I had a chance to dip the boat in the backyard gem this afternoon with Larry and Brent from Chicago. These two guys had popped a couple of Wissota ‘skis in the morning and then hopped in my boat for an afternoon of chasing eyes. We scratched and clawed a few decent slot fish into the boat mid-afternoon up in the Chip, but all heck broke loose in the Yellow River as sun dipped low into the sky. Our key presentation was to pitch minnow-tipped 1/16 oz B-Fish-N tackle precision jigs up to a south facing shoreline in a bay that had water temps just a tad warmer than most places we had visited. By day’s end we ended up with a 3-man limit of keeper eyes (in addition to about a half-dozen slot fish and a similar number of small unders), 5 or 6 smallies, a pike, a perch, and one small flathead that Brent is frying up with some hushpuppies right now.
Water temps in the lake are 57-58, with 54-55 up in the Chip. Most of the green is gone except along downwind shorelines. A couple of weeks of good fishing on the backyard gem should be on the horizon. Get out there and enjoy!
