Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 8/16/22

Looks like some mild, yet stable weather will prevail over the next week, allowing anglers who have set up patterns to continue to work them.

Largemouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Mid mornings through late afternoons find Largemouth in and along heavy weeds. Use jig/creature, Wacky Worms, and 6” worms rigged Carolina style. Towards dusk take to the top-water using Whopper Ploppers, Jitter Bugs and Spooks towards the inside weed edges. Warmer mornings (60+ air temps) have been good for some inside weed line action on same. Try frogs and spiders on flat water.

Smallmouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Off shore rock/gravel humps and deep weed edges leading to sandgrass best. Ned jigs with TRD’s and craws best! Drop-shotting and Wacky Worms not far behind. Work varying depths, finding fish in pods working in 20-24’, then also up in 12’ cabbage 75 yds away. Early morning cruisers on inside weed edge on Husky Jerks and X-Raps.

Bluegill: Very Good-Good – Not much of a change, plenty of suspending Gills outside weed edges on small leeches, worms and tiny plastic or hair jigs. Usually, get a flying ant hatch in late August, good time for you dry fly enthusiasts.

Crappie: Good – Weed tops of 8-12’ using small spinners, beetle spins or twitching 1/32 oz jigs. On lakes/Flowages lacking weeds work wood/cribs in 10-14’ using small minnows on slip-floats.

Musky: Good – Some reports of anglers catching Musky on small live suckers on bladed rigs. With surface temps averaging 70 degrees, suckers will stay alive a bit longer, but not like fall. Bucktails and gliders with tails still best.

Yellow Perch: Good-Fair – Fish in cabbage pockets using ½ crawlers, medium leeches. Drifting crawler harnesses over 14-18’ sandgrass also producing.

Walleye: Good-Fair – Action best early and late in days. Crawlers along deep weed edges of 12-16’ or out over rocks in 18-26’. Night action on rocks using crawlers under lighted slip-floats.

Northern Pike: Good-Fair – Picking up some better action using chubs or suckers on jigs with wire guards. Spinnerbaits and weedless spoons worked at weed top level on overcast or windy days.

Other than talk of low levels on Flowages, things seem pretty stable in our area. Fishing overall a little better later in morning as air and water temps get closer together.