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Fishing has cooled off on Geneva and Delavan lakes

Geneva Lake, Sept. 19-26, 2010

Fishing on Geneva remains a bit tough. The water temperature has now cooled to 69 degrees on the surface. Usually this is prime time to catch small mouth on the rock points however, they haven't arrived there just yet.

The big rock bass remain in 18-20 ft of water. They can be caught by lindy rigging nightcrawlers or small fat head minnows. Look for the fish by Elgin Club or by the Military Academy. It isn't very hard to catch a bunch of fish so it's still a great time to get your kids out one last time before it gets too cold.

Smallmouth bass have been slow. I have tried drop shotting them with 4 inch worms in 20-25 ft of water and fished for them in 5-6 ft of water by shallow rock without success. I think the weather needs to stabilize before the fish will become active.

A few largemouth bass are being caught in the shallow weeds in 8-10 ft of water. They are being caught on chrome/blue husky jerks or small rattle traps. The best location is in Geneva Bay or by the Geneva Inn.

Northern Pike fishing is in the transition period. They are coming off the deep thermocline bite and beginning to move shallow. This is the time of year you can catch them on slip bobbers on the weed flats, such as Fontana Beach or Williams Bay. The fish are usually in 12-15 ft of water. You want to anchor your boat and cast bobbers in all directions. This bite can be very good all the way until ice up. You don't want to be too aggressive in moving, you need to wait the fish out.

Walleyes are biting at night in the 12-15 ft depth range. You want to troll medium diving stick baits. Look for the fish by Trinkes or in Geneva Bay. Like the pike, these fish will remain active until ice up.

Yellow Perch are biting in the 8-10 ft depth range. Look for the fish by Colemans Point or Rainbow Point. The best approach is slip bobbering small leaf worms or small fat head minnows. I position the bait about 1 ft off bottom. The best approach here is anchoring to keep the boat in the right water depth.

Delavan Lake, Sept. 19-26, 2010

Fall patterns are getting started. The past week the weather has been a bit of a yo-yo making fishing tougher than it has in the past. There are still fish to be caught, however, the numbers are down significantly from past weeks.

Largemouth bass have moved shallower. They are in 8-10 ft of water. Look for the fish by Browns Channel or the west end by the island. Most of the success has come on drop shotting nightcrawlers or 4 inch plastic worms. Green pumpkin is the best color for the plastic worms. With the cooler weather, the fish will move even shallower in the next couple weeks and don't forget to fish the boat docks and the last remaining green weeds in the lake.

Walleye fishing has been average. A few fish are being caught on the weedline with scattered weeds and hard bottom. Look for the fish by the Yacht Club or by Willow Point. The fish that are being caught during the day are being caught on nightcrawlers fished on a lindy rig. The best depth is 15-18 ft of water. Some fish are being caught at night. The best bait is Rapala Husky jerks or small medium diving crankbaits. Chrome/blue or Chrome/black are the best colors.

Northern Pike fishing has started to pick up over the last few weeks. The cooler water has made them more active. The best approach is lindy rigging suckers or casting white spinner baits. Work the fish right on the weedline in 15-16 ft of water. Look for the fish by the Belvidere Park or by Del Mar.

Bluegill fishing has slowed tremendously. The fish have become scattered. Most of the success is coming in the 8-10 ft range right in the weeds. Small ice jigs tipped with a wax worm is the best approach. Look for the fish by the Village Supper Club or by Assembly Park. In fall, bluegills will suspend in deep water over the main lake basin. They are starting to do this by the Village Supper Club. As the water cools, more fish will go deep.

Yellow Perch have been biting very well. The best depth is 12-15 ft. There is a very good class of small fish this year, so you will need to sort to catch some keepers. Look for the fish by Lake Lawn or over by the old Boy Scout Camp.

Daily Report

9/18/10 - Delavan Lake - cloudy and rainy, 65 degrees, water temp 66 degrees, N wind at 15 mph. Fished for approximately 1 hour before the rains came and blew us off the lake. Caught 1 northern, 1 legal bass and 4 small bass also caught a handful of perch. Fished in the shallows in 5 ft of water. The best rig was a split shot rigged nightcrawler.

9/15/10 - Lake Geneva - sunny, 70 degrees, water temp 69 degrees, SW winds at 15 mph. Caught rock bass and perch in 13-18 ft of water. We were trying for deep water smallmouth but didn't have much success. Fished by the Military Academy, the Yacht Club and by Black Point.

Dave Duwe has been a fishing guide on Delavan and Geneva lakes for nearly 20 years. Dave is a community blogger and is not a part of Walworth County Today staff. His opinion is not necessarily that of Walworth County Today staff or management.