LakeTrout Closes September 30th

68 degree surface water
18 Ft visibility
40 Ft thermocline

• Bluegills are the best bite by far right now. The water is finally cooling down enough to bring the big gills into the shallows. The mill pond has been good with some nice fish showing up now. The Heidel Bar gave up some beautiful gills this week and some of the big weed beds on the lake produced action as well. Black ants or ice jigs baited with waxworms and fished under a bobber is the best bet for action. When the sun hits the trees is the best time for large fish.
• Lake Trout action is good anywhere from 60-120 Ft of water. Friday is the last day for lakers until they reopen the first Saturday in January.
• Northern Pike are due to arrive in the weeds now that the gills have moved in. Some really nice pike can still be caught in 35-44 Ft of water. Spinner baits over the weeds and large chubs in deep water are the top baits.
• Smallmouth action is slow to start but should pick up this week with the cool rain bringing water temperatures more typical of fall. Minnows and minnow imitations are the best bait. Look for the fish on drop offs and weed edges.

Water Temperatures Still Too High For Big Fall Bite

72 degree surface water
18 Ft visibility
70 degree water 30 Ft down

• Bluegills have been in the Mill Pond and Beyer's Cove for two weeks but the big fish are not there in numbers. There are a lot of nice gills hanging on the weed edges in 16-18 Ft of water and will start to move in with typical fall temperature drops. I saw some 9'' gills taken today in 17 Ft of water during mid-day on worms. My graph showed these fish ''stacked up'' on the weed edges just waiting for the fall cool down to move into the weeds.
• Lake Trout action is going to be outstanding right up to the closure on Sept.30th. The guides were bottom bouncing today and had very good success. River shiners and small spoons are still the best bait for fast action.
• Smallmouth are looking very chunky in their fall attire but have yet to go into the wild action we will see in 2 weeks. The smallies are cruising the shallows chasing small gills, perch, and even small bass. Use anything that resembles these bait fish and you will catch fish.
• Northern Pike can still be caught in 38 Ft of water with the big chubs but these fish are relating to the schools of bait fish staging in 18 Ft of water. Find some bait fish and move out to the cooler water and you will have some success.
• Walleye action was quiet this week due to lack of pressure. Some fisherman did very well in the deep water last week on small chubs or minnows using lindy rigs.

Smallmouth And Pike Move Shallow With Cooler Water

71 degree surface water
16 Ft visibility
38-40 Ft thermocline

• Bluegill action over the weeds has been good. The cool nights should really turn the weed bite on this week. Fishermen have been catching some decent gills in the Millpond and off the Heidel Bar using waxworms on black ants or ice jigs. The crib bite for gills has slowed considerably as these fish move to the weeds.
• Smallmouth action will continue to pick up as the surface temperatures slowly drop with the fall cool down. These bass are on their fall feed bag and should start to respond to perch imitations and minnows. The 'top water' bite can be outstanding early and late in the day with calm water.
• Walleye action has been fair. Reports of eaters on the weed edges and larger fish on the deep drop offs. It's time to try small chubs or minnows although leeches will still work if you can find any.
• Northern Pike action in deep water is fair because the larger fish are in pockets and not spread out like they were in August. These fish are starting to head to the weeds and will provide some fast action on spinner baits and chubs fished over the weeds.
• Lake Trout action is very good and will continue to be outstanding until it closes on September 30th. The trout will start to move up and can be caught on lindy rigs with small shiners in 45-65 Ft of water as well as on down riggers fished over the deep water.

Bluegills Are Over The Weeds And Lake Trout Are Hot

72 degree surface water
14 Ft visibility
39 Ft thermocline

• Bluegill action is starting to heat up over the weeds. The fish seem to be most active the first hour of light and the last hour of light. The big gills haven't turned on in numbers yet but we can certainly expect them in the next couple weeks. Waxworms and black ants fished under a bobber is the best bait and the best locations will be Norton's Bay, the Heidel Bar, Beyer's Cove and the Mill Pond.
• Crappies are still a lot of fun over the weeds. There are numerous fish hanging around the cribs, in front of the inlet, and the weed line in front of Carver's. Small minnows or jigs and twister tails are a good choice for bait, although white Gulp tails work exceptionally well on the 'paper mouths'.
• Smallmouth action should get really fun now as the bass move to a minnow bite to fatten up for the fall. Some fisherman reported catching Smallies in 35 Ft of water and others reported having an incredible bass bite all night long while fishing for walleyes.
• Northern Pike have really put the weight on since the first week of August. The pike can be found anywhere from the 12 Ft weeds to the edge of the thermocline in 40 Ft of water. Large chubs, suckers, and any spinners should draw there attention.
• Walleye action continues to be spotty. Some fish are being taken in deep water near the thermocline and some fish are showing up on the weed edges in 18 Ft of water.
• Lake Trout action has been outstanding. This hot bite is normal for September. The trout will bite on any small spoon or medium river shiner. The action is really good 110 Ft down over 130 Ft of water. There is a lot of small fish, bring them up slowly so you can release the under size fish. The Lake Trout season closes on September 30th and reopens the first Saturday of January.