicking into gear this past week as good reports came flooding in. Not only for the big fish; walleye ,bass and crappie action also picked up.

Water temps are slowly cooling, most reports are of lake surface temps in the 67-68 degree range. Could be the corresponding moon phase, but it was a nice pick up in action all the way around.

Musky: Good-Very Good – Hair and Blades providing the best action. Finding fish up in 7-12' weeds. Some good top-water reports on Whopper Ploppers. Nice fish including a 50" that took top honors in the World Musky Hunt!

Crappie: Good-Very Good – Big slabs being found in among deep wood, deep transition breaks and suspended. Jig and crappie or medium fatheads. 2" twister tubes, trollers on Flowages using small hot in tots.

Walleye: Good – Work deep gravel humps during low light - mud flats and transition zones during daylight. Use 1/8- 1/4 oz. jigs with large fats or 1/2 crawlers. In Flowages, still Eye's working deep wood, as well as, some in wind swept weeds on small chubs.

Largemouth Bass: Good – Some good spinner bait bites as well as plastics worked over weed tops in the form of pre-rigged worms. Some top-water action on the warmer days. Wacky worming, as usual a good back-up plan.

Smallmouth Bass: Good – Smallies working on gravel humps feeding on remaining crayfish and sculpins. Tubes and creature baits such as chomper skirted grubs. Drop-shotting also scoring well.

Northern Pike: Good – Nice action on spinner baits, spinners and Chatter baits. Jig and live chubs or 4 1/2" swim baits.

Yellow Perch: Good – Weed edges of 8-12 feet. Also deep wood, 1/2 crawlers and medium fatheads.

Bluegill: Good – Still finding suspended fish outside coontail edges of 14-18'. Tiny jigs tipped with waxies, small leeches and small Gulp-Alive waxies.

Speaking of Leeches, very hard to find, pick up any you can find as supplies are scarce.

A little weather mid- week but outlook good for weekend. Temps good for active fish, good time to cast some artificials.