Minocqua Area Fishing Report

Last week’s hot weather finally broke thanks to some storms. The heat helped some, while others on the water struggled to find certain species.

Crappie: Very Good – Staging in the upper portions of tall cabbage. Small jigs (Bunny Butts, Gapen Freshwater Shrimp, VMC Boot Tails and Charlie Bees), small beetle spins or 1/32 oz jig tipped with small minnows. Work these upper portions of the weed beds, Crappies come up from below their prey most times.

Note: Some anglers find Crappies to be “soft” in summer. Important to keep Crappies you intend to keep alive or on ice to help combat this in hot weather.

Largemouth Bass: Very Good – Loving the Wacky Worms! Great action in cabbage flats working Wacky Worms. Jig and creature, as well as Flukes, also working well. Top-water bite best at the end of the hot days. Whopper Ploppers, Pompadours, Torpedos and Pocket Frogs all working well for top-water/evening action, besides being the most fun way to catch Bass.

Smallmouth Bass: Very Good – Working tubes, Ned rigs and drop-shots along coontail edges of 14-18’ best. Rock reefs topping at 18-26’, use heavier jig to work TRD worms or craws!

Bluegill: Very Good – In and along cabbage flats and even some coontail beds. Gills being found suspending taking small leeches, worms, Crappie minnows and Mini-mite jigs tipped with waxies.

Northern Pike: Fair-Good – Action improved with the cooling off this past weekend. Spinner baits, chatter baitsa and 4” swim baits. Jig and chub/sucker on wire leader good choice in 6-10’ cabbage.

Yellow Perch: Good – ½ crawlers, medium leeches. Nice Perch of 8-10”+ along weed edges of 8-12’.

Musky: Good-Fair – A little slower with cool down. Top-water baits, as well as #7 bucktails best. Big spinner baits such as CJ’s, Boonies and Bucher Slop Masters also moving fish.

Walleye: Fair – Some good reports from larger lakes from anglers fishing early or late along outside weed edges using big leeches, crawlers or chubs on jigs or below slip-floats. A few fish being caught by anglers casting #6-#7 Shad Raps parallel to 12-14’ contain edges towards dusk.

Surface temps still in mid-70’s, but morning temps in mid-50’s slowing early bite. Stable weather (forecasted) should help anglers figure out patterns.