Fishing Reports & Guides

Minocqua Area Fishing Report by Kurt's Island Sport Shop

Now its feeling and looking like early fall! Lake surface temps averaging 60-64° and colors starting to pop! Plenty of good fishing this past week, once the winds laid down enough by Wednesday (9/16) so anglers could control their boats and get down to business.

Musky

Good-Very Good – Musky very active, providing lots of action for anglers no matter how they fished. Bucktails, top-water twitchbaits and swimbaits. Even the sucker bite has turned on! Most action related to shallow weeds for anglers casting Wizards and Hunseys as well as Flap Tails and Pacemakers. Outside weed edges on suckers and Crane baits. Swimbaits out over open water where schools of panfish (Crappies, Gills) schooling.

Largemouth Bass

Good–Very good – Heavy weeds (that don’t show signs of die-off) docks, boathouses. Pitching Wacky Worms, silencers (Coike’s), tubes around structure. Drop-shotting or Ned rigging in the tick stuff. Top-water action still good along inside weed lines as well as stickbaits twitched over weed tops.

Smallmouth Bass

Good-Very Good – Some really nice Smallies being caught and released, in relatively shallow water. Said it before, I think those big, fearless brutes are not intimidated by Musky at this time (see photos of 20-22” ers caught this past week). Shallow weeds, shorelines of 4-8’. Top-water (Whopper Ploppers), cranks (Shallow Shad Raps) and twitchbaits. Off-shore #’s, on gravel/rock bars of 15-26’ this week. Drop-shotting, heavier Ned rigs best.

Northern Pike

Good-Very Good – This is perfect Pike weather! Chasing bait fish in shallows, cast spinners (Mepps 3-4:5’s), light spoons, spinnerbaits and 4-5” swimbaits. Fish Active so keep lures (or live bait) moving.

Walleye

Good – Fell off early in week (or just to dang windy to feel a bite). Once weather cooperated, Walleye easier to pick up. Weed line Walleye along 10-14’ using smaller redtails or large fatheads on 1/16-1/8 oz jigs. Gravel hump to mud line transition zones using 1/8-1/4 oz jigs depending on depth (18-28’) using medium redtails or ½ crawlers (especially over mud). Jiggin Rapalas (#5-#7) and Shiver Minnows on deeper rock/gravel bars of 20-30’ very effective on the larger lakes.

Crappie

Good – Lots of suspending schools roaming outside weed edges in 12-18’. Slip-floats to hold light jigs or Crappie minnows at proper depth. Motor until you see schools on locator, then circle upwind and float offering to schools.

Yellow Perch

Good – Not as much attention, but nice Perch being caught by weed/Walleye anglers on large fatheads. On Flowages check mud flats of 8-14’.

Bluegill

Good – Losing participation with the young ones back in school. Still very nice Gills around drowned wood and suspended schools outside weed edges (shallows dangerous place with Musky in town). Small plastics (Mini-mites, 1” tubes), leaf worms, pieces of crawler or wax worms on tiny jigs (1/32 oz).

Another great week of fall weather with low in upper-30’s to highs in mid to upper-60’s with no precipitation. Surface temps will slowly drop overnight, great time to be fishing before turn-over. Fish tend to be active and willing to chase. While focus from here on out will be mostly on Musky, all species in a positive feeding mode.

Current Lake Temperatures

University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology Trout Lake Station

Popular Fishing Lakes

The Minocqua area is home to hundreds of lakes, offering anglers endless opportunities to cast a line. Some of the most popular fishing lakes among visitors and locals include Big Arbor Vitae Lake, Clear Lake, Carrol Lake, Squirrel Lake, and Amber Lake. Whether you're targeting musky, walleye, northern pike, bass, or panfish, you'll find productive waters throughout the region.

The area has earned national recognition for its exceptional bass fishing. Bassmaster named the Minocqua Chain of Lakes one of the 25 Best Bass Lakes in America’s Central Region and one of the Top 100 Bass Lakes in the Nation. Adding to that reputation, Major League Fishing selected Lake Minocqua, Lake Tomahawk, and Big Arbor Vitae Lake as host waters for professional bass tournaments, bringing some of the sport’s top anglers to the Northwoods.

For those seeking a quieter experience, countless wilderness lakes and secluded fishing spots provide a peaceful escape. The Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area and the many lakes within the Northern Highlands–American Legion State Forest offer excellent opportunities to enjoy unspoiled Northwoods scenery while fishing.

During the spring season, Mid Lake is a favorite destination for anglers. Its shallow waters warm quickly, attracting spawning musky and northern pike and creating excellent early-season fishing opportunities.