A windy weekend featured an impressive fishing bite on Lake Winnebago this past week. Water temps are hovering in the low 70’s in most locations, and water clarity is good throughout the lake. An algae bloom continues to thicken, and the first report of the toxic blue green algae was reported during the week. Weed growth has exploded over the last 10 days with the warm and dry weather conditions.
The system continues to be on fire. Nearly every team (300 teams) at the Mercury National Walleye Tournament brought 10 fish to the scales on the 2 day tournament. These fish had an impressive per fish weight average. Some anglers were reporting up to 80 walleyes caught per day to select from for their tournament baskets.
The best bite continues to be on the main lake’s mud basin via trolling tactics. The mud basin exists in 15-21 feet of water, typically in the center of the lake. By far, crawler harnesses dominated as the bigger walleyes have been focused on live bait presentations.
Trolling cranks baits can also be very productive, especially with larger sized cranks. We have found feeding walleyes at all water depths, but the better fish have been found when the baits run at the 15 foot depths in 19-20 feet of water. We have found fish with short leads also (as short as 20 feet of line) behind the off shore planner boards.
In general, if you are seeking tournament quality fish, use harnesses. If you are looking for eater walleyes, try the crank baits. At times, walleyes have been found in the shallow weed beds, chasing minnows for dinner.
The south shore has been vacant of walleye fishermen. There are tons of crappies and bluegills currently present in this region, along with many bass and pike.
Perch are starting to heat up. With the current incredible walleye conditions on the system, the perch are being ignored for the most part. The anglers targeting perch have been finding limits on most days.
When it comes to walleyes, every location type and every technique is productive right now. If you are not getting solid activity, make a move. These fish are roaming, seeking bait fish schools. Rarely are these fish in the same location for two consecutive days, especially with the stronger winds. Utilizing your electronics to locate fish prior to trolling can be an effective method to find active fish.
This weekend will feature the Otter Street tournament. 200-300 teams will hit the water on Saturday and Sunday out of Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
See ya next week. [email protected] is my email, for your reports, questions or comments. Thanks for your support of our site!
