Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 8/11/26

Nice, stable summer weather.  A little cool in the AM, but warm enough in the afternoons.  Surface temps hovering around 73° on average.  That, and the moon period coming in and should be a good week.

Largemouth Bass:  Very Good-Good – Continuing to top the charts as the “green goblins” keep action up for all types of bassin’ tactics.  Top-water, buzz, spinnerbaits and chatters for the restless.  Wacky, Neds and urchin style baits for the patient.  Time of day?  Topside dawn and dusk.  Weed tops mid-morning and late afternoons.  Midday – plunge the weeds with the soft stuff.

Crappie:  Very Good-Good – Lots of great reports from anglers working deep weed tops of 8-12’ using small plastic minnow imitations by Keitech, Berkley, and twister tails.

Smallmouth Bass:  Very Good-Good – Deep weed edges and gravel/rock bars using drop-shot rigs to present urchins, craw imitations and 3” gulp minnows in 18-28’.

Bluegill:  Good-Very Good – Roaming weed tops, taking small tubes and grubs as well as leafworms and small leeches (their back!)

Northern Pike:  Good – Best over heavy cabbage flats casting Boonie Baits, chatterbaits or swimming 4” swimbaits.  Spinners, twitchbaits and shallow cranks also working.

Yellow Perch:  Good – Heavy cabbage holding some nice Perch.  Use medium fatheads to keep smaller Gills away.

Musky:  Good-Fair – Improving as anglers getting out and targeting with water temps in low 70’s.  Top-water and Bucktails (Hunsey’s, Wizards) as well as fast moving twitch and swimbaits outside and into heavy cabbage.

Walleye:  Fair-Good – Strollers reporting good action on cranks over 22-40' of water, fishing 6-20' down. Jig and bait (crawlers, redtails, some leeches) along outside weed edges in 12-15'. Slip bobbers also effective.

As said earlier, should be a good week with favorable and fairly stable weather.

Pics of the Week

Aiden (11 yo) of Edwardsville, IL showing cousins Hudson (10 yo) and Carter (17 yo) of Camdenton, MO how to hold those Crappies

Spencer Cody traveled from Sacramento, CA to catch this dandy 28” Northern Pike, his first.

Mitchell Cody of Sacramento, CA with his first Northern Pike, 24”

Ethan (13 yo) from Lake Tomahawk with a Largemouth Bass caught at Torpy Park on the dock

Tony Stefanski from St Germain caught this 29 ½ Pike in Stacks Bay using a Red River Runner lure purchased at Kurt’s

Tony’s nephew, with a nice 17” Bass caught in the same place using the same lure

Arnie Neubauer of Minocqua with a 21” MONSTER Largemouth Bass