Minocqua Area Fishing Report

Not much to report! Unusual amounts of mid-April snow and high winds have kept anglers off the lakes. Access is tough right now as the snow depth makes getting around very difficult.

Crappie: Bad-Poor! – No recent reports over the last five days, though a few anglers heading out as of this writing. Concentrate on bays of larger lakes (small lakes could very well be suffering from low oxygen with all this late snow). Slow, fluttering spoons such as Lethal Cecils and Demon Tongues tipped with waxies, Chena or light colored plastics should do well. Minnows on tip-downs or under small bobbers, as the warm up begins this weekend, should prove effective. Holes staying open, with much needed oxygen flowing down, will improve fish activity…and catches!

Yellow Perch: Bad-Poor! – Ditto on reports. Gravid (egg laden) perch moving into weedy bays. As with Crappies, fluttering spoons such as Vinglas, Demon Tongues loaded up with waxies or tip-downs with minnows.

Bluegill: Bad-Poor! – See above!! Once warm up keeps holes open, tip small rockers, Moon glows or tear drops with moussees, waxies. Also, Little Atom Duppees or J&S Larva mites or Ice mites for plastics. Keep to larger lakes to start as small lakes with low oxygen will have sluggish fish.

In all cases try high under the ice, this is where the best concentration of dissolved oxygen will be. With temps hitting the 50’s this weekend, hopefully snow will melt down enough for decent travel.

As far as the Opener…Things look grim, with upwards of 30-34” of ice covered by two feet of snow and only 19 days ‘til May 5th, forecast is bleak. Weekends heavy snow fall quashed the hopes of even the most optimistic of us for open water com early May.