Minocqua Area Fishing Report - 9/3/24

Holiday weekend in the rear-view mirror and on to our favorite time of year, fall fishing.  I know the calendar says its summer until September 21st, but for us anglers it’s the start of the early fall bite.  Following a crazy heat wave on Monday (8/26), with air temps hitting the mid-90’s, raising surface temps into the 80’s, things have cooled off and water temps are hovering in the 69–71-degree area.  Conditions have been cool in the am (lows in upper 40’s), but comfortable, into the 70’s by afternoon.  Except for a lot of wind over the weekend.  Overall fishing pretty good.

Walleye:  Good-Very Good – Lakes under 1,000 acres and flowages seeing good bites, weed related.  These fish seem to be feeding heavily on 1 ½-2” Perch!  Retailed chubs, large fatheads and crawlers on 1/16-1/8 oz weedless jigs.  Others snap jigging bucktail jigs or 3” swimbaits scoring well.  On larger lakes, drifting crawler harnesses along 22-30’ tops.  Wind made for tough fishing, so slow trolling and keeping these rigs touching bottom key.

Largemouth Bass:  Good-Very Good – Heavy weed beds holding nice Largemouth to 20” this weekend for anglers working heavy jigs (due to wind) in 8-12’ weeds using Sweet Beavers and Christie Craws.  Heavy drop-shot rigs with minnow and craw imitations scoring also.  Wind made it tough for top-water fishing, but September is a great time to fish up high.

Northern Pike:  Good-Very Good – Action picked up as water cooled from last Monday’s heat wave.  Spinnerbaits such as Boonies, Reed Runners and Booyahs.  Chatterbaits and 4” swimbaits worked well also.  This species seems to pick up speed as the waters cool into 60’s.  Nice fish to 30” this past week.

Smallmouth Bass:  Good – Off-shore fish hard to stay on in winds.  Use heavy drop-shot rigs and good boat control to stay on top.  #s will be out over deep gravel/rock, but the biggest bruisers will start working shallow, inside weeds.  Target using swimbaits and Whopper Ploppers!

Musky:  Good – Reports ranging from anglers finding in weeds on bucktails and top-water to others working deep open basins using rubber.  As fish move into shallower weeds, top-water works great until turn-over (55 degrees), plenty of time.

Bluegill:  Good-Fair – Action should pick right back up as wind dies down.  The flying ant bite was short lived, but anglers should find good suspended Gills outside coontail edges.  Slip-floats with Mini-Mites or other small jig/plastics work great.  Worms and waxies can’t be beat.  On lakes with larger Gills, try a Crappie minnow, big Gills will have no problem with these.

Yellow Perch:  Good-Fair – Like Gills, wind made for tough conditions.  Still weed related feeding on small, young of year, Bluegills.  Try medium fatheads on a light jig or the small 1 ¾-2” Ned worms on a 1/16 oz head.

Crappie:  Fair – This bite will pick up.  Just tough over the past weekend to present small baits in such wind.  Some anglers did score some nice 10-12” Crappies.  Reportedly from lee sides of lakes where cribs could be found.  Small plastics fished on 1/32-1/16 oz jigs around the cribs and cabbage that surrounds them.

A nice steady stretch of weather plus a new moon this week should be a big plus for anglers (not to mention a lake of pleasure boaters-but I just did!).  Great time to take advantage of the next 6 to 7 weeks of some of the best fishing and weather of the Northwoods.