Fishing Report: Water temps set to rise with warmer weather

By George Langley

NORTHERN WISCONSIN – We’re in for a week of good old-fashioned summer weather here. A forecast in the 80s daily will bring our water temperatures up quickly – and slow the fish down some. That’s ok! It’s been a great season so far, and we’ve got a lot to look forward to.

Right now, things are still busy on the water, so for fishing, the mornings and evenings are the most productive and peaceful times out there. We’re seeing action that varies greatly from day to day, and even time of day. One spot may be productive for short periods of time every day – or for one day and not again all week.

Walleye fishing held up well this last week, with evening action still bringing the best bite. The fish are holding in deeper weeds or in wood. Minnows have been the best bait for them, fished on jigs right at the weed edges. As we said, evenings are best, but you can also fish successfully during the daytime for them. At this time of the year, fish very close to the bottom at the weed edges.

Northern action has been very good in the last week. A lot of these fish have been caught by anglers who were fishing for bass or walleye in the weeds. Look for the deep weeds in the 10 to 13 feet-range. They hold in these deeper weeds, especially when it’s warm, and you can run crankbaits or minnows on slip bobbers over these weeds.

Bass action continues to be good, with the largemouth hitting well on plastics. Look for the thickest "slop" you can find for these fish. Surface baits are also great fun at this time of year. Smallies are hitting better than the largemouth on many lakes. They are usually over rocks and harder bottom areas. You can also "twitch" for these fish on calm days over shallow rocks with floating Rapalas.

Musky action continues to be decent, both during the daytime and at night. We’re hearing of fish fairly shallow, with small bucktails and surface baits bringing the most success. Some larger fish are being caught now as we slide towards late summer. That amazing fall musky fishing is something we have to look forward to at this point in the summer!

Panfish action is good, with bluegills again leading the way. Just find some weeds and use worms or waxies with light tackle for these fish. Crappie action has been very good this summer, with the crappies holding, especially to deeper weeds. Minnows and are best for these guys. Perch are also hitting minnows and leeches in the deeper part of weed beds.

It looks like we’ve got some nice summer temps coming with maybe some more rain mid-week. Get out and enjoy it between the storms. This is our first mention of fall in these reports, which means we’ll be in the middle of it by what will seem like tomorrow!

Good luck and good fishin'!