September 19th, 2023

***Fishing Report***

Walleye - Fall walleye anglers struggled a little this last weekend. Anglers were largely unable to find walleyes in their traditional fall locations, but not all struggled. Anglers catching walleyes we’re finding them in very skinny water. 7-9 feet of water was the most commonly heard depth, but great reports as shallow as 4 feet of water are still being reported by successful anglers. Minnows continue to be the bait of choice for successful anglers. These anglers have been using lindy rigs or a simple jig tipped with minnow and worked over shallow rock and weedbeds. Pink, blue and orange/chartreuse remain top colors. 

Smallmouth - Smallmouth bass continue to transition out to sunken islands. Anglers have been using sucker minnows, on a lindy rig, to target the big smallies out there. Best depth out here has been 15-25 feet of water. Not all smallies have left the shorelines yet, so anglers can still find smallies on shorelines with topwater baits, Ned rigs and wacky worms. 

Pike - As water temps continue to drop, big pike (30+ inch) continue to show up in anglers catches. Anglers targeting them have been having great success throwing large spoons, in-line spinners, and fishing large suckers under a bobber. Areas to target are going to be river mouths, mouths of shallow bays, and rocky main lake points. 

Panfish - Crappies continue to be a popular target, for good reason. Anglers have been catching good numbers of crappies with jig/twisters, beetle spins and crappie minnows under a bobber. Anglers are starting to find crappies increasingly near deeper holes, but still close to cabbage beds. Evening hours near weedbeds has been especially good.