This past week, fishing on Delavan Lake was the best fishing I’ve ever seen in both numbers and quality size in over 30 years of guiding. The last three trips out, I caught every species that swims in the lake with the lone exception of the musky. The action on Delavan will continue, but I doubt this pace is sustainable long term. The most aggressive bite on the lake is the largemouth bass. They are post-spawn and moving 0out of the shallows and positioning on the weed line. I’m finding them in 12-15 ft of water. They can be caught drop-shotting 4-inch finesse worms and split-shot rigged nightcrawlers. The best color for the finesse worms is green pumpkin. They are on the same weed lines that they typically haunt, but they
are a bit shallower this year.
Perch can be caught in 6-8 ft of water. The best bite has been Thill slip bobbers with a hellgrammite. Position the bait about 1 foot above the weeds. The good locations have been by Assembly Park or just east of Willow Point. Some of the perch I caught last week were over 11 inches long. Smallmouth bass action has been hot. The fish are mixed in with the largemouth on the weed line. They prefer a slightly harder bottom than the largemouth, so sand with scattered weeds has been a decent place to look. The best location for the smallmouth bass has been by Belvidere Park or Assembly Park. The best baits have been split-shot-rigged leeches or small to medium suckers. Northern Pike fishing has been good on crankbaits in 12-14 feet of water outside the weed flats.
Look for the fish at Lake Lawn Lodge or Viewcrest Bays. A secondary approach is using a slip bobber rigged with medium suckers. Walleye fishing has been pretty good. I’m catching numbers but not legal fish. Even catching numbers is suitable for this time of year, though. The fish are biting on Lindy-rigged leeches or nightcrawlers in 15-17 feet of water. As the water warms, the fish will continue to go deeper.
Good luck, and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 262-
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