Summer is one of the most popular times for visiting the Minocqua area. It is the peak time to take advantage of some of the best area past times, like fishing. Summer fishing the Minocqua area is one of the most productive fishing times but the tricks to catching our most sought after species vary from other times of the year.
Walleye:
The Minocqua area Walleye are commonly sought after throughout the year. From mid June thru the beginning of September. These fish are fantastic table fare and can be caught a variety of ways at several locations on area lakes.
In some of the shallow lakes (under 30 ft deep), the Walleye may spend a great deal of time inside or alongside the weedy sections of the lake. Using a small jig with a medium sized minnow and casting the presentation to the edge of a weed line, allowing the bait to sink down to the bottom and then begin a slow retrieve back to the boat is a popular way to encourage a strike from the Walleye. Maintaining bottom contact is very important. Try not to drag the bait on the bottom as this will create the hook to gather debris. No strike will occur with debris on the hook. Another popular method is to use a slip bobber. This allows the bait to be suspended inside the weeds or just on the edge of the weed growth, a very good presentation and the depth of the bait can easily be adjusted.
On the deeper lakes, fishing the island drop offs, sunken rock bars, and underwater points that extend out into the lake from shore are all good options to drift over with a jig and minnow or a leech or a ½ crawler on a jig as well as bottom bouncing rigs as described above. If there are any storm damaged trees that have fallen into the lake from the shore line, this also can be very productive. Fish the branches that extend out into the deeper water.
As the water temperatures continue to rise throughout the summer, using leeches or nightcrawlers can also be a good option. This live bait can be used with a slip bobber. A bottom bouncer rig, Lindy rig ,or simply a split shot and hook can be utilized too. This will keep the bait close to the bottom and prevent the crawler or leech from collecting debris. A slow retrieve is important.
Another option can be to cast a lure the has the appearance of a minnow bait, a Shad Rap, or a Shad ling and other baits resembling the Perch color pattern as well as gold, silver, chartreuse, purple. Casting these lures during the twilight hours of morning and evening alongside or to the weed line can be very productive. Patience and color experimentation is needed for best results. Also, trolling is a good summer time pattern during the daytime and the twilight hours of each day. The lures mentioned above are a good beginning for this time tested and true method of summertime Walleye fishing. Locations will vary with fish suspended alongside and above different types of underwater structure.
Crappie:
Throughout the Minocqua Chain of Lakes and the surrounding area, during the warmer water of the summer months, casting a small plastic lure commonly called a Tube Jig in a variety of colors or just a colored jig head ( 1/16 oz) with a Crappie minnow attached is a very good presentation. This does work in the spring time as well but, in different locations. This lure and bait choice is very good during summer. A slip bobber is also productive when wanting to keep the bait in one location or at a certain depth and again, this also works in the spring time but, in different locations than summer time.
Fish for the Crappie this time of year around fallen trees that are in deeper water, sunken man made brush piles from 10 to 20 ft deep, the deeper docks and legs of the docks, boat houses that extend over deeper water, weedy areas of the lake that are close to deeper water and also, suspended Crappie. These Crappie are typically away from the shoreline over deeper water but only a few feet below the surface. These suspended Crappie can also be closer to the shoreline if deeper water is close to a shoreline.
Trolling for Crappie is an underutilized technique for summer time. Small minnow baits (one inch in length) trolled slowly, perhaps with a small split shot 12 inches in front of the lure to help the lure reach the selected depth where the suspended Crappie are seen on your sonar unit. The color and the speed of the lure can and usually does make a positive difference in the amount of strikes that will happen.
Smallmouth Bass:
This species of fish is also very prolific throughout the Minocqua Chain of Lakes and several other area lakes. After these fish lay their eggs and move off the shoreline, their summer time locations are very predictable. Try rock bars, rock points connected to the shoreline, islands, deep logs, deep brush piles, fallen trees into deeper sections of the shoreline, and suspended fish away from the shore line.
The Smallmouth Bass during summer are mostly on the rock bars in deeper water (10 to 30 feet). Using a larger minnow from 2 to 3 inches works well and also a 1/8 oz. or a 1/4 oz. jig with ½ a night crawler works well. There are lure options you can use too such as a floating minnow imitation, spinner bait with a rubber skirt, a jig with a rubber skirt attached, and other selections. Smallmouth Bass are a very hard fighting sport fish and not normally selected for table fare.
