Minocqua area fishing report 7.13.11 Summer patterns are developing. Water temps everywhere are low to high 70's. Just enough breaks in the weather to help anglers. Looks like a hot weekend ahead.
Walleye: Good to Very good. Deep lakes and flowages producing best. Leeches by far the preferred bait followed by crawlers. Slip-floats holding big leeches over sandgrass in 18-25' on deep lakes. Flowage walleyes holding to cover, use 1/16oz Jack's weedless jigs to work Large/XL leeches in heavy cover. Nice fish of 23-28" on big lakes, eaters on flowages (15-18").
Largemouth Bass: Good to Very good. Bass very active on inside weedlines. Nice catches of 15-20" fish on blades (Boonie Bait spinnerbaits) cast to as little as 2' of water. Pitching wacky worms (Senkos, Dingers) and spidergrubs in weed pockets of 8-12'.
Smallmouth Bass: Good. Still a bit shallower than usual, 10-15'. Plastic craws, spidergrubs and Gitzit tubes producing best in the morning. Try a little deeper (15-25') during day with frozen craws, leeches.
Pike: Good. Spoons (Northland Live-Forage, Daredevles, Johnson Silver Minnows with Pork Trailer) good in 6-10' weeds. Bigger pike over sandgrass taking live bait meant for walleyes.
Bluegills: Good. Lots of gills working weed edges. Drop thunderbugs, worms, small leeches under slip-floats. In the evenings, cast poppers around wood, piers, ect.
Musky: Fair-Good. Action slowed, but still good. Bucktails still best. A 50" on a jointed Sebile tops this week.
Perch: Fair-Good. Leeches, 1/2 crawlers, thunderbugs along 8-12' weed edges. Hard to target with all the bluegill activity.
Crappie: Fair. Few reports
With summer patterns building, look for action to lock in for a while. Don't let heat keep you off the water, fish early and late.
Kurt Justice
Kurt's Island Sport Shop
www.kurtsislandsports.com
