Musky Shop Northwoods Fishing Report: Late July 2024
Greetings Everyone,
We hope you all are having a great fishing season. Fishing in Northern Wisconsin has been excellent. There are always a few days here and there that Muskies are off a bit but for the most part here in Oneida and Vilas County Musky fishing has been very good.
Muskies are still scattered as some are shallow, some near the initial weed edge, and some out in the main lake basins following bait fish. Most likely they will remain scattered until fall when the water temps begin to come down a bit. Our current water temps are in the 72–74-degree range. There may be a day or two where water temps creep up a bit but usually that is only for a few days and a cold front will move through and water temps come back down again thus keeping us in the low to mid 70's during the summer months.
For muskie lures to consider, a variety of lures will work. Soft plastics, Bucktails/Spinnerbaits, Jerkbaits, Crankbaits and Surface Baits. All of the aforementioned lures will work as you work them in and around cover. During summer months consider using a variety of baits. Start with a game plan in terms of lures to use and a game plan to cover from the shoreline out to the weed or structural edge. If one puts a little game plan together that will definitely aid in your success.
As for Walleye, they have been a bit deeper in the 20'-25' range in the deeper clear lakes. Redtail chubs, Leeches, and Crawlers have all been working. One can troll or jig all of these with success. Walleye lures such as floating Rapalas, and jigging soft plastics and Jiggin Raps are great presentations to consider.
Crappies, panfish, and bass are scattered a bit too. Good numbers are being caught in the weeds in the 5'-10' range. Live bait such as Fatheads, Crappie Minnows, Worms, Beavertails, and Leeches are all working as well as spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastics.
If you're planning a trip up to the Northwoods of Wisconsin please stop by or contact us as we would be happy to be of service to you. Our Musky Shop Guide staff has a few openings if you want to consider hiring a guide to help flatten the learning curve. One last thing to consider would be downloading the Musky360 app. This app has lots of fishing information to garner to aid in your success as well as videos and the Musky360 podcast that is super informative. Also, for more information yet please check out our YouTube channel Musky Shop as there are a ton of videos with literally hours of information. At the Musky shop our goal is to help you become successful and we love putting out information.
Well, that's it for this time around, please let us know if we can be of service to you as it would be our pleasure.
Good Fishing and God Bless,
Jim Stewart