Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 10/24/22

Weekend turned out very nice with temps in low 70’s by Sunday afternoon – far cry from previous weeks wind, cold and snow. Some could say almost too nice as it seemed the Musky action dropped off as the weather got better. But still, a very nice weekend to be on the water during the waning weeks of the open water season.

Musky: Very Good-Good – Mid-week action was hot as lots of anglers reported multi fish days! A healthy mix of action from both artificials and live bait, with suckers holding a slight edge. Reports of surface temps from 44-47 degrees following the cold week previous helped get the feed bag on. Musky moving outside weed lines now that colder temps have pushed bait fish out of shallows. Suspended fish have also been active on large rubber baits and slashing big twitch baits over deep water. Another cool down mid-week should spark some more activity.

Walleye: Very Good-Good – Finding pods of fish relating to deeper gravel slides and soft bottom along edges to these slides has been key. Verticle fishing redtail or black chubs and jigging Shiver Minnows and Jigging Raps (#7 and #9) have all produced well. Be careful reeling these deep-water fish up. Slow, so as not to cause fast pressure changes that can kill these fish. Remember, the health of those big girls is important to the future of our fishery, se be responsible and retrieve and release those big ones.

Crappie: Very Good-Good – Calmer days lead to easier fishing. Deep water Crappies bit well using medium fatheads under floats in 20-24’ of water. The deepest drowned wood you could find also seemed good for holding Crappies.

Smallmouth Bass: Very Good-Good – After an absence, anglers found hot Smallie action on gravel humps in 22-32’ of water. Nice fish of 17-20” taking 3-5” suckers, redtails and black chubs on 3/8 oz jigs or Lindy style rigs.

Northern Pike: Good – Most reports from anglers targeting Pike with chubs or suckers under floats or from incidental catches on twitchbaits and jerkbaits meant for Musky.

With night time temps slipping back into the upper 20’s / lower 30’s and highs in the upper 40’s to upper 50’s by the weekend, look for another week of good fishing and pleasant fall weather to fish in. Remember, most state-owned piers have been pulled, so wear knee boots for launching and make sure your bow rope is attached!