Northern Wisconsin Fishing

by Kurt's Island Sport Shop

A slow roll into the fall season as of August 24th! Mild highs in the mid 70s followed by nights in the 50s. Water temps are slowly dropping, with most lakes in the 71-72o range and a few early morning surface temps at 69o. Have not seen much for sugar maples turning, though a few poplar trees are.

Largemouth Bass: Good – Action falling off a little. Still good for evening top-water and midday working weed tops with 3 ½” swimbaits or pre-rigged plastic worms. Sunny days around boat houses with wacky worms and urchins pitched up in the shade.

Bluegill: Good-Very Good – Gills seem to be everywhere! While fishing deep weed edges using crawlers or leeches for walleyes in 20-24’ of water- you’ll find gills! Up in 7-12’ cabbage, gills are taking small plastics and under spins (Charlie Bees) meant for crappies. Good catches of nice “eaters” 7 ½” plus!

Smallmouth Bass: Good – Key on rock bars in 18-28’ using drop-shot rigs or football jigs dressed with creature plastics. Also along coontail edges of 14-18’ using Ned rigs or more drop-shots with 3” minnow or craw imitations and urchins.

Northern Pike: Good – Bladed spinners and chatter baits as well as 4” swimbaits worked just at weed top level to a foot or two below. High-pressure days, go with a weedless jig and a lively black chub of 4-5” to entice strikes.

Yellow Perch: Good-Fair – Still finding some nice perch in 8’ cabbage. Mud flats outside weed edges in 12-16’ as well as amongst drowned wood. Beavertails, ½ crawlers, or medium leeches and fatheads.

Musky: Good-Fair – Reports improving as more anglers are heading out with waters cooling- Bucktails by far have been the best over and along weed beds. Rubber for the offshore anglers and a decent topwater bite for the evening thrill seekers!

Walleye: Good-Fair – Had some ups and downs, but the ups were very good working full crawlers or medium redtails outside coontail edges in 20-24’ over mud. Also picking up nice walleyes at same depths over rocks. Bright days and east winds slowed action to just smaller fish. You could mark ‘em, but just couldn’t get ‘em to bite.

Crappie: Good-Fair – Fewer reports with some anglers finding crappies moving out of weeds and suspending at times along coontail edges of 14-18’. Small plastics (Kalin crappie scrubs, B. Garland Itty Bit, Slab Hunters, and 1 ½” Power Bait tubes) as well as slip floats with small to medium fatheads.

Daily weather seems to have had the most effect on bites. Some days have been way better than others. As water slowly cools, we should see some set-up for better flowage bites. While turn-over is a long way off, change in the amount of light will push some weeds to start showing signs of dying back. Water levels are low on lakes as well as flowages, so check before launching as some accesses are becoming a bit difficult!

Current Lake Temperatures

University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology Trout Lake Station

Popular Fishing Lakes

The Minocqua area is home to hundreds of lakes, offering anglers endless opportunities to cast a line. Some of the most popular fishing lakes among visitors and locals include Big Arbor Vitae Lake, Clear Lake, Carrol Lake, Squirrel Lake, and Amber Lake. Whether you're targeting musky, walleye, northern pike, bass, or panfish, you'll find productive waters throughout the region.

The area has earned national recognition for its exceptional bass fishing. Bassmaster named the Minocqua Chain of Lakes one of the 25 Best Bass Lakes in America’s Central Region and one of the Top 100 Bass Lakes in the Nation. Adding to that reputation, Major League Fishing selected Lake Minocqua, Lake Tomahawk, and Big Arbor Vitae Lake as host waters for professional bass tournaments, bringing some of the sport’s top anglers to the Northwoods.

For those seeking a quieter experience, countless wilderness lakes and secluded fishing spots provide a peaceful escape. The Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area and the many lakes within the Northern Highlands–American Legion State Forest offer excellent opportunities to enjoy unspoiled Northwoods scenery while fishing.

During the spring season, Mid Lake is a favorite destination for anglers. Its shallow waters warm quickly, attracting spawning musky and northern pike and creating excellent early-season fishing opportunities.

Ice Fishing