Fishing Report 7-10-14

Well gang,

Fish are biting all day long, but the bite is better at low light/cooler sections of the days. The full moon cycle this weekend along with some stable conditions and moderate temperatures should make for some excellent fishing this weekend.

I'm catching bass on two major patterns. First off...docks. The docks have really turned on, and I'm catching some very nice fish with the bright sunshine days we've had recently. I haven't been working the slop much, but I'm sure it will be good, especially mid-morning to early afternoon during the hot part of the day. Skipping docks with wacky, skirted grubs or fishing adjacent to shadows with small, shallow running crankbaits is working...and working great. Remember, the shadows are the key to effectivce dock fishing. If you're fishing from shore, target slop that you can reach, or fish in moving water like a river or creek with skirted grubs or wacky rigged worms.


Otherwise, the edges of weeds, especially where that weed edge is close to a graded drop in 9-12 FOW (sloping drop rather than a steep break) has been holding a huge quantity of fish. Typically that means there is a baitfish hatch that has their attention, and not surprisingly I'm catching lots of fish on jigworms, flapper grubs and twister tails....working them through suspended water. Deep weedline fish can be caught in variety of ways, but drop shotting, slow rolling spinnerbaits, and deep diving crankbaits will also produce.

Panfish are pretty much done spawning. You may find a few stragglers, but the best keepers (both crappie and bluegills are out deep, suspending as far as 20 feet down over much deeper water (found a nice batch yesterday over 52 FOW). Drifting over schools you can spot on your electronics with slip bobbers seems to be working for people putting in the time, but as always, I'm a fan of tightlining vertically for suspended fish.


Walleye have been active during the ends of the days. 12-18 FOW seems to be clutch, but I'm still grabbing a few out to 25 FOW, especially out of the deep sandgrass. This weekend, floating rapalas (size 11 or 13) fished over weed clumps adjacent to dropoffs should get interesting.

Pike fishing has been slow but very steady. The photocycle tends to slow them down except for early and later in the day. Right now, target isolated weed clumps in 8-15 FOW or weed edges in 15-22 FOW for pike. Live bait (small sucker or large shiner on a slip sinker rig) is outproducing cranks, but never give up on a buzzbait, spinnerbait, spoon or lipless crankbait when chasing pike.

Musky fishing has been slow, but the full moon this weekend will certainly put people on the water. Look for fish on the weed edges (especially weed edges on long points) in 12-18 FOW. Double-bladed spinners seem to be hot right now, but such things happen when that's what everyone is throwing at a given time. A smaller jerkbait or glider is my personal recommendation.


Last note...a personal one. I believe I had the largest bass I have ever seen in Waukesha County on my line this week(and that's saying something). The fish got away from me while I was playing it, and once it was in deep water, I couldn't recover to get it in. I know it is the middle of summer, and although this is traditionally "the dog days"...the fish are biting, and biting very well. You just have to work a bit to get at them. 

Forget golf...go fishing.

Good luck and be safe,
CT