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Rock bass everywhere in Geneva Lake

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Geneva Lake, June 19-26, 2011

The stable weather continues and fishing has been very good during the past week. This has been the most rock bass I have seen in the past 19 years of guiding. They are almost everywhere. If people would fish Geneva Lake, we could reduce world hunger!

The rock bass can be caught on white and pink hair jigs or on split shot rigged nightcrawlers. The biggest concentration is in 8-10 ft of water. I have however caught them as deep as 16 ft. Some of the larger ones are way over 1 lb. The best location was by Belvidere Park or by Linn Pier.

Largemouth bass are in the shallows out to about 12 ft of water. The best location is by Trinkes. I have been catching most of my fish either drop shotting either small green pumpkin finesse worms or a split shot rigged nightcrawler. Some other good action has come by Coleman's Point. The bass I have been catching appear to be post spawn, a lot of flat bellies.

Bluegills and Pumpkin Seeds are in the 6-8 ft depth range. The best location has been by Trinkes or in Geneva Bay. Most of the fish are coming on a split shot rigged nightcrawler or leaf worm. The best spots have a lot fewer rock bass because there are more weeds. On Saturday, I caught several Pumpkin Seeds over 9 inches.

Smallmouth bass are almost done spawning. The last remaining few are spawning in deep water over 14 ft. When the boat traffic has been the worst, the smallmouth bass have been pulling out and going deeper into 17-22 ft of water. They can be caught on small finesse worms or drop shotting nightcrawlers. We have probably one more week of good smallmouth bass fishing before they vanish into the deep for the summer.

Northern Pike fishing has been slow. Most of the action has been with bass fisherman casting white spinner baits or Smithwick Rattling Rogues in the weed flats in 8-10 ft of water. The best locations have been by Williams Bay or by Fontana Beach. With the warming water the Pike will pull out of the shallows and position on the deep weedlines. Fishing Pike will improve then.

Perch have been sporadic in the 8-10 ft depth range. The best location has been by Rainbow Point or by the Military Academy. Most of the fish are still being caught on split shot rigged nightcrawlers or large leaf worms.

Delavan Lake, June 19-26, 2011

With the warm stable weather, Delavan lake has been the busiest I've seen it in the last few years. Overall the fishing has been very good. The walleye fishing has finally started to turn on.

Walleyes can be caught at low light conditions on crankbaits or lindy rigging nightcrawlers. The best location has been off the weedline in 14-16 ft of water. Look for the fish by the Oriental boat house, Browns Channel and down by the island. The best time to fish for them is early a.m. before 7 a.m. or right at dusk. The crankbaits I've been using are medium diving Bandits or Lindy Shadling. The perch pattern seems to be the most productive.

Crappies have finished spawning and have started their yearly migration to deep waters. They are now not schooled up. Most of the success has been sporadic. Some can be caught on the weedlines in 12-14 ft of water. Look for the fish by Browns Channel or by Willow Point. This time of year, with the warmer temperatures, I exclusively use plastics in purple or pink.

Largemouth bass have finished spawning. They are progressing out to the deep weedline. I've caught fish from 6 ft. to 18 ft of water. The best locations are by the Yacht Club and by the Oriental boat house. The best presentation is drop shotting finesse worms in green pumpkin or drop shotting nightcrawlers. As the water warms almost all of the largemouth bass will be on the weedline, I would expect that they will all be deep by the 4th of July.

Bluegill fishing has been great. There are two patterns. Some are still spawning in the shallows in less than 4 ft of water and savvy anglers are also catching them in over 16 ft of open water. The bigger fish seem to be coming from the deeper water. The best presentation is a split shot rigged leaf worm or a hellgrammite. The best locations have been by Willow Point and by Browns Channel.

Northern Pike have returned to the weedline. They can be readily caught on lindy rigged suckers or suspended on a Thill slip bobber. The best locations have been west of the Yacht club or by the Village supper club. With the warming water, you have to remember bait maintenance is crucial. You want your suckers to be cool and aerated but not so cool that the shock of the lake water kills them. Make sure you temper the bait water with lake water.

Good luck and I hope to see you on the water. For guide parties, please call Dave Duwe at 608-883-2050

Daily Reports

6/19/11 - Lake Geneva, partly cloudy, 78 degrees. Water temp 65 degrees. Happy Fathers Day! We will be fishing for smallmouth bass in 10-14 ft of water and as many fish as we can catch. I'm taking a friend and two small children. The rock bass should be biting well and will keep the younger folks interested.

6/18/11 - Lake Geneva, sunny, 80 degrees, E winds at 10 mph. Water temp 64 degrees. Caught 5 largemouth, the biggest was 4 lbs. and one smallmouth, 22 inches. Lost 5 other fish. We had a terrible time keeping the fish on the hook. The best depth was 10-14 ft of water. The best location was west of Linn Pier. The biggest smallie came off of Conference Point.

6/13/11 - Lake Geneva, sunny, 72 degrees, NE winds at 12 mph. Water temp 62 degrees. Caught 2 smallmouth bass, both were legal and we lost the third. Caught 1 largemouth, 3.6 lbs and loads of rock bass. Fished by Belvidere Park and by Black Point with Black Point being the better choice. The best depth was 12-13 ft of water.

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.