Hayward Lakes VCB
06-29-2023, 02:06 PM
Musky:
Musky action is good and anglers should be aware of how to handle these fish in hot weather or perhaps wait for cooler temperatures to target musky. Find them around shallow to deep weeds, flats, points, breaklines, brush, and drop-offs. During the day, trolled Mattlocks and large crankbaits are productive in deep water. In the evening, smaller bucktails and topwaters work well on weed edges and drop-offs.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is fair to good, though warm temperatures slowed action recently. Look for fish on deep breaklines, brush, points, flats, weeds, weed edges, and other cover in 18-25 feet during the day. For the evening bite, concentrate on shallower weeds and weed edges in 4-12 feet with crankbaits, Beetle Spins, and live bait. Leeches on slip bobbers work best, but fish are also hitting minnows and crawlers, as well as trolled crawler harnesses, crankbaits, and minnow baits.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is fair to good, with many fish dispersing and moving to mid-depth and deeper locations around weeds, weed beds, and panfish and baitfish concentrations. Live bait, bucktails, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, crankbaits, and stickbaits are all very effective. For trophy pike, fish bigger baits in deeper water.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing is very good for fish on shallow to mid-depth weeds and weed beds, docks, sand bottoms, cribs, rock, slop, and lily pads. Baits of choice include live bait, Ned and drop-shot rigs, swim jigs, spinners, spinnerbaits, bucktails, and topwaters such as frogs, poppers, and prop baits.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing can be very good, but is inconsistent, with fish spread from shallow to deep. Look for structure such as weeds, wood, rock, cribs, as well as on flats. Live bait, Ned rigs, crankbaits, frogs and other topwaters are all producing catches of nice fish.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good to very good once you locate the schools. Find fish in/on/around shallow to deep weeds, weed flats, bogs, and brush. Top producing baits include crappie minnows, fatheads, Mini-Mites, plastics, and Gulp! Minnows on small jigs fished under slip bobbers, and small spinners and Beetle Spins.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is very good to excellent around shallow to mid-depth weeds, bogs, bays, humps, cribs, docks, and other structure. Best baits include waxies, leaf worms, leeches, crawler chunks, and Gulp! baits on small jigs, teardrops, and plain hooks fished with or without bobbers.
Musky action is good and anglers should be aware of how to handle these fish in hot weather or perhaps wait for cooler temperatures to target musky. Find them around shallow to deep weeds, flats, points, breaklines, brush, and drop-offs. During the day, trolled Mattlocks and large crankbaits are productive in deep water. In the evening, smaller bucktails and topwaters work well on weed edges and drop-offs.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is fair to good, though warm temperatures slowed action recently. Look for fish on deep breaklines, brush, points, flats, weeds, weed edges, and other cover in 18-25 feet during the day. For the evening bite, concentrate on shallower weeds and weed edges in 4-12 feet with crankbaits, Beetle Spins, and live bait. Leeches on slip bobbers work best, but fish are also hitting minnows and crawlers, as well as trolled crawler harnesses, crankbaits, and minnow baits.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is fair to good, with many fish dispersing and moving to mid-depth and deeper locations around weeds, weed beds, and panfish and baitfish concentrations. Live bait, bucktails, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, crankbaits, and stickbaits are all very effective. For trophy pike, fish bigger baits in deeper water.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing is very good for fish on shallow to mid-depth weeds and weed beds, docks, sand bottoms, cribs, rock, slop, and lily pads. Baits of choice include live bait, Ned and drop-shot rigs, swim jigs, spinners, spinnerbaits, bucktails, and topwaters such as frogs, poppers, and prop baits.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing can be very good, but is inconsistent, with fish spread from shallow to deep. Look for structure such as weeds, wood, rock, cribs, as well as on flats. Live bait, Ned rigs, crankbaits, frogs and other topwaters are all producing catches of nice fish.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good to very good once you locate the schools. Find fish in/on/around shallow to deep weeds, weed flats, bogs, and brush. Top producing baits include crappie minnows, fatheads, Mini-Mites, plastics, and Gulp! Minnows on small jigs fished under slip bobbers, and small spinners and Beetle Spins.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is very good to excellent around shallow to mid-depth weeds, bogs, bays, humps, cribs, docks, and other structure. Best baits include waxies, leaf worms, leeches, crawler chunks, and Gulp! baits on small jigs, teardrops, and plain hooks fished with or without bobbers.