Fishing Report 6-1-09

June Already? You'd wouldn't know it by the water and the fish behavior.

The water on most area lakes remains cooler than average for this date. Right now most lakes are in the low 60's with a few of the bays in the mid 60's. On many waters it is also high, and with more rain on the way, you can likely expect these conditions to continue. Be sure to check the boards at the launch for possible slow-no-wake restrictions.

Bass Fishing has been steady, with the warmer days producing some quality bags of fish. Fish are starting to move into an early summer pattern, with lots of areas and techniques producing. On cloudy days, topwater and crankbaits are catching lots of fish over open water areas, especially weed patches on the mid-depth flats in 6-12 feet of water. On sunny days, especially those with lots of wind, fish are tighter to cover or using shallow rock bars in 3-8 feet of water. Plastics, flipped, skipped, pitched, wacky or texas rigged are great ways to target these fish. Live bait on slip sinker rigs are catching some nice fish for anglers making solid drifts over productive areas.

Pike fishing picked up a little bit last week. It has been slow and steady, but the pike seem to be a little deeper this year, and I think more anglers are finding them all of a sudden. The number one way to catch pike right now is a small sucker or medium to large shiner on a slip sinker rig with a flourocarbon leader. Drift along the deeper edges of weeds and you'll find some fish. Lipless crankbaits and spinner baits are also producing.

Musky fishing was slow but steady last week. The larger fish have started to move out to the breaks, but there's still a solid number of fish patrolling the shallow water, feeding on schooled up panfish. Okauchee was really hot the past week, with two fish over 48 caught in Stumpy Bay. The wind has been keeping some people off Pewaukee the last week, but anglers who have ventured out have reported mixed success.

Walleye fishing is picking back up. There's a lake fly hatch just waiting to happen, which will shut fishing down for a bit, but for right now its been pretty good. Fish on Lac Labelle, Oconomowoc, Pine and Fox Lake are still using shallow weeds and weed edges. Jigging with live bait or drifting with lindy rigs/ spinner harnesses has been productive Trolling with Shad Raps is picking up on both Winnebago and on Koshkonong. Slower speeds over the deeper part of the basins appears to be the trick. Pulling boards is working, but more than one angler reported doing much better with hand held rods.

Bluegills are spawning on most area lakes. If you're looking for action, areas of beds can be found in the shallows, but if you want some bigger fish, move out to 9-15 feet of water and look for beds in gravel and sandy areas. Vertical fishing with a split shot and live bait rig works great, as does pulling a 1/8 ounce lindy rig with a short leader through likely areas. (Try panfish leaches or leafworms) It's not the bobber approach which works great in the shallows, but it can really produce some quality keepers.

----------

I'll try to update the reports three times a week, but new reports will be up on Mondays and Thursdays or Fridays from now through Labor Day. Stay Tuned. If you ever have questions, or want to know the latest, feel free to email me.

Good Luck,
CT