Minocqua Area Fishing Report
A warm and rainy week helped those anglers not afraid of getting a little wet while angling for their favorite fish. Lots of good reports across the board. A bit of a cool down on Sunday seemed to affect fishing by late morning, but things picked back up by Sunday evening.
Walleye: Very Good-Good – Back in the spotlight as the cloud cover and warming water brought Eyes into the shallower water on many lakes to feed. Leeches were hot for most bites with dace, fats and smaller chubs not far behind. Wind blown weedy shallows where small Perch, Bluegills and Crappies congregated were tops! Reports from Bass and Pike anglers catching Walleyes over shallow weedy flats were not uncommon over the weekend.
Crappies: Very Good-Good – Reports vary as some anglers finding Crappies still on beds while others moved out to nearby weeds to feed. Don’t expect to find bedding fish for much longer, but Crappie populations seem to be strong and still very good catches being reported. Small jigs (Gapen Freshwater Shrimp and Mini Mites) under small floats as well as the good ol’ bobber & minnow rig working best.
Smallmouth Bass: Very Good – Big Smallies in the 3-5# range being reported every day as fish are up shallow and on beds! Top-water action on Chug Bugs, Pop-R’s, Zara Puppy’s have been a blast! Ned Worms, Wacky Worms and tubes not being turned away. Remember, season is catch & release only, get ‘em back in the water quickly to ensure great Smallie fishing to come.
Largemouth Bass: Very Good – Not in spawn mode like the Smallies, but cruising and hungry. Spinner baits and chatter baits scoring well as Bass active. Swim baits and shallow cranks also producing over weed tops. Lots of #’s with some nice LMB in the 18-20” range reported.
Northern Pike: Very Good – Take your pick! Actively pursue with a spinner bait, chatter bait or Mepps, or kick back with a bobber and chub or sucker, Pike have been willing participants.
Bluegills: Good – Anglers targeting other species for the most part, but doing well with shallow water action. Like
Largemouth, Gills are not bedding, but enjoying a smorgasbord of bugs and small invertebrates. Tiny jigs or just a plain Aberdeen hook with some worms, small leeches or thunder bugs all producing well.
Yellow Perch: Good – Like Gills, not heavily targeted, but decent catches in and around drowned wood and cabbage flats of 4-8’.
Looks to be a good, yet cool weekend weather wise. Cold mornings may lead to better late morning bites and better evening fishing.
Musky opens on Saturday, May 29th. A lot of sightings of paired (and tripled) Musky in shallows as they are spawning, many fish showing signs of “rough” Love! Could be finished on small to mid-sized lakes by week’s end.