July 19 Fishing report

FISHING REPORT – July 18, 2009

Hi Folks.

MUSKIES continue their hot bite. The weather might have been rainy & cold this past week, but musky activity has really been strong. Saturday we brought up 15 different muskies and boated a 44-incher while missing 3 others – all in the span of about 3 hours. Fish were coming up on virtually every lure we threw. Suicks, topwater, bulldogs, bucktails, minnow lures – they all produced action. The 44 came on a yellow bucktail. All the fish we’ve been finding have been in weeds out to water depths of 15 feet. This coming week should be interesting -- we have some scattered thunderstorms coming in around Tuesday – and these should trigger another massive day when it comes to musky fishing.

WALLEYES have still been a struggle on many area waters. I’m holding on to my last lake which has been producing some very good walleye action. Many of the other waters throughout the area have really shut down, but 15 out of the past 20 days with north or northwest winds and temps in the 50’s, have a tendency to do that this time of year. We’re supposed to see a change starting Monday that will bring us southerly winds and warmer temperatures. I’m really looking for this to perk up fishing activity. Jigs-tipped-with-nightcrawlers have been working the best and I’m concentrating in water depths of 12 to 15 feet on most inland lakes and 3 to 7 on flowages.

PERCH have been doing very well. We’ve been running across a lot of nice perch while walleye fishing. Hook, sinker and a slip-bobber setup has been very effective – tipped with a half a nightcrawlers and small hooked jigs also tipped with a half a nightcrawlers have worked well. The nicer fish are being found in a little deeper water, 12 and 13 feet along weeds.

That’s it for now. See you on the water. Jeff Winters