Minocqua area fishing report 6.5.12 Cold night time temps, lots of wind and surprisingly early mayfly hatch (hex's) made for very tough fishing last week. With frost warnings some nights, surface water temps dropped a couple of degrees-but it obviously didn?t have an effect on the mayflys that are showing up 2-3 weeks early. In fact, im not sure i've ever seen Hex's emerge in may (except those little march browns).
BLUEGILLS: Very good-excellent. Only downfall has been wind. Gills bedding up!! Poppers, sponge spiders, small leeches, and thunderbugs (almost done already) tearing up the gilllies. Try small tube jigs and twisters tails-fish 1-3 feet water.
MUSKIE: Fair-good. Cruisin' shallow!! Weed beds where gills are staging/spawning attracting attention. Twich baits-especially drop-belly style (crane 104's-105's) have been hot ripped over weed beds. Smaller bucktails, #5 mepps, 500 series Buchertails, as well as 1/4-1/2oz spinnerbaits also effective. Start/stop retrieves getting attention.
LARGE MOUTH BASS: Good-very good. Mornings not so hot. But mid-day to dusk. Green bass hitting plastic worms, twitch baits over shallow weeds. Some bedding still taking place.
YELLOW PERCH: Fair. Wind has been the biggest deterrent to fishing perch of late. Best on the slip-floats and medium leeches/fatheads in 4-8 foot weeds/edges.
SMALL MOUTH BASS: Fair. Best on tubes along 8-12 foot breaks.
NORTHERN PIKE: Fair-poor. Surprisingly few chasers on artificials this weekend. Best on jig/chub combos in 6-12 foot weeds with slow retrieves-or under floats.
WALLEYE: Fair-poor. Mayfly hatch probably had a lot to do with lack of catches-though a few anglers have reported fish on deep bars taking redtails towards dusk.
Lots of things are way in advance of usual by 2-3 weeks. Bass, gills bedding early, mayfly hatches early-the good thing is when mayfly hatches end, walleye fishing should really improve as the hatch take one major food source off the table. Warming water should help everything also!!
Kurt Justice
Kurt?s Island Sport Shop
www.kurtsislandsports.com
