Fishing & Hunting

Well, if you thought last week was warm, this one will kill ya. This sustained heat up here is not typical. Water temps on the chain and the bigger lakes are pushing into the upper 70’s and will hit the 80’s on shallower bodies soon. Conditions are expected to ease some toward the end of the week. That will be a welcome change for everyone - anglers included. But hot weather in the Northwoods is not a reason to not go fishing! Get out there before the sun clears the tree line, or after it goes down, and you've got a legitimate shot at some great fishing.

Crappie are holding deep on outside weed edges and responding to small jigs and plastic combos. Perch have been showing up in good numbers and have been a real surprise so far this summer - look for them in weedy areas in 6 to 10’ of water. They've been responding well to small minnows and leeches on a light jig and there have been some HUGE ones caught on the Chain! Bluegill are right where they should be, just off the weed edges and around submerged wood. A small jig with a piece of worm will work. These are typical summer patterns, and this is a perfect week to get kids and first-timers on the water - just do it early or late.

For walleye, look deep. When surface temps run this warm, fish push toward the thermocline and settle into deeper, cooler water adjacent to structure. On the chain, think 20 to 25’ along break lines that drop off the main weed edges. Slip-bobbers with big leeches suspended above the bottom will work, or a jig tipped with a crawler worked slowly along those deep transitions. Bread and butter. Don't pound the same spot if you’re not getting them - move until you find where they've settled. The walleye bite may feel sluggish during this heat, but they still have to eat, and early and late they will.

The bass bite has been as hot as our temperatures! Simply phenomenal. Smallmouth Bass are in their element right now. Warm water is their friend, and mid-lake reefs, rocky points, and bars in the 8 to 15’ range are holding fish. Topwater in the morning is as good as it gets, this time of year - Whopper Ploppers, walking baits, and poppers are all working great in that first hour of daylight. No coffee on earth can beat a quiet morning surface bait hit! Once the sun comes up switch to Ned rigs, drop shots, and wacky-rigged plastics worked along the deeper edges of the same structure. Largemouth are buried in the weeds. Frogs, buzz baits, and Hula Poppers are still working great. This is one of the better bass weeks of the summer if you work the right hours…so much fun to be had!

Northern don't shut down in the heat the way some think. They definitely slow some, but the fish around deeper weed edges, particularly where cooler water from deeper basins pushes up against the vegetation, are still taking spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Look for current steams and any kind of thermal break. And those storm windows later in the week will likely provide some good action.

Musky? It’s too hot. Let them be right now if you will, but if you’re targeting them or you happen to catch one, please be careful and keep ‘em in the water as much as possible. Help them recover enough to swim down before you leave them. This means supporting them upright in the water with their head facing the current to encourage oxygenated water to flow through the mouth and gills. You can also move your boat forward very slowly if there’s no current. Avoid back and forth movements. A musky could take 10 or 15 minutes to get happy and dive after a fight in this heat. A few extra minutes of care go a long way.

Mornings and evenings are your times, for the time being. Strong coffee in the early AM and then a cold beer at about 9PM. The fishing during these times is comfortable and the action is great. It’s going to be hot, and it’s going to be busy on the water this week. Please treat all the fish you catch with a little extra care and stay hydrated yourself – with water, not just caffeine and alcohol! Enjoy the heat while we’ve got it - only 4 or 5 months until ice fishing.

Good luck and good fishin'!