Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 5/24/22

Morning temps back in the low 30’s the past couple mornings (frost on 5/23). Thank goodness for Global Warming or the lakes would have refrozen by Memorial Weekend!

The drop in temperature, wind, sleet, has caused lake surface temps to drop into the mid to upper 50’s from the low to mid 60’s. This will extend the good shallow water post spawn Walleye bite, but may put the Crappie spawn off for a bit on some lakes, here it goes…

Crappie: Good-Fair – It’s what the majority of phone calls have been about! Have they? Did they? Will they?... It’s tough to pinpoint with so many types of lakes, with water temps that vary from lake to lake. There have been signs of bedding Crappies. There has also been a lot of sign of Crappies staging (mostly females) waiting in the weeds just outside the spawning areas. Crappies typically like temps to run 64-66 degrees to spawn. We had that, whether or not they set up beds before the temps fell back into the 50’s is the question. With most lakes, once they commit, they stay (unlike my first two ex-wives), also with a warming trend coming, expect very good Crappie fishing this weekend be it pre-spawn or spawn. Be conscious of the lakes with 10 fish limits for Crappies and have fun. Small minnows, small floats and a handful of tiny tubes, mites or hair jigs should do the trick.

Smallmouth Bass: Good-Fair – Some sign of bedding Smallies on certain lakes. Others finding shallow cruisers in the AM. Tubes, swim baits and smaller flukes. The recent cold mornings has pushed the better bite to late mornings through mid-afternoons.

Walleye: Good-Fair – Action picked up after fall off early last week. Post spawn feeding in shallows. A lot of the best reports from 4-6’ with newly emergent weeds and soft mud bottoms. Jig and minnow and jig and leech combos as Walleyes feeding on midge larvae and emerging leeches in mud. More of the larger females showing up now. As with other bites, late mornings better than early.

Northern Pike: Good-Fair – Most reports from anglers working jigs and chubs for Walleye. Targeting Pike has been good using spinner baits in the ¼ oz size with plastic trailers.

Largemouth Bass: Good-Fair – Cruising dark bottoms, Largemouth Bass anglers getting action on jig/creature combos, as well as, wacky worming 4” worms in 3-6’ of water.

Bluegill: Fair – Just not prime Bluegill chasing weather. A few nice Gills eating small minnows meant for Crappies. Need warmer temps to improve this bite again.

Yellow Perch: Fair – Not many anglers targeting. Those that do catching nice Perch using medium fatheads or dace minnows around 4-6’ newly greening cabbage