Madison, WI Fishing Report 6-16-2016
Summer is officially here, and with it come warm water temps and that signature "green" Madison water. With these warm water temperatures the fishing has been fairly decent. Panfish action has been hot as the spawn continues on both lakes Waubesa and Monona. Simple slip bobber rigs with live or artificial baits have been on fire, as well as utilizing less conventional tactics such as fly fishing.
Bass action has been fantastic with the majority of fish coming off the spawn looking to feed heavily. Most tactics have been proving successful in both shallow and deep water. Deep crankbaits, drop shot rigs, and spinnerbaits have been producing fish off weed edges, while jigs, jerkbaits, plastics, and topwaters have been producing in the shallows.
Walleye are being caught in their usual summertime haunts (deep weeds, rock humps, breaks, and even suspended following schooling baitfish). Trolling crawler harnesses has been working well, as well as casting shallow running jerkbaits such as Rapala X-Raps over weeds after dark.
Although the weather has been seemingly optimal for muskies, the action has been spotty at best. Few fish have been caught in the last week, however, most have been sizable, into the mid 40" range. Burning blades such as single 8's as well as topwaters have been producing fish casting, while shallow raiders have been puting fish in the boat while trolling. Keep in mind that the water temperatures are growing ever closer to the 80 degree mark. Muskies don't recover well in warm water, so once the water is over 80 degrees, it's time to lay off them and target other species until the water cools down closer to fall.
