The fishing remains excellent on Delavan Lake. The largemouth bass and bluegills are readily available. With the kids going back to school, the lake is seeing limited boat traffic during the week.

Largemouth bass can be caught using two different methods. The first is off of main lake points on the inside turn in 15-17 ft of water. For this approach, you can either drop shot 4 inch finesse worms or split shot rig nightcrawlers. This past week there was very little winds so the fish bit better at first light. The second approach is fishing the slop by the boat launch channel or off of north shore drive. The best depth is 3-5 ft. I prefer using white or black frogs. The key for more hook ups is hesitating setting the hook until you actually feel the fish on the lure. Bright sunny days have been better than the cloudy ones.

Bluegills are still on the weed lines in 13-15 ft of water. The average size of the fish has been slightly less than weeks past. The best location has been by the Yacht Club and by Assembly Park. The key to the approach is the depth. I’ve caught bluegills all over the lake in that depth range. Small trout worms or leaf worms fished on a split shot produces the most action.

Some yellow perch are being caught by Assembly Park and by the Village Supper Club. I have not found a big school of them however I’ve been catching 10-12 fish in the size range of 9-11 inches per location. The best bait is either hellgrammites or leaf worms. I typically use a very small split shot and a single hook.

Crappie fishing has improved. When there is very little wind, look for the fish on the surface feeding on insects. The fish can be caught on purple plastics fished on a 1/64 oz jig. The fish are located just off the weed line in 18 ft of water suspended 2 feet down. Casting out with a bunch of slow pauses gets a lot of reactionary bites.

Walleye fishing has been very slow for me. I haven’t caught one in a few weeks. They are likely deeper in the main lake basin in 22-26 ft of water. Once we get a cold front the bite should improve.

Northern pike fishing has also been slow. I’ve been dragging medium suckers in 22-25 ft of water with very limited success. I’m fishing the suckers on lindy rigs about 1 foot off bottom. The northern pike bite will improve with a weather change as well.

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