Fishing Reports

FISHING WITH THE GUIDES  with George Langley.  

Week of  10/13 to 10/20 2024

EDIT as of Friday 10/18: The forecast is now calling for a 5 day stretch of warm days in the upper 60's and low 70's with some warm nights, too. The sun is low enough that water temps will probably just sit where they are. Cold is predicted to return by next weekend, which makes that the perfect time to hunt for one of those Fall giants.

We’re getting some typical Fall weather right now, albeit a bit warmer than we’re used to for this time of the year. Water temperatures remain in the mid-50’s – we’re seeing both upper and lower 50’s depending on the body of water. Turnover is imminent and we’ve heard of some smaller lakes where it's basically done. This last weekend was amazing for Fall color and was probably our peak. It’s still just stunning out there right now.

Walleye fishing is generally good at this point, although just like the water temperatures, we’re getting very different reports from different lakes. Fish are being caught on the deep flats and in the holes on many bodies of water. This makes them pretty easy to find and these deep spots will be exactly where you’ll want to be after turnover, too. If you find yourself in a spot with a good bite, don’t be afraid to put some of those big ones back to help with next year’s spawn. Jigs and minnows have been doing the trick, with walleye suckers or large fatheads working good. On the bigger lakes you may have luck looking off the breaks, at hard bottom areas in water from 20' to 35' or so. Again, larger minnows seem to be working the best.

Panfish action has been decent, with Perch leading the bunch and being found surprisingly shallow by many anglers. Look for shallow weeds and use bigger minnows to catch those big guys, but crawlers are still working great, too. The bluegill seem a little confused by the last couple of weeks of weather, but crawlers are working. Crappies have been pretty deep, along weed edges or structure. They seem to be hanging at about 15’ and crappie minnows and the smallest jig you can manage have been working for these fish.

Bass action has remained steady. Not a lot of anglers fishing for Largemouth, but the Smallie bite has stayed excellent. These fish are being caught all over the map – deep flats and shallower weed edges. Bigger sucker minnows or plastics that mimic are working great.

The Northern have been hitting well, with a lot of musky anglers reporting catches of northerns on musky baits while fishing in or near weeds. As usual, the deeper the weeds the better for these fish.

Even with the warmer than usual weather, Musky action has been good. We’re glad to see a forecast with some colder weather, even if it is still a bit of a rollercoaster. The sucker bite has been getting strong now, and we’ve also seen some great action on bucktails and jerk baits, too. It’s almost time for a super slow retrieve and giant plastics - almost. We’re just waiting for turnover to come and go, hopefully before the snow flies, to see some of those giants!

Weather wise, it looks like this week will give us some good pre-winter cold but mix it with some warmer than usual days and nights, too. We should enjoy those while we can. Assuming we’re in for a “normal” winter, we’re going to see snow flying on some of these cold days soon!

Good luck and good fishin'!