Fishing Report 8-18-08

Its getting on towards the end of summer, and things are sure to pick up quickly. Expect things to get great over the next 20-30 days, especially if the weather stays stable.

Look for bass in the shallow water around piers and slop. Some fish are relating to rockbars in 5-12 feet of water. Tube baits are a great way to target these fish. Okauchee, Oconomowoc, Pine, Lac Labelle and Moose have all had active bites around rocky areas. Some fish are still being taken off the weedlines and off the weed flats by anglers flipping around heavy cover. Okauchee, Golden and Nagawicka especially.

Walleye are starting to transition to fall locations. A few fish are appearing on midlake structure but many are staging off mainlake points, especially where there is bottom transitions from rock to sand or from sand to muck. Trolling with bottom bouncers and spinner harnesses or drifting with live bait rigs are great ways to target these fish. Lake Koshkonong, Lac Labelle, and Pine lake have all been consistent producers.

Northern pike fishing continues to be hot as it has been most of the year. Numerous smaller fish can still be caught throwing spinner or buzzbaits around scattered shallow cover on the flats, especially in the morning. Bigger fish are being caught off deep weeds and sandgrass flats on slip sinker rigs. Chubs and shiners have been the better bait options, but don't overlook deep diving crankbaits this time of year. A white shad or natural looking bluegill pattern can really catch them as we begin to move into early fall. Try Moose, Golden or even Garvin Lake if you can access it through the channel.

Musky fishing has been slower the last ten days, but fish are still being caught early in the morning on topwater baits. Fish shallow structure adjacent to deep water as early as you can get out in the morning. By 9am, move out deep and troll for them.

The panfish remain active in the evening hours. Look for them at the end of points about an hour before to a hour or two after dark. If fishing during the day, your keeping size bluegills and crappie will come off deep weeds. We were catching some nice ones last week off a patch of weeds/sandgrass in 27 feet of water. Leeches or panfish plumpers on a tightline-vertical fished split shot rig has been working great, especially for the deeper fish.

Good Luck,
CT