Wisconsin may be known for great Cheese and Beer, but we also have a State covered with amazing lakes.  Most of our great lakes are located in Northern Wisconsin, which features the Minocqua Lakes, Hayward Lakes, Bayfield County Lakes and Door County Lakes.  Wisconsin Lakes are prime for Walleye Fishing, Northern Pike Fishing and Bass Fishing.  With incredible fishing lakes like: Lake Geneva, Castle Rock Lake, Lake Winnebago, Green Lake and the Great Lake Michigan, you are sure to catch your limit on these and most Wisconsin Lakes.  If you enjoy your stay at one of our fine Wisconsin Resorts, you may be interested in searching for Wisconsin Lake Homes and Lake Property for sale on one of your favorite WI Lakes.  The Wisconsin Dells is also one of the most popular tourist and vacation destinations in the Midwest.  You can come to Wisconsin for the Cheese and Beer, but you will stay for the Beautiful Wisconsin Lakes.

Wisconsin Fishing Reports

Bluegills continue to be very active along deeper weed lines in 12-22 feet of water. A small jig or hook baited with a giant redworm, small leech or waxworm has worked best. A 1/32-ounce jig-and-plastic combo such as a Dick Smith's Panfish Grub or Cubby Mini-Mite along with black ant flies also produced many gills. Tip these with a waxworm or spike for best results. Vertical jigging is the best way to present these baits.

Perch can be found along weed lines in 16-22 feet of water, tight to the bottom. A 1/32-ounce jig baited with spikes, crab tail, giant redworm or plastic has produced best.

Northern pike fishing continues to be very good. Deeper weed lines in 15-25 feet of water will hold bigger pike. A slip-sinker rig or jig baited with a medium sucker or large golden shiner has worked best. Casting around weeds in 6-12 feet of water with spinner baits, chatter baits, crank baits or Mepps spinners has produced many smaller pike.

Largemouth bass action best along outside weed lines in 8-15 feet of water. Texas-rigged plastics, drop-shot rigs, jig-and-craw combos, wacky jigs, swim baits and crank baits have produced. Nightcrawlers, large golden shiners or small suckers work best for live bait. Fishing around piers or slop also has produced a few fish. Use wacky worms, shaky heads, tubes or nightcrawlers around piers, while plastic frogs work best in the slop. During early morning and evening, fish the weed flats using top-water baits such as buzz baits, poppers, Jitterbugs or spooks.

Smallmouth bass can be found around deep structure in 20-30 feet of water. Drop-shot rigs, skirted grubs, small suckers or leeches have worked best.

Walleye are being caught by fishing around structure in 16-25 feet of water. Drifting or trolling with nightcrawlers or leeches on spinner rigs has produced. A jig baited with a half-nightcrawler, leech or medium golden shiner also will work well. Trolling crank baits also has produced, especially at night.

Musky action has been OK as most of the fish are found along deeper structure. Trolling crank baits along breaks or over deeper water has produced. Casting Bulldawgs, jerk baits, bucktails or soaking suckers also has worked well.

Good-sized chinook salmon have treated the Milwaukee trollers on Lake Michigan. The action moves into the 60- to 75-foot depths with westerly winds, and then out to 80 to100 feet with easterly winds. In either case the fish have been active early and late in the day from St. Mary's down to the north shore. Spoons in a wide variety of colors run off downriggers or full lead core down 45 to 80 feet has been very effective. Big white, pearl or cracked-ice flashers trailing white, light blue or green flies have also worked well when the spoons have been slow. Chinook in the 20-pound range have been present along with a few lake trout and coho salmon.

Wisconsin Walleye Fishing Tips

1. Back trolling with a slip-sinker rig is the best means of locating Walleye. Begin your fishing trip by using bait-fish, but always carry a few night crawlers or leeches. Sometimes when the fish are using heavy cover such as weeds, stumps, or boulders, it may be necessary to use a slip-bobber rig, which is most effective when fished with natural bait in snag-infested locations. Specialized jig heads which stand at a 45 degree angle when on the bottom and tipped with a large minnow, can produce fish when others fail.

2. When walleye are associated with aquatic vegetation, one of the best techniques for night-time fishing is long-lining with a minnow shaped floater-diver plug or a night crawler-leech on a harness. Let out 120 to 150 feet of line and troll the bait just above the weed line so it occasionally touches the plants. After dark cast crank-baits over shallow bars, land points and rock reefs for walleye.

3. When you get into mid-summer, one of the best places to focus on is the deepest part of the lake and the adjacent deep weedlines. This is by far the premium part of the lake where the food chain is most active this time of year. Walleyes use these areas to push bait into the bank and feed on them at the base of the weeds.

4. The deeper you are fishing, the longer a fishing rod you want for a good hookset. A longer rod is more flexible and provides better leverage. Walleyes are finicky in mid-summer, so use a 7-footer for bobber-fishing and deep rigging. If you are long-line trolling, running boards or lead-core fishing, you want a longer rod in the 8-foot range.

5. When the summer heat warms the water to its peak temperatures, usually in the high 70s, baitfish move from their preferred weedy locations into the cooler waters of the lake, making them easier to target. One of the best techniques is to troll the outside of these weeds, which is usually 15 to 20 feet deep.

If you love fishing in Wisconsin and know you'll want to return year after year, you may want to consider purchasing a timeshare in your favorite region of the state. Timeshares are a budget-friendly and convenient alternative to renting a hotel room because they offer pre-paid, weeklong accommodation at the resort of your choice. You can save even more money on your Wisconsin timeshare if you buy resale.  When you buy timeshare from a previous owner you can often save thousands off the resort price. Finally, if you're not yet ready to purchase property, but would still like to spend a relaxing week fishing the many lakes of Wisconsin, you may want to rent timeshare. There are dozens of timeshare rentals on the resale market, and, with so many choices, you can find the perfect one for you.