Minocqua Area Blogs

Hi folks Well the season continues forward. The past couple of weeks has been some tough fishing. While we’re still catching fish, it’s not always the target species that comes out on top. With the up-and-down weather, the bite has gone up and down, and at times you just have to go with what the lake’s willing to give you. WALLEYE fishing has been slow and steady. These fish are not jumping in the boat at this point in time, and you have to work all day, being very deliberate and patient in your approach. Jigs tipped with crawlers have been working the best and if you’re on a lake that’s infested with panfish, you can try leeches. Walleyes are still weed-related and do not seem to be around anything that does not have some weed near it. This bite should improve as time goes on. If you go out looking for these fish, concentrate your efforts in 12 to 15 ft. weed edges. MUSKY fishing has been very good lately. Many big fish are being boated throughout the Lakeland areas — and we’re talking low 40’s to 50-inch type fish. We’ve been finding our fish on the weed beds with a pretty good bite window taking place at dawn and again in the early afternoon hours. Top water lures are providing anglers with lots of good action. After this, my best lures are crank baits, especially perch-colored as weed beds seems to be infested with perch right now. I have not had much luck throwing Large lures at these fish – they still tend to be concentrating on smaller, mid-sized lures. BASS fishing, especially largemouth, has been very good. These fish have been patrolling weedbeds and eating just about anything they can. A wide variety of live bait and lures has proven effective on these fish. Jigs tipped with either minnows or crawlers has been working along with a variety of plastics and spinner baits. Smallmouth bass have also started to come out and play with the warm water temps. These are my favorite fish and we’ve been finding them around timber and rock bottom structure. Crawlers, leeches and plastic crawdad-type lures have been working very well this past week. Good luck fishing. Jeff Winters   www.jeffsguideservice.com

Hi folks        Well the past week showed us a different front every day and it seems to be raining all the time.  Combine this type of weather with the bug hatch and it made for a tough week.  So far this week we have seen a little better weather, although the rain still seems to be hitting and fishing has improved dramatically.  When it comes to walleyes, nightcrawlers are the bait of choice at this point in time.  Many lakes are emerging from the mayfly hatch and summer patterns are beginning to evolve.  I’m finding fish along deeper weed edges and slowfall jigs tipped with crawlers have worked the best.  When fishing this type of structure, keep your boat outside of those weeds and cast just to the edges.  Try not to get into the thick of the cover as this will tend to spook the fish.  On dark water look at about 7 to 9 feet; and when fishing clear water, 10 to 14 feet. 

 MUSKIE activity has been fair.  Success varies from lake to lake.  We’ve been doing well with 6 inch Suicks and small to medium bucktails.  There have also been reports of surface activity beginning to take place now that the warm weather has returned.  Water temps are running around 74 degrees.  When looking for muskies — weed covered humps are good places to begin looking, followed by the deeper weed edges were many of the bait fish are hanging out. 

PERCH have also been putting on a very strong bite at the moment.  We’ve been finding these tasty little morsels on virtually all the lakes I fished.  I’m not particularly targeting them, but once I detect a bunch around, I’ll switch to a half-crawler and a little smaller jig.  Natural lakes – a guy has to weed through a lot of small fish and you’ll find some keeper-sized.  Flowages have been producing the good ones.  And while I haven’t found too many of the “monster” jumbo perch, I’ve been getting a lot of the nice eater-size while fishing walleyes.

 Good luck fishing.  Jeff Winters   www.jeffsguideservice.com

Hi folks        From Long-Johns to shorts in the same day … We started the morning at 31 and ended at 72 degrees — make sure you bring the full gamut of your wardrobe, along with rain gear when heading up north. Combine this with the now-hatching mayflies we’ve seen the past few days and fishing activity has joined the same roller coaster ride. The time has come for anglers to stay mobile. The mayfly hatch has begun and is hitting with a vengeance. We’re still catching walleyes, but you need to move around from lake to lake until you find your best bites. Surprisingly, jig-and-minnow combinations are still working well. I just can’t seem to get these fish going on a meat bite (crawlers & leeches). Big redtailed chubs have been working the best when it comes to enticing nice-sized fish. We’ve been catching a lot of walleyes in the 20-23” range. Concentrate your efforts around weeds, timber – especially when found in muddy areas of the lake where mayflies come from. Aggressive jigging has been working well. Once a hit is detected, no matter how hard, back off these fish for about 20 seconds, or you will miss them. As we progress into this hatch be sure to try nightcrawlers. These fish have GOT to fire on them sooner or later. Our best action has been in 5 to 8 feet of water.

NORTHERNS are rampaging. These feisty and tasty fish have just been going crazy the past couple of days. We’re finding them in the same areas we’re finding the walleyes and a variety of bait and lures are working. Jig-and-minnow combinations, artificial minnow lures such as rapalas and spinner baits – take you’re pic, they’re all good. BASS and CRAPPIE spawn has ended, and Bluegills are starting to pile in, so if you’re a bluegill fisherman this is going to be your time. The next week or so should be good when it comes to gill fishing. With the mayfly hatch, you fly fishermen out there can have a ball, as fish are popping all over the surface grabbing bugs. Good luck fishing.    Jeff Winters    www.jeffsguideservice.com

Hi folks

The hot weather continues and the hot bite right along with it. EVERYTHING’s biting right now – it’s that time of year. WALLEYES are putting on a heck of a weed bite; CRAPPIES have pulled in the beds; BASS are making their nests and NORTHERNS are rampaging. Gosh, what a wonderful life – I love it when a plan comes together. We’ve been catching boatloads of fish lately – all different species. Jigs-tipped-with-redtail chubs and fished through heavy weed cover has been working very well. Water temps are fluctuating a little bit and running between 71 and 79 this past week. When heading out, make sure to take some nightcrawlers with you. I’ve been playing with them and in the afternoons, when the water temp warms up, the walleyes in particular tend to start looking at these nightcrawlers. I have not run across any mayfly hatches yet, although some other types of insects have hatched and I’m finding a lot of larvae inside the bellies of these walleyes. The mayfly hatch will be right around the corner. Concentrate your efforts in 7 to 8 feet of water, even on the semi-clear lakes when looking for these golden beauties. All-in-all, should be a great Memorial Day weekend for area anglers. For you Musky enthusiasts this could be a bang-up opener. I’ve been seeing muskies cruising the weedbeds and chasing walleyes on our line, and even hitting our jig-and-minnow combinations. These fish are in the same areas that we’re finding everything else. They’re putting on their feed and acting very aggressively. With the warm water temps and the aggression of these fish – I wouldn’t hesitate to throw anything at my box at them – even topwater – as I have seen topwater activity taking place already in the form of large boils. Good luck fishing.

Jeff Winters      www.jeffsguideservice.com