Fishing Report 7-16-15

Unstable weather cooled the fishing down this week, and with a hot (potentially the hottest) weekend on the way, things will be a bit tough on the water.

Water temps are in the low to mid 70's. Pin Minnows and Juvenile Perch are being targeted, but a few fish are starting to make foraging runs up onto the rocks....the molt is imminent.

Bass fishing slowed way down this week, both in terms of people our fishing and catches. Deep weedlines out to 20 FOW, piers-especially, slop and shallow bars near deep water continue to hold fish, but getting them to bite consistently has been trouble. Texas rigs, Carolina Rigs and  live bait rigs with leeches, large shiners, chubs or suckers for the deep fish. Wacky, grubs, skirted grubs jigworms, and smaller squarebills crankbaits are catching fish out of the shallow water. Open water top water fishing has been good on mainlake and secondary points, but only until mid morning, with a limited bite in the evenings.


Smallmouth fishing has been very tough, but you can catch fish by getting more precise and downsizing. Fish tubes, wacky and grubs. Drop shotting, especially along distinct weed clumps put some fish in the boat, but the strike zone was very small. Top water fish were very hard to come by consistently, but after the next batch of weather, that bite should pick up, especially in areas where you see schools of pin minnows.

Musky fishing was slow, but fish have been very active. Fish have really been using weed clumps on the end of long points as a feeding/ambush location and I've personally raised a couple using a smaller bucktail. (Thanks to Muskie Metal!)

Walleye fishing has remained slow. Slip bobbers, with live bait, jigs with plastics or lindy rigs, fished near the weeds are producing, but expect the bite to slow down in the heavy heat this weekekend. At night, back troll with suckers on lindy/slip sinker rigs in 18-22 fow, targeting areas with healthy sandgrass or fish floating rapalas/minnowbaits around weedclumps after dark.

Bluegills are doing their summer thing. Look for them to suspend along the weedlines or out over deeper water. 12-18 feet deep over much deeper water is a great starting point. Drifting along the deep edges with bait suspended vertically is a solid presentation option.

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Okauchee: Public launch remains closed. Bass are on the piers, in pads and slop and on the weed edges in deeper water/along mainlake structure.  Pike have been active, especially in deep areas with quick access to shallow weeds. Panfish are suspending deep, but adjacent to the points.

Garvin: Musky have been active, bass bite has been off and on. Bluegills suspending over deep cover on east shoreline points.

Oconomowoc:  Bass are suspending off the deep ends of the mainlake points, coming in for limited periods of high activity. Tight to visible weed clumps will produce some bass, panfish are on the deep weedlines (use a split shot or light lindy rig and a panfish leech). Musky fishing continues to be hot, with lots of fish moving over/around the tops of weeds at the end of points.

Fowler: Very slow the last 10 days. Bass are in the slop and in the river grass. No word on musky, buzzbaits taking some pike out of isolated weed clumps

Lac Labelle: Walleye fishing was slow, but steady. Target weed edges along the 8-12 foot breaks and drop-offs in 10-18 FOW, but be ready to move out deep o 25+. Jigs and rigs with live bait, best action has been 6-8am and again just before dark. Keepers are strickly a nightime thing. Bass fishing has been slow, and most fish are "incidental" catches to walleye fishing.

Moose:  Bass and pike both slow. Crappie and Bluegills are suspending deep and around swim platforms. Bass feeding early, then moving out deep. Look for baitfish, and work small areas hard.
 
Ashipunn: Bass and pike were better than most lakes, but also deeper. Concentrate on the visible weed patches, and work them from a variety of angles with spinners or plastics. Piers holding some smaller fish. Panfish are suspending in the deep part of the basin, about 18-22 foot down.

Golden: Bluegills in deep water, holding close to weed edges. Bass have been biting along inside weedlines but docks and the slop are still holding some fish. Topwaters, plastics and spinners are all producing. Pike have been biting, especially on small suckers fished along the deep weedlines and on spinnerbaits or buzzbaits fished through the weedy areas.

Silver:  Crappies have been suspending over the east cribs, and keeper bluegills are holding in the deep sandgrass in 18-25 FOW. Bass fishing was slower than normal.