Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 6/20/23

Last week was a cold one for the most part. Temps at night into the 30’s with mornings on the water in the low 40’s. Surface temps dropped into low 60’s (from highs in upper 70’s to 80 degrees). Wind chill made early fishing tough to deal with (pulled out the heavy sweatshirts and jackets). With tough cold weather came some tough fishing. Temps are rising again now, yet the fishing seems to be a bit behind.

Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good – Perch never get a high ranking in the summer reports, but this week they top the charts! Working 6-9’ cabbage flats with red, brown or orange 1/16 oz weedless jigs tipped with ½ crawlers produced some very nice 9-12” Perch this week. Slip-floats baited with ½ crawlers, medium leeches or their favorite, thunderbugs also effective. Yes, Perch got some love on a tough week and anglers got some great eating.

Largemouth Bass: Fair–Good – Setting up in their favorite summer time weed pattern. Fish same 6-10’ cabbage flats using jig Ned Rigs, Wacky Worms, Jig/creature combos. Largemouth have picked up the “action” slack. Even anglers jigging large leeches for Walleyes in weeds reporting “lots” of LMB!

Pumpkinseed: Good – Pumpkinseeds?! Yes, had an outing with the Pumpkinseed Kid AKA Remy Anderson (5 yrs old) and he tore up the shorelines with the ol’ bobber and worm trick. Knocked ‘em dead! (But released all alive!) First time ever fishing, but won’t be his last!

Bluegill: Fair-Good – Cold had Gills slowed way down. This should pick up once water temps get back into 70’s and Gills move into shallows to spawn.

Smallmouth Bass: Fair-Good - Actually found one still on a bed, poor bugger, got stuck with the babysitting duty. Shallow water, inside weeds worked for some using Wacky Worms, Sweet Beavers. Also reports from anglers working jerkbaits along breaks of 8-12’, but action slow.

Musky: Fair-Good - Report from guide Jake Smith finding Musky very shallow, comparable to first cool down of September. Surface baits, such as Flaptails, small bucktails (Wizards) and 9” jerkbaits worked slowly in the early mornings near inlets/outlets or some type of current best.

Northern Pike: Fair – Oddly off. Best dragging suckers or chubs slowly through cabbage flats. Bites light. Not a lot of chasing, but some spinnerbait action.

Walleye: Fair-Poor – One good day in seven…yeah, I’d say poor. Working redtails through heavy weeds of 6-10’. Slow and low. Bites reluctant.

Crappies: Fair-Poor – Not a lot of reports. Anglers once again finding schools of unresponsive fish. Tough to trigger. Live minnows on the smallest jig and plastics you can fish with in wind best.

Temps on the way up this week. Highs in the mid-80’s. Summer patterns should return as water temps will be breaking into 70’s again. Still no sign of big mayfly (Hexagenia) hatch so that cloud still coming! Mosquitos bad, not as bad as three weeks ago, but light rain, humidity and warmth bringing more out. Dragonflies help, but they don’t start their day as early as us anglers.