Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 5/17/22

Well, that was nice! Didn’t have a spring, had a great summer last week (though kinda stormy) and back to fall by the weekend!

Water temps on most lakes shot right through the 50’s into the low 60’s over the weekend. Shallows got active, fish utilizing the warmth of the shallows for egg development and to find food. That could change by the end of this week. Lows forecasted in the low 30’s with highs of upper 50’s to upper 40’s will “slow the roll” of this fast temp rise. Good sun should help with weed growth, and maybe the continuation of bug hatches.

Crappie: Good-Very Good – Crappies moving up to warm up on north shores provided good action for anglers. Casting small, but heavy floats to get range, baiting small #10 aberdeen hooks with a tail-hooked minnow allowed to swim freely under 14-16” of line. Anglers also finding Crappies staging in 8-12’ cabbage hanging 2-4’ off bottom taking Kalin Crappie Scrubs and Mini Mites doing well.

Northern Pike: Good – Spinner baits, stick baits and swim baits in warming cabbage flats of 4-8’ good for Pike. Relaxing with a float and 5-7” chub or sucker under a float good way to enjoy the nicer days.

Largemouth Bass: Good – Dark bottom areas picking up sun and heat holding Largemouth in 3-7’ depth. Wacky Worming and working dark hair jigs tipped with 3” trailers also effective.

Smallmouth Bass: Fair-Good – Season closed until June 18th, but nice, heavy Smallies being caught and released while targeting Walleyes in the shallows.

Walleye: Fair – Hot bite slowed. Oddly, some of the best action is late morning through mid-day. Dace, large fats, muds and leeches worked through cabbage and grasses in 6-10’ of water best. Pattern may still hold with cold mornings forecasted.

Yellow Perch: Fair – Not a lot of effort being put into Perch right now, but some nice, post spawn fish being caught in shallows using medium fatheads.

The cool outlook for the following week will probably bring surfaces, temps back down into the 50’s where they should stay for a while. By bringing temps back in line, we should see patterns redevelop where they should be by next week’s end. That shot of warm weather should have Crappies thinking spawn and gamefish feeding up once shock of recent cold nights diffuse.