It’s Time To Fish!

Last week fishing on Delavan was hit or miss, you could catch fish all week if you weren’t particular about the species.  Largemouth bass and bluegills were the most consistent bite this week.  Walleyes were very spotty.

Largemouth bass are in 2-3 ft. of water.  I have yet to see them start building nests but within the next week the spawn preparation will begin.  My best success came on nightcrawlers fished on a split shot rig.  The fish seem to prefer a cleaner bottom with none of the green slimy weeds.  The best location was by the outlet, near the rocks by Lake Lawn, and in the channels.  Some success last week was also seen on tube baits, Texas rigged.  Smoke or blue/black were the best colors.

The smallmouth bass that I caught last week were on the main lake points, such as Willow Point, the Yacht Club and near the Village Supper club.  The smallies were caught on fathead minnows fished on a lindy rig.  I used a 1/8 oz walking sinker and a small hook.  The key to the presentation was keeping the sinker slightly off bottom to avoid the green weeds. In windy conditions, it’s better to use a larger sinker for more control.   The best depth was in 14-15 ft. of water on the drop offs.

A few walleyes were caught this week but it was pretty slow.  Most of the success was on a white twister tail fished on a 1/8 oz jighead.  Most of the fish were caught on the main lake points.  I tried lindy rigging for a few hours on Friday but didn’t have any success.  I think the water needs to warm up a few degrees before the fish will really become active.

Bluegills have been a guaranteed bite for the last week.  Some of them were in excess of 10 inches.  You had to weed through lots of small ones to catch a good dinner.  The best depth was in the shallow weeds in 3-4 ft. of water.  I caught all of my fish on an ice jig and a small red worms fished on a bobber.

Crappies were very sporadic.  I spoke with several people who caught limits in 14-16 ft. of water on the west end of the lake.  The bait of choice for them was small tube jigs fishing for suspended crappies.  When I tried for them, they moved out of the area.  The crappies will bite but it may take some searching and patience before you find an active school.  With some warmer water, they too will begin spawning.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water.  For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-728-8063