By George Langley
NORTHERN WISCONSIN – We had a lot of hot weather at the end of July, meaning water temps went up and fishing slowed, with one surprising exception. Musky! Who’d have thunk?
There’s still a lot of traffic on most all of the lakes up here right now. Fishing early mornings and late evenings is better for action and peace. No matter where you are, be kind to and mindful of the other boats and PWC out there. Fall and the quiet solitude that anglers crave will be here before we all know it.
Walleye fishing has been decent, despite the heat. Generally, you need to look deep for these fish. Search vertically in 15 to 20-plus feet of water on weed edges. Night is definitely a better bite than day for these fish. Large leeches on a jig bounced off the bottom are effective at attracting them.
Bass action continues to be great throughout the area. Smallies are feeding on crayfish, so those imitations are providing good action right now, and mornings are good for these guys. For largemouth, evenings are better and look a little more shallow, and for structure, such as piers or wood. Whopper Ploppers are working great for these guys for the past month or so.
Musky action has been surprisingly good, with both medium bucktails and swim baits getting fish. A lot of these fish are suspended, so the mid- to regular-sized, rubber-like Medusas are working during the daytime. Fish are also doing some night feeding, so the night anglers are producing some decent fish, too.
We’ve seen northern action slow with the heat, as we expected to happen with the musky. Look in the weeds and use flashy lures like buzz baits over the top to find these fish.
Panfish action is decent throughout the area, with bluegills producing on a daily basis, and many of these fish are being caught on small 1/32nd oz. jigs tipped with waxies. You will find these fish in the weeds everywhere. Crappie action continues to be pretty good, too, with action reported over deeper brush piles and deeper weeds on most lakes. Mini Mites are working great for these fish. Perch are still in the deeper weeds, hanging out with the walleye. Use a fathead minnow under a slip bobber for these guys.
Good luck and good fishin’!