Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 7/25/23

Summer is heating up…again…here in the Northwoods! Following some cool mornings last week, temps are rising into the upper 80’s this week, pushing lake surface temps up with them. This warming trend should put the bites back into early mornings and evenings more than the previous week when cool mornings held bites off until mid/late AM.

Largemouth Bass: Good-Very Good – Top-water action in the evenings has been getting good reports as anglers finding active fish hitting Whopper Ploppers, Jitterbugs, Frogs and Buzzbaits. Pre-rigged plastic worms, twitchbaits (Husky Jerks) and Wacky Worms getting the nod mornings and afternoons.

Smallmouth Bass: Good-Very Good – Sandgrass flats, off-shore humps, rock slides holding good numbers and size. Drop-shotting Z-Man Craws and 3” Gulp Alive Minnows, as well as Ned rigging, has scored nice Smallies this past week from those targeting these fighters. Simple slip-floating hair jigs or large leeches along coontail edges in 14-18’ of water also producing nice fish of 16-19”.

Bluegill: Good-Very Good – Daytime work weed tops of cabbage flats in 8-10’ using Mini-Mites, 1” twisters or small leeches under small slip-floats. Evenings fish poppers on the surface around calm shores.

Yellow Perch: Good – Heat has Perch action picking up. Both cabbage flats, and on deeper lakes sand grass flats, Perch taking beaver tails or pieces of crawlers. On Flowages, target drowned wood using slip-floats with medium fatheads or beaver tails

Musky: Good – Action picking up on top-water (Dr. Evils, Pacemakers, Flaptails and Fat Bastards), as well as bucktails, over weed flats. Musky seem to be found all over, in water as shallow as 2-3’ and out along deep weeds (coontail) in 18-20’. Deeper fish responding to rubber baits.

Crappie: Good – Weed tops in 10-14’ using Kalin Crappie Scrubs or other 2” twister style plastics. Fish are scattered, picking up fish here and there.

Northern Pike: Fair – A recent drop off in activity by most reports. Live chubs and suckers on weedless jigs or below floats when Pike not willing to chase spinnerbaits or chatterbaits.

Walleye: Fair – Some signs of scattered late Mayfly hatches could be a reason for the “soft” Walleye reports. Crawlers, redtails and the largest leeches available to tempt during small windows of activity.

Scattered weather in the form of small showers and warming water is a bit of an inconvenience, but should help spur some good action for both Bass species and Musky this week.