The holiday week through last weekend brought us some good, old fashioned summer weather. While it was hot out there, it sure is nice to sweat a little for a change! Water temps have settled into the mid- to upper-70’s on most area lakes now, and that’s exactly where we want them heading into the heart of summer. The weed growth is filling in great across the chain and the bigger, deeper lake, and fish are moving into their regular summer locations. This is good, predictable fishing when you know what to expect.

The hex hatch is still news this week. The Hexagenia nymphs come up out of their burrows in the mucky bottoms at dusk and begin their swim to the surface in late June into mid-July, and right now we’re entering the end stages. Reports of mayfly hatches are confirmed on area lakes and the bugs have been showing up at boat landings on the chain as well. Do your homework at the landing before you commit to a spot. When those hexes are coming off heavy, walleye and bass will be up and feeding aggressively on the surface. If you match the hatch with a floating bait or surface plug, you’ll have action that’s hard to beat anywhere in freshwater fishing. Add in a fly rod into the mix and you’re in for some real fun. Those windows after dark are short, and some nights they’re magical. Don’t miss them!

Walleye fishing has shifted firmly into full summer mode. Anglers are finding fish off deep structure adjacent to deeper basins, and jig-and-leechs or jig-and-crawlers fished along those transitions are still your most reliable all-day approach. On the Chain, work the edges outside cabbage and coontail in the 10 to 16 foot range, with big leeches or crawlers on 1/8 oz jigs, or slip-bobbers with bigger minnows. These fish have been slowed by the heat and distracted by the hatches, so it’s been tricky, but watch for the weather front predicted mid-week and use it to your advantage. Earling mornings and late evenings have been the most productive times.

Musky has been a bright spot. The musky bite has been good lately, with fish eating bucktails, glide baits, and jerk baits. Good reports continue over deeper weed edges during low-light periods. Look for musky in and around weed beds or bars that top out with rocks and weeds, and don’t be afraid to experiment with bait size this time of year.

Smallmouth bass has been great. With water temps now solidly in the mid 70s’(+), anglers have been catching smallies on live bait such as crawlers and leeches, on topwater baits like Whopper Ploppers, and on jig and plastic combos — Ned rigs, drop shots, and wacky rigs are kind of your go-to right now. With the warm weather holding through this week, morning topwater will undoubtably be fun. Mid-lake reefs and bars are key spots — fish both the top sides and the deep edges, and don’t overlook deep rocky points. Largemouth have been active too, with buzzbaits, frogs, and good old Hula Poppers working great.  Work the weeds and you’ll find them.

As far as Northern go, they’ve slowed a bit but anglers are picking up decent fish on spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and smaller musky-sized lures. Look for them in all manner of weeds. Pike don’t take summers off, and this week’s conditions should keep them active and feeding, especially around storm windows.

Crappie have settled comfortably into the outside weed edges in 8 to 12 feet and continue to produce well. Small jig and plastic combos, Beetle Spins worked through the weeds (if you have the patience), or simple hair jigs under a float are all producing. They’ve been scattered so don’t park in one spot and expect the fish to come to you. We’ve seen a lot of really nice perch caught in the last week surprisingly shallow, in 4-10’ of weeds, but they’re also hanging out deeper with the walleye and responding well to larger minnows or leeches on a jig. The bluegill remain the perfect family fish for this time of year. The fish that braved the cold and managed to spawn are basically done, and they are staging just off those areas in the weed edges and around submerged wood. A tiny jig, a small float, and a piece of worm or a waxie will put fish in the boat all day long. This is a great week to have kids and grandkids on the water or dock!

Post-holiday, the boat traffic drops off a little and the lakes settle down some. The early morning window before the pleasure boat traffic picks up is worth it every time. And those evenings – especially when the hexes are coming off and the sun has just set – are nothing short of fantastic. Enjoy this short season while you can!

Good luck and good fishin’!