Hayward Lakes VCB
07-29-2022, 12:49 PM
Fishing action is generally good--here's a breakdown by fish:
Musky:
Musky anglers are catching fish and finding them on weeds, points, humps, and cribs in depths to 22 feet or so, and adjacent to deep water. Bucktails, swimbaits, gliders, and jerkbaits from small to large fished slowly in early morning and evening are producing results, as is trolling big crankbaits and stickbaits.
Walleye:
Walleye action is fair to good, and deep weeds, wood, rock, sand, humps, points, and other structure can all hold fish. Try shallow and mid-depths early and late in the day. Leeches, crawlers, and minnows on jigs, slip bobbers, and harnesses work well, as do trolled and cast crankbaits and stickbaits.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is good in shallow to mid-depth weeds and lily pads. Best producers include spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, crankbaits, rattlebaits, buzzbaits, and live bait. For trophy pike, work bigger baits in deeper water.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing is good to very good on heavy weeds, weed beds, weedlines, lily pads, slop, and stumps from shallow to mid-depths. Best baits include swim jigs, Texas and drop-shot rigs, wacky worms, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, frogs, and topwaters.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good to very good with sucker minnows, crawlers, drop-shot and Ned rigs, plastics, crankbaits, swim jigs, and topwaters. Look for fish on deep rock, wood, cribs, humps, sand, and structure, and suspending.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good, steady, and best in early morning and late evening hours. Depending on the lake, fish are in 6-25 feet or deeper, in weeds and on weedlines, wood, cribs, brush, bogs, and other structure, and in deep basins. Crappie minnows, fatheads, plastics, Gulp! Minnows, and Mini-Mites all work.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is good to very good on weeds, wood, brush, bogs, and cribs in depths to 20 feet or so. Worms, leeches, crawlers, plastic, and Gulp! baits, fished on various jigs and plain hooks, with or without bobbers, will do the job.
Perch:
Perch fishing is good in/on shallow to mid-depth weeds, basins, and sandy shorelines. Crappie minnows, fatheads, crawler chunks, waxies, worms, and plastics can all entice a bite.
Musky:
Musky anglers are catching fish and finding them on weeds, points, humps, and cribs in depths to 22 feet or so, and adjacent to deep water. Bucktails, swimbaits, gliders, and jerkbaits from small to large fished slowly in early morning and evening are producing results, as is trolling big crankbaits and stickbaits.
Walleye:
Walleye action is fair to good, and deep weeds, wood, rock, sand, humps, points, and other structure can all hold fish. Try shallow and mid-depths early and late in the day. Leeches, crawlers, and minnows on jigs, slip bobbers, and harnesses work well, as do trolled and cast crankbaits and stickbaits.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is good in shallow to mid-depth weeds and lily pads. Best producers include spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, crankbaits, rattlebaits, buzzbaits, and live bait. For trophy pike, work bigger baits in deeper water.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing is good to very good on heavy weeds, weed beds, weedlines, lily pads, slop, and stumps from shallow to mid-depths. Best baits include swim jigs, Texas and drop-shot rigs, wacky worms, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, buzzbaits, frogs, and topwaters.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good to very good with sucker minnows, crawlers, drop-shot and Ned rigs, plastics, crankbaits, swim jigs, and topwaters. Look for fish on deep rock, wood, cribs, humps, sand, and structure, and suspending.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good, steady, and best in early morning and late evening hours. Depending on the lake, fish are in 6-25 feet or deeper, in weeds and on weedlines, wood, cribs, brush, bogs, and other structure, and in deep basins. Crappie minnows, fatheads, plastics, Gulp! Minnows, and Mini-Mites all work.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is good to very good on weeds, wood, brush, bogs, and cribs in depths to 20 feet or so. Worms, leeches, crawlers, plastic, and Gulp! baits, fished on various jigs and plain hooks, with or without bobbers, will do the job.
Perch:
Perch fishing is good in/on shallow to mid-depth weeds, basins, and sandy shorelines. Crappie minnows, fatheads, crawler chunks, waxies, worms, and plastics can all entice a bite.