Minocqua Area Fishing Report

Warm temps (Yes! 40’s is warm up here this time of year) created some great weather to get out on the lakes. Past cold temps added ice thickness and firmed things up (at least until the warm up).

With more anglers and access comes more reports. Some areas anglers still struggled for catches, but those who got on, or stayed on, the ice during peak times were rewarded.

Crappies: Good-Very Good – Deeper bite picked up as anglers using tip-downs and rosies scored well over 18-28’ mud. Jigging using Z-vibes, Majic-Mans and K-rips tipped with waxies produced some big slabs to 14”. Anglers slow dropping in weeds of 10-12’ produced catches on Lethal Cecils tipped with waxies or #8 rockers tipped with white, yellow or pink plastics.

Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good – Mud flat bite using wigglers on Halis, Pimples or Clam Bombs. Ply the soft mud of 18-28’, Red spikes a decent second choice, but loving the mayfly larvae

Northern Pike: Good-Very Good – Smaller lakes slow, but bays off of larger lakes produced some big Pike to 38” this weekend. Go big (shiners, suckers) swing for the bleachers, it’s the final week!

Bluegills: Good – Best during early morning or late afternoon. Gills taking mousses, waxies and Beaver Tail on #3:#4 tungsten jigs. Start low, 1’ off bottom, but watch locator as fish moving up off bottom at times.

Walleye: Good – Evening best, last hour prior to dark and first hour after. Suckers preferred by tip-up anglers. Warm temps helped improve action for jig anglers using Slab Raps, Jigging Raps and Chubby Darters. While off shore humps preferred, some good bites along weed edges of 10-12’ and even up in heavy weeds of 6-8’ from Walleyes probably feeding on little Perch.

Largemouth Bass: Fair-Good – Best on medium shiners or large fatheads on tip-ups or tip-downs.

This coming weekend is the last for the inland gamefish season in the Northwoods. Cold temps mid-week look to give way to nice warm temps for Sat/Sunday. While you’ll hear reports of trucks on the lakes (ice thickness avg 20-24”+) be reminded that this is NOT solid ice. The top 6-12” on many lakes is white ice, very porous. Still use caution when traveling. We can’t recommend truck travel, though UTV, ATV and snowmobile travel has been good.