Hey gang, Water levels are higher than they have been most of the summer, and water temps are in the mid to high 70's. Panfish continues to be the hot bite in the area. Crappie and bluegill continue to bite along weedlines or suspended out over deep water, as well as in mid-depth weeds. 10-12 FOW along the weeds and 12-18 Feet Down over 25-45 FOW. Plastics tipped with live bait, tail hooked minnows and leafworms fished vertically or with slip bobbers will produce, although panfish leeches (if you can find them) will put the best fish in the boat. Early evenings until just after sunset h ..read more

 Everyone, I just wanted to thank you for following this blog for the many years it has been up.  I'm no longer guiding professionally, and my real life as a professor keeps me busy enough that I don't have time or remember to post reports in a timely fashion. As such, I'm going to be closing down the site very soon. If you want, grab the content for the last several years. There's mountains of information buried in these reports...lots of seasonal trends and approaches that could help you down the road. The Blog will remain active through the Labor Day Weekend, when I'll publish my ..read more

Hey gang,  I think the unstable weather, low water and the intense fishing pressure has the fish in a bit of a funk right now. You can still catch them, but you're going to have to slow down, get precise with your presentations, and recognize that it is the middle of August. Panfish are still schooled up in deeper water, and have been the most consistent bite for the last couple of weeks. Crappies are tight to the weedlines in 12-15 and 18-20 FOW, but are suspending off the edge. Bluegills are still in tight schools in the deep part of the basins. Look for them 18-22 feet down over 30-50 ..read more

Everyone, First off: Reminder, The Okauchee Tie up is this weekend. You might want to find another location for fishing this weekend. Second: Apologies for being slow around here...I simply haven't been fishing (around the area) as much as normal. Between the heat and teaching summer school, it has been a busy month. My fishing time has been primarily with my kids for panfish or up north. Experience tells me as we move into August to look for fish in the usual summer places, but watch for them to have periods of time where they feed actively. The changes in the photocycle and the length of da ..read more

 Hey gang, Its sure to be a busy weekend on the water, so plan on fishing early and late and enjoy the shows at the boat launches. Water temps are low to mid 70's but go up and down with the rains. Weeds are about summer average. There's a fair amount of current flowing, but the lakes are still a bit low overall. Panfish are done spawning. You may find a straggler or two, but the bulk of the fish are set-up for the remainder of summer. Just need some to reel in with the kids? Docks and swim platforms are your best bets for smaller, action style fishing, but shady banks with sandy or gra ..read more

 Hey gang,  The unstable weather this week made for some challenging fishing. But it did two things that will help as the weather stabilizes this week, (get some current flowing and bring water temps back into the proper range) and you should expect there to be a solid run of quality fishing ahead. Panfish  there are a few fish still spawning on some area  lakes. Out with the kids? - Action with bluegills can be found in shallow water areas where there is sand or gravel, but bigger gills can be caught out of spawning areas in as deep as 18 feet of wate ..read more

 Hey gang, Sorry about last week, I ended up fishing in the Wautoma area for several days and just forgot to make the post. Funny how many people silently read this weekly scribe and have things to say (not all of them nice either) when I miss a week.  Anyway, it looks like the heat has finally broken and around the area conditions are starting to stabilize into summer patterns. Water temps are in the mid 70's to low 80's on most area lakes. Water is still low overall, and areas that usually have current, may be down to a slow trickle with limited flow. It has been a number of years ..read more

 It is the annual Free Fishing Weekend, around the state. Here's an update on the last week. Fishing has been slow but steady. Catching lots of smaller gamefish, but starting to see some quality fish come in. Water temps are still in the mid to high 60's on most area lakes, and water levels are pretty low. Bluegills are on nests, especially in sandy or pea gravel areas, baitfish are still hard to come by consistently. Most gamefish are coming shallow to feed. Panfish: Suprisingly, Crappie were the real story of the last week as second stage spawners moved into the wood an ..read more

 Hey gang,  As we approach the holiday weekend and the traditional kick-off for summer boating season, you should be ready to adapt on the fly while out for the next couple of days. Overall, water temps are in the low 70's in mainlake areas and to low to mid 70's in the shallower protected areas. Current is at a minimum and after a stretch of sunny weather weed growth is about normal for this time of the season. A few Mayfly hatches have started. Bluegills are starting to congregate in shallower water, but there's still plenty of keepers schooled up along the first deep break ..read more

 Conditions: Right now most lakes are in the low to mid 60's...but you may find some areas where the water is substantially warmer. Weed growth is still behind, but is starting to catch up. Water remains low on most lakes, and even after the rain we had this week, current flows are way down. Bluegills Current areas (if you can find them) and dark bottom bays (with sand or gravel areas) will hold the most fish. Smaller gills are moving up into shallow water, but if you're looking for nice gills, try 8-12 feet of water. Regardless of depth, focus on sand/gravel areas for the best succe ..read more