Now's a great time for fishing
Delavan Lake Fishing Report 8/4/13 through 8/12/13
With the cooler weather the fishing has continued to be excellent and is even improving a bit. The other benefit with the cooler weather, is that the early morning pleasure boaters aren't out in full force so the boat is not too busy. The fishing pressure remains very high though.
Largemouth bass are still in their mid-summer pattern. They are in large schools associated with deep main lake points with scattered weeds. The best approach has been Black/Blue ¾-oz. jigs with a black Craw Trailer or a split shot rigged night crawler. With the cooler water temperatures, some of the bass are moving shallow and are accessible on slip bobbered medium suckers in 12-13 feet of water. The best bobber for this kind of fishing is the Thill Big Fish bobber. The benefit is that it will lay flat and then slowly stand up as the fish strikes, which aids in detecting the initial strike. Lakeside Bait and Tackle has an ample supply.
Northern pike are being caught on the weed line in 18-21 feet of water. They can be caught on slip bobbers or on lindy rigged suckers. Both methods use medium suckers. The size of the bait continues to matter this year, the bigger bait means bigger fish. Look for them by the gray condos and by the old Boy Scout camp on the west end.
Bluegill action remains exceptional. The best depth is 13-15 feet of water. I like to use a split shot with a single hook and leaf worms. Fish this rig straight lined beneath the boat for the best action. The best success I've had is by Assembly Park point and just west of Willow Point.
Walleye fishing has been above average. The best approach has been chrome and blue jigging Rapalas or lindy rigged leeches. I've been working depths of 21-24 feet. This time of year, I prefer to troll but the fishing pressure makes that very difficult. The best location is adjacent to main lake points, just off the weed line. They are scattered in the main lake basin.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at (608) 883-2050.
Lake Geneva Fishing Report 8/4/13 through 8/12/13
Fishing remains excellent on Lake Geneva. The real cool weather of the recent weeks, has kept the morning boat traffic low, which makes fishing very enjoyable. Everything is biting very well except the northern pike. In recent weeks, there have been reports of musky being caught. The biggest fish I heard about was 40 inches. Most of the reports I've heard were about fish in the 32-to 34-inch range.
Bluegill fishing has been excellent. The bigger fish are in the 18-22 ft depth range. My best luck has come near the Yacht Club or by the west end of Elgin Club. The best approach is straight lining a leaf worm beneath the boat and lightly trolling or drifting into the wind. Most of the bluegills I'm catching are nice eaters, over 8 inches.
Smallmouth bass fishing has been fantastic. The best depth is anywhere between 21 and 33 feet of water. The bigger fish I've been catching have been in the deeper water. You can either catch them while drop shotting small plastic worms or on a lindy rigged night crawler. This time of year, the fish are really schooled up so a good Hummingbird locator is essential to find the active schools. This past week, I started to catch a few on lindy rigged yellow perch caught in the lake. This pattern should continue throughout August and into September.
Largemouth bass are on the deep weed lines. The best locations remain in Trinkes, Geneva Bay or in Williams Bay. I will position the boat in 25 feet and cast back to the weed line. The best location to catch the fish is where you can find hard bottom with the weeds. Dragging heavy football head jigs or Carolina rigging a Zoom 6 inch green pumpkin lizard are producing most fish. I have been catching an occasional largemouth, while fishing for the smallmouth and those fish have been biting on lindy rigged night crawlers.
Lake trout action has been seeing a lot of pressure. There have been two or three boats trolling the main lake basin every day. Most of the fish are coming from 75 feet down in whatever depth you are in. Purple flies fished behind a silver Dodger have been producing the most.
Walleye pike fishing has been very good at night. The best bite is from midnight to 2 a.m. on nights where there is some wind. Trolling large Rapalas has been working well. Look for them in Abbey Springs and Williams Bay.
Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at (608) 883-2050.
Daily Reports
8/1/13 - Delavan Lake, 72 degrees, sunny, W winds at 10 mph. Water temp 76 degrees. Caught 19 largemouth and one smallmouth. The average size of the fish today was 17 inches, which is substantially higher than recent trips out. The bigger fish were caught on slip bobbered medium suckers in 13-15 feet of water.
7/31/13 - Geneva Lake, 65 degrees, heavy fog and mist. Light wind out of the SW. Water temp 73 degrees. Caught 15 smallmouth and four largemouth. Three of the largemouth were over 16 inches and five of the smallest were legal. Fished by Yerkes Observatory and in Fontana. The best depth was 22 to 24 feet of water. With the crummy weather, boat traffic was light.
7/30/13 - Geneva Lake, 65 degrees, winds N at 10 mph. Water temp 73 degrees. Had a full day trip. Caught over 20 smallmouth bass with a couple in the 19 inch range. The fish are located anywhere between 21 and 33 ft of water. The biggest fish were in the deeper water. Lindy rigging night crawlers on 8-lb. test was the best bet.
7/29/13 - Delavan Lake, 62 degrees, winds E at 10mph. Water temp 76 degrees. Caught 18 largemouth bass, two northern pike and a bunch of bluegills. The bigger fish today were caught on a Thill Big Fish slip bobber with medium suckers. I caught most of the fish in less than 13 feet of water.