Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 8/22/23

Following a cold morning (45 degrees), which brought about a small snap of color to the Northwoods, a few sugar maples have popped and other trees are showing a lighter shade of color. Air temps have risen since, keeping most lake surface temps in the low 70’s. Patterns have remained steady as anglers report fairly consistent action – be it good or bad.

Bluegill: Very Good-Good – Active over cabbage beds of 8-12’. A variety of lures including Mini-Mites, 1” twisters and 1/32 oz Beetle spins. Worms and Gulp Alive grubs and leeches also effective. Unless I missed it, should be a flying ant hatch very soon, fun for fly fishers to get a top-water bite going.

Yellow Perch: Very Good-Good – Active in weeds, same as Gills but lower in water column. 1/2 crawlers or medium fatheads best. Some very nice, 10-12” Perch in wood on Flowages (very low, be very careful)

Largemouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Still best bite using Wacky Worms in cabbage flats. Twitching stickbaits, ticking weed tops with square billed cranks and evening top-water baits (Jitterbugs, Whopper Ploppers, etc.) good fun.

Smallmouth Bass: Very Good-Good – Rock/gravel humps and coontail edges of 14-18’ on Ned rigs and drop shot rigs using imitation craws and 3” Wacky Worms or 3” Gulp minnows. Nice 15-20” fish this past week.

Musky: Good – Top-water action on Dr. Evils, Whopper Ploppers, Pace Makers and bucktails worked over cabbage edges of 10-16’. Good action, not a lot of large fish reported.

Northern Pike: Fair – Chubs and suckers on jigs with light wire leaders. Some good action reported using spinnerbaits.

Walleye: Fair – Deeper mud of 20-26’ using shiver minnows on larger lakes. On smaller bodies of water and Flowages, try #5 Shad raps and #5 Flicker Shads worked over drowned wood producing, as is red tails on weedless jigs.

Crappie: Fair – Few reports, though some big slabs (to 15”) caught on cranks meant for Walleyes in 6-10’ wood.

A little cool down (though not as much as last week) followed by warm weather by weekend (into low 80’s) should keep fishing stable. Watch for cool down, when it arrives, to spur bite on.