Fishing Report 6-12-14

Heading out for Father's Day weekend? It should be good. Water temps range from the high 60's to mid 70's around the area. The water has cleared up substantially, and weed growth is about normal (finally).

Okauchee has a pair of club bass tournaments this weekend.  Pewaukee has a Take a Vet fishing and a WABTA event on Saturday. (Might be a weekend to stay off the larger lakes.)

Around the Area:

Bluegills are still spawning for the most part, and the better panfish are being caught out of the deeper sand. Look for them shallow, but if you want some better sized keepers, find sand/gravel areas in 8-15 feet, and fish for them vertically with light lindy or split shot rigs baited with panfish leeches. (Middle Genessee, Nagawicka, Pine, North, Golden and Silver have been solid producers.)

Bass are settling into their summer patterns, anglers are catching fish both out of both shallow (2-6 FOW) and deep water (10-15 FOW). Docks, rockbars, slop, scattered weeds on flats and the deep weedlines all have active fish. Largemouth have been active on most area lakes on weed edges in 6-12 feet of water. Piers have been very good during the brightest parts of the day, and the slop bite is picking up as the weeds fill in. The topwater bit has been good, but most topwater fish are being caught before 8am over flat areas adjacent to deep water, especially areas with small patches of weeds. Pop-R's with an orange or red belly have been producing some nice schooling fish, and grubs, jigworms, jig/chunk combos and wacky worms are all producing shallow...texas rigs and drop shots are turning on deep. (School Section, Golden Nagawicka, Lower Nashotah, Okauchee, Fowler and Pewaukee)

Musky fishing has been very inconsistent. Struggling to find them in shallow water, many anglers have started looking for them in deeper water. The most active fish have come on deep divers and tubes fished along the deepest weedlines you can find. 15- 18 FOW seems to be the spot to be this year, but lots of bass anglers working inside edges are catching skis "by accident." (Pewaukee has been the most consistent. Oconomowoc and Okauchee have been slower. No word on Fowler or Lac Labelle)

Walleye action has been about average with the bite fluctuating day to day with the weather shifts. Jigging and rigging along the 8-12 FOW weedges has been working when the fish are active. Leeches under slip bobbers are catching fish in 8-15 feet, especially around weed/rock transition areas. Suckers fished on a split shot rig have been taking some better fish, especially in the late evenings. Weededges and sand grass are the areas to key on, especially in 10-15 feet of water. (Lac Labelle has been hit or miss, Oconomowoc and Nagawicka have been average, North and Pine have been very active, especially in the evenings.)

Pike action has been slow and steady. Fish the weed flats and outside edges with spinners or live bait. Smaller, wide wobbling crankbaits, buzzbaits and lipless crankbaits are really producing for the action seekers. Reapers and large jerkbaits are catching some better fish, but the action has been very slow.  (Kessus, Nagawicka, Lower Nashotah and Okauchee)



Happy Father's Day
CT

Take a Vet Fishing article...

Dennis Ottosen, the reporter who rode in my boat for the Take a Vet fishing event just posted his article in the Mcfarland Thistle.

Check it out here.

Take a Vet Fishing Event in Madison

Another great year on the water for this awesome event. I can't say enough good things about Take a Vet Fishing. Everything was handled great...boat launching, boat landing, the after events...just very well done. 80 boats in and out with minimal drama at Babock.

I had a Vet -Dan and a Reporter -Dennis. Fished 6:30-11:30.

As for the fishing...went out to the same spot as last year, and again drifted with plastics...caught a mixed bag of about 20 Largemouths and a couple of crappies. Had about 5 bite-offs from toothy critters. Caught at least one fish one all but one drift.

Dennis

Dan