Updates

Hey gang,

Sorry about the lack of reports. I was out of town for a week and I had some technical difficulties trying to permanently merge my guide blog with this one. I'll try to get back to twice a week reports, but for now, check for a Fishing report update on Monday Nights. Also as I merge the blogs there will be some additional content posted here that I had over there.

Summer patterns continue to be the best methods for targeting fish.

Largemouths are using deep points and bars as well as the slop and the piers on most lakes. On Okauchee, the rocks have been giving up quality keepers most of the season, and the last few weeks have been no different. Some anglers are flipping jigs into the deep and shallow weededges with varying degrees of success. The slop has been the most consistent the past week or so with the clear skies and sun.

Smallmouth fishing has been off lately. I guided this morning on Oconomowoc and we never got on a solid pattern. The fish look like they are using the points and dropoffs, but they are not feeding actively. Slow presentations like drop shot, tubes and carolina rigs are your best bets right now. Never overlook a grub bite for smallmouths.

Panfish have been a little difficult to get on consistently this year. Targeting the small ones in the shallow water can always provide some action, but quality gills are best taken out of deep water. Look for them to suspend just off the deep weedlines. Slip bobbers or tightlighting with plastics and live bait are good bets. I'm guiding tuesday morning for gills and I'll get a current report up either tommorrow night or wendesday for sure.

Walleye fishing continues to be good very early and very late. Still fihing around weedclumps has been producing, but the best success has been by people back trolling with live bait at night. You can't go wrong looking for walleyes in 22-30 feet of water near structure. As the thermocline gets more developed over the next few weeks, look for them to suspend at that depth. I'd run bottom bouncers or lindy rigs with long leaders right now, and start to run crankbaits behind planer boards over the next few weeks. Leeches or nightcrawlers are always a solid bet, but don't overlook using suckers. I've heard that the Gulp brand plastics have also been producing some fish when used in place of live bait. I'd hit Pine or Oconomowoc as my first choices, with Labelle as a backup.

Pike have been active this summer. If you need some action, lots of hammerhandles and snakes can be caught throwing a spinner or buzzbait around shallow weed clumps. The deeper fish have been bigger and have been caught by anglers throwing large cranks, slow rollling spinnerbaits along the weedline, or by live baiters using suckers on a slip sinker rig with a circle hook.

As for musky, many of the guides are trolling deep, but I know that a batch of fish is still hanging around the weed edges and deeper rockpiles. Pewaukee and Okauchee are the old standbys for trolling for muskies, but if you are going to make a day out of musky fishing, I'd recommend getting up early and throwing some topwater baits. Personally I love the topraider and the poe's jackpot.


Good Luck out there...
CT