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Northern fishing good on Delavan Lake

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Geneva Lake, May 29-June 5, 2011

With continued cooler temperatures the lake is still pretty cold but an expected warm up this week will really help get the water temps up and the fish in some more normal patterns.

The smallmouth bass are still in transition. I've seen some that are spawning and some that wish they were. Most of the fish are suspended in 12-15 ft of water. The best location is by Belvidere Park and Elgin Club. Most of my fish are coming off of fat head minnows or white hair jigs. The fish are not associating with the bottom, they are suspended in the water column 3-4 ft off bottom.

Rock bass are aggressively hitting throughout the lake. The bigger fish were caught at Belvidere Park last week. Pretty much every place I fished last week we caught rock bass. They were biting the white hair jig and the nightcrawlers equally as well. The best depth was 12 ft and less.

Largemouth bass can be caught in the shallows. My best success was in Abbey harbor which is the warmest water on the lake. I was throwing split shot rigged nightcrawlers. Some of the bass I caught this week were over 3 lbs. I did fish in Geneva Bay with limited success. The day that I fished there, the water temp was 5 degrees less than the rest of the lake. Once the water temps increase, fishing should improve greatly. One of the spots I would check next week is Trinkes Bay in 5-6 ft of water. You either want to fish a split shot rigged nightcrawlers or cast a Senko in green pumpkin color.

Bluegills are in and around the piers. They can be caught on leaf worms fished beneath a bobber and a small ice jig. The best location is by Williams Bay or Geneva Bay. You can sight fish them to catch the bigger fish. There are a lot of small ones mixed in with the bigger fish. With warming water temp the bluegill fishing will also improve.

I haven't fished for or heard of anyone catching any Walleyes yet. I assume that the bite is the best at night in the shallow weed flats. Try for them in 10-12 ft of water and try chrome/blue or chrome/black Rapala Husky jerks.

Delavan Lake, May 29-June 5, 2011

Summer is here, too bad the weather hasn't been all that cooperative. It is improving though and we are expecting seasonal temperatures for the coming week.

Northern pike fishing remains excellent. The pike are in 11-13 ft of water on the weed flats. They are being caught on Thill slip bobbers fished with small suckers or large golden shiners. You can still get away with using golden shiners because the water temperatures are cold enough. With warmer water, the golden shiners tend to die quickly at which point I will switch to all suckers. Most of the action is coming out of the Highlands bay or by Browns Channel.

Walleye fishing has been good at night. A good night is about 10-15 fish. With clear water the fish are in 10-15 ft of water. Medium diving crank baits or Smithwick rattling Rogues are producing most of the action. The best color is chrome/blue or fire tiger. Good locations are by Willow Point, Assembly Park and by Browns Channel.

Bluegills are in two patterns. They can be caught in 3-4 ft of water and I've also caught them in 11-12 ft of water. With the cooler water, they have not spawned yet. The bigger fish that I've found tend to be in the deeper water by Browns Channel. The best approach is slip bobbering them with a Thill slip bobber and a piece of nightcrawler or a leaf worm. Some of the bluegills I caught last week were over 9 inches.

Largemouth bass are still trying to spawn but they are bit screwed up with the cold water. Most of the fish are 3-4 ft of water. They can be caught on Yum Dingers. Green pumpkin or the root beer colors are the best choice. Look for the fish in Highlands Bay, Viewcrest Bay or by the golf course at Lake Lawn.

Crappie fishing remains very steady. Most of my fish are coming out of the 11-13 ft depth range. They are being caught on slip bobber rigged fat head minnows or on small plastics. The best colored plastic seems to be purple. Look for the fish by Willow Point or by Belvidere Park.

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

Daily Reports

5/29/11 - Delavan Lake, 56 degrees, foggy and cloudy, winds calm, water temp 58 degrees. Caught 11 largemouth, 1 walleye and 4 northern pike. All the fish were caught on split shot rigged nightcrawlers in 3-4 ft of water near Lake Lawn Lodge. The northern pike were caught on large golden shiners near Browns Channel.

5/28/11 - Delavan Lake, 40 degrees, cloudy, winds W at 15-20 mph. Water temp 58 degrees. Caught 14 largemouth, the biggest was just shy of 5 lbs. and 5 northern pike. Fished nightcrawlers on a split shot rig in 3-4 ft of water. Fished by the outlet and by Lake Lawn. Northern Pike were caught on large golden shiners fished on a slip bobber in 11 ft of water. The key was keeping the bait 2 ft above the weeds, we were fishing near Browns Channel.

5/27/11 - Lake Geneva, 55 degrees, sunny, wind E at 15-20 mph. Water temp 56 degrees. Caught 9 largemouth - 3 were legal, 3 smallmouth - 2 were legal. Fished in Abbey harbor with nightcrawlers on a split shot rig. Did catch one of the bigger largemouth on the top water lure. The smallmouth bass came by Belvidere Park and by Elgin Club. The bite was pretty slow.

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.