Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 7/4/22

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!

Entering July, looks like a little normalcy is finally coming to the Northwoods. Summer like (but not too hot) temperatures, light to moderate winds and little rain for the coming week. Patterns will start solidifying for the summer. Most, but not all, mayfly hatches are ending, weeds are starting to peak and most spawning is over.

Largemouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Lots of good reports from anglers pitching Wacky Worms, jig/creature and Ned Craws. Top-water good evenings and warmer early mornings. Working chatterbaits and ¼ oz spinnerbaits mid-morning through the afternoons over cabbage flats productive.

Bluegill: Very Good-Good – Great action on inside weed edges using small leeches below small floats. Over hanging trees, large piers, boathouses all providing good cover. Gills to 10 ¼” this past week. Most spawning finished or close to.

Yellow Perch: Good – Working pockets in cabbage of 5-10’ using medium fatheads or medium leeches. A small 1/32 oz jig either cast and twitched or below a float.

Smallmouth Bass: Good – Working Ned rigs tops just along coontail breaks. Craw imitations on drop-shot rigs as well as Wacky Worms and swimbaits working. Not having to work too deep yet. Most fish in 12-18’.

Musky: Good – Surprisingly, some good multi-fish days on live suckers. Reports from one guide with 4 boated from 34-44” and two lost in same day. Most anglers casting bucktails and small to medium sized swimbaits.

Northern Pike: Good – Action best over tobacco (Musky) cabbage in 5-9’ using spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and larger 4-6” paddle tailed swimbaits.

Crappie: Good – Crappies relating to narrow leaf cabbage, downed trees and large shady boathouses. Twitch small tubes, or cast small Mepps or beetle spins to locate. Plastic jigs, hair jigs and small minnows under floats good after you locate fish.

Walleye: Fair – While many lakes were in different stages of the big hexagenia hatches that just put so much easy food out there, its tough to entice consistent catches. Some exceptional fish this week, including a 33” beauty (hopefully more info to come). Yet overall, not a great week for Walleye chasers. But once these hatches are finished, some better weed edge fishing should occur as the Eyes get hungry again.

Most lake reporting a surface temp of 72-74 degrees. Shouldn’t be much deviation with forecasted highs in upper 70’s for the week.