Northern Wisconsin Fishing

Seasoned anglers and novices alike enjoy testing their skills in the Minocqua area’s lakes, rivers and streams. Most support a variety of fish, such as Northern Pike, Muskellunge, Large and Smallmouth Bass, Trout and Walleye, and most have public access.

Minocqua Area Fishing Report  5/13/2025

by Kurt's Island Sport Shop

Not having seen a cloud in a week makes for some tough fishing conditions! High pressure, cold mornings and either no wind or too much wind. Lake temps rising nicely (58-62 degrees) with LOTS of sun should make for some nice weed growth. Hungry fish to follow!

Crappie: Good-Very Good – By late last week, Crappies moving in to warm themselves in the shallows. Small floats with a lightly hooked minnow still best. Tiny plastics on small 1/8 – 1/32 oz jigs. On cooler mornings, anglers finding Crappies out in 6-8’ of water, still feeding, just waiting for the warm up.

Largemouth Bass: Good – Cruising shallow, warming flats. Shallow running, square billed cranks, 3” Keitech swimbaits, twitching stickbaits all producing. Typically, North shores where sun has the most effect.

Bluegill: Good – As with their other sunfish cousins, warming afternoons in the shallows on worms, waxies, small leeches or tiny plastics. Finding Gills in 1-3’ in warmest parts of lake.

Yellow Perch: Good-Fair – Having spawned, warming up for egg production not as critical. Food is! Vegetation in 4-6’ as Perch feeding on insect larvae, small minnows. Slip-floats best right now to deliver small leeches, minnows into pockets in weed beds. Nice Perch reported, 9-11”, but not in numbers.

Northern Pike: Fair – Surprisingly slower than expected. Live bait on a jig with wire leader or under a slip-float. Twitchbaits and 3” swimbaits not worked very fast enticing some hits.

Walleye: Poor-Fair – This species typically at the top of the May reports! Very scattered, very negative. Light pick ups and drops using large fatheads, dace and even medium leeches. Could be the cloudless skies/high pressure/full moon period, but the usual post spawn feed hasn’t seemed to happen. Night angling producing better using lighted slips and large fats or leeches, casting Rattlin Rouges along shoreline cover.

With stormy weather forecasted for Thursday (5/15) and rain Fri/Sat (5/16-5/17), a sharp drop in air temps (80’s 5/12-5/13) to highs 40’s for Sat (5/17). Expect the first part of the weekend to be a challenge. We desperately need rain, but hate to see this nice mild warm up end. The following week looks to be a cool one, more clouds, a little rain. Expect a bit of a drop off in Crappie/Gill/Largemouth action, but hopefully a pick up on Walleye and Pike.

Popular Fishing Lakes

Some of the more popular fishing lakes favored by visitors and locals include, Big Arbor Vitae, Clear Carrol, Madeline, Squirrel and Squaw. Bassmaster recently named the Minocqua chain one of the 25 best bass lakes in America’s central region and one of the top 100 in the nation. There are numerous wilderness sites for a quiet escape. Some good bets are the Willow Flowage Scenic Waters Area and the many lakes dimpling the Northern Highlands-American Legion State Forest.

Mid Lake, which has shallow water that warms quickly, is the place to be in spring, when Musky and Northern swim here to spawn.