Has summer arrived? Lake Winnebago and surround area’s weather felt more like summer this week than any time in the calendar year. Warm temperatures and afternoon thunderstorms were the norm during the week, causing fishing trends to change from previous weeks. Fly hatches in selected areas of the lake were seen making some areas difficult to fish.
This week’s report will be abbreviated, as I have been out of town, and not on the water.
Some of the larger female walleyes have been migrating out of the upper lakes and are moving into Lake Winnebago. Many of these walleyes had staged (and continue to stage) in the Fox River in Oshkosh prior to releasing into the main lake.
Crappies continue to be a headline story this year, and can be targeted in about 10-14 feet of water. These fish tend to be suspended in the water columns. Trolling Salmo hornets behind Off Shore Trolling boards is a great way to target multiple species.
The main shift in fishing has been the movement of the sheephead onto the reefs to complete spawning, and the mild exodus of the walleye from the shallows and reefs to deeper water.
The mud walleyes have been focusing on the flies in the water columns. As a result some of the walleyes continue to be suspended in the water column, rather than tight to the bottom. When fishing the central basin of the lake, be sure to have several presentations near the top of the water column.
Cranks, spoons and harnesses are having equal success, and catch rates have increased over the past week. Traditional powerhouse colors such as fire tiger, sunset, and the purple hues have been excellent this week. Tommy Harris blades with a cooper or gold blade backs have been dominating.
Catfish continue to inhabit strong water flow areas like the Fox River and Jefferson Park. Perch have become slightly more active, but are relatively uncommon to date.
Side note: The Rainbow trout and Coho’s have started to show up in bigger numbers in Sheboygan on Lake Michigan (80-120 feet of water).
That’s what I know. Special thanks to Perry, Patrick, Mike and Cody for contributing to the report this week. I’m still on the road for a couple more weeks, but hope to get on the water this Sunday, as I grab some clean clothes before heading onto my next adventure. Please send your reports to [email protected]. In the mean time….GET ON THE WATER!
