Below normal temperatures and strong winds ended a very productive week of fishing on the Winnebago system. Water conditions became very stained after the measurable rain late on Friday. Water temperatures remained fairly stable all week, typically in the mid to upper 50 degree range. A large lake fly hatch engulfed many areas of the lake this week. Some long time lake residents called this the largest hatch in recent memory.
There were some very impressive reports of walleye activity on the main lake this week, especially prior to Friday. After the rains on Friday (followed by heavy winds on Saturday) the fishing slowed measurably to conclude the week.
The Third Reef was red hot for much of the week. Drift jigging with leeches or slip bobbers with leeches produced most of the walleyes. Sheephead, bass, panfish and bullheads were also reported in this area on various presentations. Long Point had some mixed reports of walleyes along with a few panfish mixed in. Leeches were the preferred meat choice, followed by night crawlers. Minnows are still a viable presentation, however not nearly as productive as several weeks ago.
Many parts of the lake are reporting solid shore action or shallow water action. Many of the better walleyes have been taken in the 3-7 foot ranges again this week. A good summary was this: Reefs associated with deep water were typically slow but Reefs near shallow water were active. The east shore night bite has started to heat up especially in the Calumet County Park area. At night, these fish are moving in very shallow, under 4 feet in many cases.
The trolling bite on Lake Winnebago has been a shallow/reef bite for the most part. Some areas on the northeast shore are reporting schools of walleyes in the 16 foot range, just off of the structure. A slower approach to trolling was critical to success. 1.5-1.8 mph’s seemed to be the best speed. Perch or fire tiger colored crank baits, trolled in the upper half of the water column had the best success.
Lakeside West (FDL) had several reports of both white bass and largemouth bass being taken with regularity. We also witnessed a couple of bullheads and a catfish being caught. The Fond du Lac River’s white bass run is just in it’s infancy, and could hit full stride by next weekend.
Area harbors, backwaters and feeder creeks still are producing pan fish. These fish are attracted by the warmer water and emerging weeds.
Lake Poygan had a solid trolling bite working. The most productive water was in the 3-6 foot range. Shallow running crankbaits trolled in the 1.6-2.1 mph range or crawler harnesses netted the most fish. White continues to be the best color for walleyes. There also have been several reports of plenty of white bass in the area.
White Bass: Here is a report from Louis Woods at Wolf River Outfitters in Fremont – The white bass are in and we are getting good numbers. The purple fly on a wolf river rig is working well. Right now we have found the fish in both the deep water and shallows. For the shallow bite – try using spinners. A group left with 560 fish in 3 days. Most of the groups are catching around 70 to 100 white bass per day.
We continue to grow each day, and that is because of your great support. Thank you. You can reach me at [email protected] with any fishing reports or concerns. The video shoot with Daryl Christensen was postpone due to high winds, and will be in early June now. Have a safe week.
