Minocqua Area Fishing Report

It’s ON!!

The Opener has happened. Sorta snuck up on us. Wasn’t available everywhere, but where it was, Walleye anglers had some great fishing.

While some lakes are still ice covered (Trout, Fence, etc.), many favorite Walleye lakes opened enough to allow anglers to launch, thanks to the warm temps of last week.

Surprisingly, on some smaller lakes that had been ice free for a while, anglers were finding spawned out Walleyes in lakes that saw surface temps in the low 50’s already!

Daytime fishing on these lakes produces best when anglers worked depths of 10-15’ using 1/8-1/4 oz jigs tipped with large fathead minnows.

On Flowages, where fish are being found pre, post and in the act of spawning, mud minnows and large fatheads on 1/16 oz weedless jigs proved best in 3-7’.

Casting Thundersticks, Rattlin Rouges and Floating Rapalas also producing nice catches.

Northern Pike (open) and Smallmouth Bass (closed) provided anglers with bonus action while pitching for Walleyes.

A few reports of Crappies and Musky cruising the warm shallows of smaller lakes.

Water temps vary from mid 30’s on large lakes to mid 40’s to low 50’s elsewhere.

Remember, on lakes with protected slot sizes (20-24”) those are meant to protect those egg bearing females. If you catch some smaller, egg laden girls, let those go too, they are carrying our future fishery.