Fishing Report 6-26-15

Hey gang,

I was out five days this week fishing on Moose, Oconomowoc, Lac Labelle, Silver, Golden and Ashippun. I did a mix of mornings, middays and evening outings.

Fishing has picked up a bit, but the unstable weather continues to make patterning fish difficult. Water is in the mid to high 70's. Weed growth has finally caught up, but baitfish remain hard to pinpoint consistently.

My basic advice...stick to the basics, and fish hard in high percentage areas. Keep it simple, and be ready to make some adjustments as conditions change throughout the day.

Panfish are still spawning (I saw fish paired up on nests laying eggs today), but some fish have already moved out and started to suspend. Crappie are hanging just off the deeper weedlines or over humps. Slip bobbers or vertically tightlining are your best approaches. Bluegills on the nests are finishing their ritual, but you can find some quality fish down 12-18' over much deeper water. Helgramites are in season, but waxies on plastics, panfish leeches on slip sinker/lindy rigs or split shotting are all producing. (Ashippun, Golden, School Section, Lower Nashotah, Garvin, Middle and Upper Genessee and Forest.)

Bass fishing really picked up this week, but you need to be ready to fish hard and adapt on the water. Docks and Slop have gotten better (for largemouths) in the shallows, and fish are starting to get caught off the deeper edges and shelves, but the hot bite has been the smallmouth on the mid-depth rockbars and off the deeper points. I'm catching lots of fish around, but not necessarily under docks and pads. Skirted grubs and tubes are catching some better fish off the rocks, especially along gravel/weed transitions, and dropshot, jigworms, flappergrubs and Sliders are all really delivering the deeper fish. Wacky, tubes and Flukes are catching fish in shallow. Topwater is producing some schooling fish until about 8am.
 
Tough Bite? Drifting with live bait has been surprisingly effective this year. Find a weed-edge or some deep sand in 12-18FOW, and fish with leeches or small suckers on lindy rigs.
(LM: Silver, Golden, Pewaukee, Okauchee, Golden, Kessus, School Section, Lower Nashotah)
(SM: Nag, Oconomowoc, North, Lac Labelle)

Walleye fishing has hit summer pattern. Weeds at various depths (8-12 or 15-26 FOW) will hold fish. Jigs with plastics or live bait fished tight to weed patches (especially along the outside edges) will produce, but on windy days, drifting with live bait on lindy or slow death rigs is the ticket. Early and late, try floating rapalas over the top of visible weeds. (Lac Labelle, Nag, North, Oconomowoc, Fowler)

Musky Fishing has really turned on before 1st light and close to/just after dark. Topwater fishing was really good this week, especially around isolated shallow rocks. Spinners/ Bucktails of various types, jerkbaits and gliders are grabbing some fish off the weededges in 12-15 FOW, but only where there is some baitfish. Swimbaits are starting to turn on. (Fowler (on fire!), Lac Labelle, North, Okauchee, Oconomowoc, Pewaukee)

Good Luck.
CT

Operation Dry Water

The name is cute. Like a joke that gets less funny each time you hear it.

Update: I got checked today as part of the program.