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Cooler water temps signal changes

Geneva Lake 9/24/12 through 10/1/12

Recently with the high winds and cooler temperatures the fishing pressure on Geneva Lake has been almost non-existent. Remember that lake trout fishing concludes at the end of September until winter.

Lake trout have been biting in 70-100 feet of water. They are being caught vertical jigging large Swedish pimples or Buzz Bombs. Chartreuse or chrome have been producing the most. Look for the fish by Yerkes Observatory or by Black Point. The fish are right on bottom.

Largemouth bass have been biting on night crawlers on a split shot rig in 13-15 feet of water. Look for the fish by Trinkes or by the Military Academy. I’ve been slowly drifting with the wind to find the active fish. Most of the fish have been on the small side, but if you keep moving you can catch numbers.

Smallmouth bass have moved shallower. They are now in the 15-17 feet depth range. They are aggressively hitting extra large fat heads, perch that are caught in the lake or night crawlers. The best approach has been lindy rigs with a 24-inch leader. I prefer using the smallest walking sinker that you can get away with. My “go to” weight is 1/8 oz.

Yellow perch with the cooling waters have moved shallow. They can be caught by Knollwood, Rainbow Point or Belvidere Park. I prefer anchoring in 10-12 feet of water. You want to use Thill slip bobbers tipped with crappie minnows. Position the bait about 1 foot off bottom. I’ve been fishing scattered weeds and sand. You will need to sort through a lot of fish to keep the bigger ones, but it is possible to catch a nice limit.

Bluegill fishing has been all right, the fish are starting to move shallow. The best location is by the Military Academy or in Williams Bay. They are biting on bobbers and leaf worms on a single hook. If you aren’t catching anything you need to move quite a bit to catch the active fish. Presently with the water temperature, the lake is fishing like it does in late April.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Delavan Lake 9/24/12 through 10/1/12

The water temperature has been dropping rapidly causing the fish to be in a transition period. They could be deep or shallow at this point depending on the day. They will all be shallow as the water temp continues to drop. The fishing will probably be spotty until the lake turns over. The fish have switched from night crawlers and worms and are now biting on minnows. After the lake turns over, crank baits will be the primary presentation. One of the keys to success this time of year is to make sure you are fishing in live green weeds. The fish don’t associate with the dying weeds.

Largemouth bass have been biting on medium suckers and extra large fat heads. The fish are in 12-13 feet of water in scattered weeds. The best location has been by Viewcrest or by the Yacht Club. If there isn’t a lot of wind, fishing has been okay, with wind it gets mighty tough to present the bait.

Bluegill fishing has been average. Most of the fish are in the 30-40 ft depth range, suspended 10 ft off bottom. The best approach has been a split shot and an ice jig fished straight beneath the boat. Look for the fish by Willow Point or by the Yacht Club.

Walleye fishing has been spotty. Most of the fish are being caught at dusk or dawn. The best location has been by the Yacht Club or by the marina on the north shore. The best depth has been 22-26 feet of water. The best bait has been extra large fat heads fished on a lindy rig. You want to fish the lindy rig with at least a 24-inch leader, a lot of times I’ve been going up to 36 inches. You want to slowing back troll into the wind.

Northern Pike action has started to pick up. The fish are in the weed flats in 12-15 feet of water. The best approach has been Thill slip bobbers with medium suckers. The best location has been the buoy line on the west end or by Assembly Park.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at (608) 883-2050.

Daily Reports

9/23/12 Delavan Lake, sunny, 40 degrees, winds were switching from west to north at 15 mph. Water temp 63 degrees. Caught 7 largemouth bass, the biggest was 18 inches and one 20-inch smallmouth. With the cooler water, all the fish were caught on split shot rigged extra large fat head minnows. I caught most of the fish by Three Flags and by the Yacht Club. No fish were caught on medium suckers or night crawlers.

9/22/12 Geneva Lake, cloudy, 50 degrees, NW winds at 25 mph. Water temp 65 degrees. Caught seven largemouth bass and three smallmouth, plus a load of rock bass and bluegills. Due to the inclement weather, the guide party cancelled, I went out for a couple hours anyway. Most of the fish were caught in 13-20 feet of water. The water temperature is such that the fish are still biting on night crawlers fished on a split shot rig. The best location was Elgin Club or Belvidere Park.

9/20/12 Delavan Lake, sunny, 65 degrees, west winds at 15-20 mph. Water temp 65 degrees. Caught eight largemouth bass; two were legal, and 15 bluegills. Again, the wind was a big issue. Most of the fish were caught 12-13 feet of water. Night crawlers worked the best but lindy rigged medium suckers also produced. The best location was by Viewcrest or the yacht club.