Lake Geneva continues to be a challenge. I cannot remember a slower fishing period in 25 years of guiding on the lake. The best action has been bluegills and pumpkin seeds.

Largemouth bass have been found in the 12-15 ft depth range by Trinkes and by Linn Pier. I’m catching several largemouth but the overall size has been a bit small. You can catch them with split shot rigged nightcrawlers or drop shotting 4 inch finesse worms.

Smallmouth bass fishing has been okay. The best depth is 20-25 ft of water by Gage Marine or Elgin Club and Knollwood. The best success has come from Carolina rigging root beer colored Crawlin’ Grubs or Twister tails.

Bluegill action has been great in a depth range of 16-18 feet. My best success has come in front of Gage Marine or Elgin Club. Leaf worms fished one foot off bottom have been the key to the good numbers. The bluegill size and numbers have been better than the past several years.

Overall the best bite remains Walleyes at night. The best location is by Cisco Beach or by Trinkes. The best baits are medium to deep diving stick baits, like Smithwick Perfect 10’s or Rapalas. Work a depth of 15-17 ft. Position the lures between 10 and 12 feet down. The key to the presentation is the night time hours.

Northern pike are available however the numbers aren’t great. You can catch a few but the big schools are limited. Look for them by Fontana beach boat launch and by Belvidere Park. The fish are in 33 ft of water. Use lindy rigged suckers that are slowly back trolled.

Lake Trout fishing has been very good in the main lake basin in 108-120 ft of water at first light. I prefer fishing early in the morning as the trout are suspended and easier to catch than when they are tight to the bottom. Use down riggers with chrome/blue or chrome/green spoons for the most action. Put the baits approximately 20-30 ft behind the down riggers. Due to the excessive pleasure boat traffic the floating weeds have been an issue you need to work around.

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