Fishing Report: Enjoy these quiet days on the water

NORTHERN WISCONSIN – Last week didn’t go the way it was drawn up.

We got the sunshine, and then some. Thursday through Saturday felt more like September, with highs pushing 70 and a south wind blowing, before a front slid through Saturday night and knocked things back a bit.

This week looks a little more like the calendar. Don’t forget the clocks fall back on Sunday morning, so that evening bite is about to show up an hour earlier.

Most area lakes are still sitting at temps we consider too warm for this time of the year – low 50s and upper 40s. We hope to see some movement down during the next week, although we’re still not seeing “typical” nighttime lows. Turnover has been tricky this year, and hard to predict with the pretty massive air temperature fluctuations we’ve had. If a lake looks dirty, smells musty, and the fish seem to have disappeared, consider trying a different lake of a different size and depth. Lakes that have turned over and cleared up are usually where the best bite of the week will be. Water levels are still low in plenty of places, so take it easy out there.

Walleye are settling into a fall pattern, and once a lake finishes turning over they get a lot more predictable. The bulk of the fish are on deep breaks, hard-to-soft bottom transitions, and gravel and rock bars in 18 to 30 feet, but don’t completely ignore the shallows. There are still some fish being caught on the deep edges of any green weeds left in seven to 12', especially in the evening. Work the holes and the sharper drop-offs. A jig and a big fathead or a walleye sucker worked slowly along bottom is tough to beat, and a slip bobber with a sucker over the top of the break is a good way to cover a spot in the wind. Low light is still the best time, and with the time change, that evening window will be here before you know it.

Northern pike are doing what they always do, and that’s eating. Look for any weeds that are still green in the bays and the first break outside them in eight to 14'. Spoons, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits and smaller musky baits are all catching fish. A walleye or northern sucker under a bobber along the weed edge is the best way to find a bigger one.

With bass fishing about done for the year, panfish are a good option if you want some action. Perch are out on the sand and mud flats in 12 to 20' and will take a small jig with a fathead or piece of crawler. Perch anglers fishing the weed edges are also catching a few walleye. Crappie are schooled up, suspended over the basin edges and around deep cribs and wood in 15 to 25'. Find them with your electronics, and fish a small jig and plastic or a crappie minnow just above them. Bluegill are hanging on the deepest green weed edges and will take a small jig with a waxie.

Musky fishing has gotten good, and we expect it to continue to improve. This is prime sucker time, and many anglers are now running a sucker while they cast. Quick-set rigs on deep weed edges, steep breaks and rock humps in 12 to 25' are producing fish, and a lot of the action has been right where the weeds meet the break. For casting, slow down with big rubber, glide baits and jerkbaits. On dirty, turning lakes, don’t be surprised to see big fish slide up onto shallow flats, so make a few casts there too. If you’re running suckers, check your leaders and hardware first. A big fall fish will find any weak spot in your gear. Cloudy, stable days this week should be very good, especially the last hour before dark.

The walleye and musky bite only get better as the water cools, and some of the biggest fish of the year will be caught in the next few weeks. Mornings will be cool, so dress in layers if you’re staying out, as afternoons still look warm for this time of the year. Any rain we get this week will be welcomed, but watch for those fronts, as they can really get things moving. And don’t forget to enjoy these quiet days on the water while you’re still able to float – because despite the forecast, the cold is coming.

Good luck and good fishin’!