Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 10/5/21

Weather continues to be too nice!

Cool nights can’t seem to combat the sunny, warm afternoons and get these water temps dropping. This traditionally has been a very good weekend to be fishing, last year at this time the weather was cold and the fishing hot! Forecast doesn’t show much of a change for the coming week. Algae blooms popping up like its August for crying out loud!

Smallmouth Bass: Good-Very Good – The bright spot for this week’s reports as Smallies seem to be gathering on rock piles and drowned wood. Drop-shotting 3” minnow replicas, slip-floating minnows and jigging crawlers helped save several trips this past week with #’s and large Smallies to 20+”. A few anglers still scoring big Smallies shallow on top-water and swim baits in water as shallow as 2-3’.

Largemouth Bass: Good – Finding green weeds has been key, swimming 3-5” swim baits, spinner baits and lipless cranks have been effective to finding action for those still targeting Largemouth.

Northern Pike: Fair – Even this typically easy to find fish have had their moments. With days of no

clouds and little, to no, wind, even Pike became tough at times. Swim baits (4-5”) spinner baits and jig and 4-6” suckers have been best.

Crappie: Fair – Big slabs (Crappies of 13-14”+) but numbers off. Fish still scattered, on bright, flat days work deeper to 16-19’ to find fish. Eaters (10-12”) coming on medium fats under floats.

Walleye: Fair – Bites best at dawn and again after 5 PM, as Walleyes not happy with high pressure, sunny skies and little wind. Chubs and crawlers best choice, these fish also very scattered and light biting.

Musky: Fair-Poor – Action not what’s expected! Still some shallow weed fish, but top-water not up to snuff. Bucktails with Marabou and swimming rubber baits best. Haven’t had many reports of size, mostly low-mid 30”ers.

Yellow Perch: Fair – Not being targeted much. A few nice fish in drowned wood being caught by anglers targeting Walleye or Crappie.

Bluegill: Fair-Poor – Not being targeted. Some big Gills (9+”) in and around deep (14-18’) wood on ½ crawlers.

What to think! Water temps dropping into low 60’s overnight, but shooting up to 68-70 degrees by afternoons. As stated earlier, algae blooms off setting, looks like the typical fall “sucker” season may be a couple weeks away. All we can do is keep casting away, waiting for the “bite” to get hot once the weather gets cold.