Minocqua Area Fishing Report 7/15/2025
by Kurt's Island Sport Shop
Mid-July already! Surface temps ranging from 75 to as high as 80 degrees (most about 77-78). Too much heat in this area brings storms and looks like we may get some mid-week. As far as patterns in summer go, most are locked in pretty well by now. Daily changes in weather, moon phases or just casting to the right spot will bring about some change, but overall things should stay fairly consistent until next major change comes mid to late August.
Largemouth Bass: Very Good – Giving anglers a myriad of angling choices. Top-water being the most fun option. Casting Whopper Ploppers, Buzz Baits, Choppos, Jitter Bugs and plastic frogs and spiders for exciting hits (and misses) can’t be beat. Early mornings, evenings and hot, cloudy, calm days best. Mid-mornings casting spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, square billed cranks and pre-rigged plastic worms working. Plying cabbage beds with Wacky Womrs sometimes so easy you’d think its cheating.
Bluegill: Very Good – Actively taking small leeches, worm, Mini-Mites and even Crappie minnows anywhere the weeds are thick and tall.
Smallmouth Bass: Very Good – Rock humps to deep coontail edges. Drop-shotting and Ned rigging scoring well. Tube jigs and weighted Wacky Worms. A slip-bobber or 1/8 oz – ¼ oz jig with a big leech or ½ crawler won’t be overlooked.
Yellow Perch: Good-Very Good – Liking the warmer weather up in the weeds. Slip-floats in cabbage pockets of 6-10’ using medium leeches, ½ crawlers or medium fatheads. May need to move about, but nice “eaters” of 9-10 ½” this past week.
Northern Pike: Good – Chasing Boonie Baits and Chatterbaits as well as 4” swimbaits in and over heavy weeds. 3-4” Walley suckers on a weedless jig with a wire leader hard to beat.
Crappie: Good – Setting up in summer patterns in tall, curly leaf cabbage beds of 8-14’. Fish 1/32 – 1/16 oz jigs tipped with twister or swim tailed plastics. Jigging medium fatheads or presenting with slip-floats also working nice fished in top 4’ of water column.
Musky: Fair-Good – Be careful of high water temps. Catching and fighting these fish in water over 77-78 degrees can really stress and make healthy release hard on fish. Fish early or late – or on cooling days. Good time for bucktails and top-water.
Walleye: Fair – Maybe the full moon had something to do with the daytime bite. Deep humps of 22-30’ using crawlers or the biggest leeches you can get. Redtails along weed edges of 14-18’ also working for some.
Here we go with the weather again! High in mid-80’s (7/14-7/15) followed by highs in mid-60’s (7/16-7/17) with some rain and maybe thunderstorms. Back into mid-70’s to follow, more typical of a Northwoods summer.
