Cooler than average temperatures have made for some comfortable fishing conditions and the bite around the greater Wausau area continues to be solid. Some very nice walleyes have been caught and released within the past week by anglers targeting deep current breaks, such as those found near bridges, neck-down areas, and even below dams. Large live bait offerings have been producing the best, either presented on jigs or on a slip-sinker style rig.
The channel catfish bite has seemed to continue to increase as summer has progressed, and the past week has been no exception. While some fish are being caught casting artificial lures such as crank baits and jig-and-plastic combinations, the best bite is occurring on natural baits such as fresh cut bait or a gob of night crawlers.
Largemouth bass fishermen are finding fish biting readily and holding in classic summer haunts such as near thick woody cover, below docks, and in the slop. An often overlooked fish here in the greater Wausau area, there are some true trophy specimens available. Weedless surface lures and buzzbaits have been working well, as have jig-and-pig combinations and spinnerbaits in brighter color combinations such as orange and chartreuse.
Anglers looking to tangle with resident smallmouth bass should try throwing lipless crank baits, popper style surface lures, or in-line spinners in and around logs, stumps, and rocky areas exposed to current. While the bite has been solid throughout the day, the afternoon into evening period has seemed to produce the most action of late. Again, areas containing current are producing the most consistent action.
The overall lack of rain has seen water levels continue to drop, and this is true for the local trout streams as well. While the lower water levels has fish more concentrated in deeper pools and cuts, the fish are skittish and wary, requiring stealthy presentations to score. Fly-fishing has been an excellent tactic, as has casting ultralight in-line spinners and crank baits; don’t overlook the night-time fishing opportunities.
Musky activity has been steady, with good numbers of fish in the mid-thirty to mid-forty inch range aggressive, with larger fish available as well. Single bladed bucktails have been working well, as has twitching crank baits; perch, firetiger, and orange have been top colors. Surface baits have been moving a lot of fish, with both prop style and walk-the-dog type lures being productive. For fish that are following and not committing, creeper and wobbler style surface lures have been productive “toss back” offerings. Enjoy the last month of summer, I’ll see you on the water…
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