Rain, Rain, go away! Another week washed away from daily rain events impeded the fishing overall on the Winnebago System. When the rain was not present, outside temperatures soared into the 90 degree ranges with high humidity. Water clarity has not changed, and is still very dirty. Water temps continue to hover in the low to mid 80 degree range, which is very warm for the system. Bait fish schools can be seen everywhere currently. There appears to have been an impressive hatch of largemouth, smallmouth and white bass this past spring. The forecast for the coming week could provide near perfect fishing conditions for the entire week.
Walleyes remain elusive. The only area which I have had consistent reports of walleyes being caught is near the mouth of the Fox River. Techniques include crawler harnesses, and bottom bouncers. It is essential to be in the bottom of the water column with any walleye presentation currently. These fish are looking for colder water, and that is currently at the bottom of the water column. A recent tournament produced twice as many boats as walleyes caught.
There are some walleyes being caught while anglers target perch also. There is no pattern to these walleyes, other than they are tight to the bottom. It is a nice bonus. Once water temperature decline, I would expect the walleye bite to be resurrected.
Perch fishing continues to be solid, but it takes work to find a positive location. There are masses of boats on the water every day, but only a few are taking limits home. Most anglers are taking some perch home each trip. Sizes have varied from 6” to 14”. My suggestion is to move every 20 minutes until you locate fish, then sit on the spot to determine the quality of the school. You may have to wade through some small fish to find those nice eaters. On Saturday, we produced over 150 perch along Gladstone Beach, but only 20 fell into the jumbo category.
Perch have been interested more in crawler pieces this week than any other bait choice. Hellgrammites continue to be a solid choice, especially for a little larger perch. An attractant bead is a must currently, and gold hooks have been the best hook color, followed by red.
Look for the large groups of boats….and avoid them. Take notice of the depth and bottom content that the groups are fishing, and try to duplicate away from the crowd. The large crowds are pressuring the fish, and the constant commotion of boats overhead can turn fish negative. Don’t be afraid to blaze your own trail! Areas with the best perch production are related to a gravel type bottom.
Some of the best locations currently include the entire south eastern shore, the third reef, Haystack, Little BlackBird Island, and the Black Wolf areas. With that said, it is a here today, gone tomorrow scenario across the lake.
Smallmouth and Largemouth bass can be found on the weed lines of the points of the western shore of the lake. Some of the gravel tops along the eastern shore are also producing these fish also.
The Wolf River has seen some reduction in water levels. The River level is still unusually high for this late in the season. Pike, small mouth bass, bluegills, and crappies are the most active fish currently. Focus on the back water areas, which normally do not have water this time of year.
