College classes and pre-fishing for the R.C.L. League Super Tournament on Lake Winnebago has kept me from spending very much time on my home waters (Lake Menomin). But, I was able to get out for a while this morning and the summer trolling bite seems to be heating up!
The few times I have trolled for ‘eyes on Menomin this year has not been met with much success. There was plenty of multi-species action and we seemed to catch a lot of short walleyes. However, the better fish seem to be showing up. The bites weren’t as plentiful today, but the quality of fish was a definite plus. The biggest ‘eye boated today was a chunky 18” fish. I also caught a fair number of northerns as well and was surprised by their overall size. Typically you catch quite a few “hammer handle” pike on this lake, but today they were a little bit chunkier with the best one going 24”.
The hot bait for today was the “Winning Streak” made by Dave’s Lures (see above picture). These baits seemed to produce my better fish. The jointed shad raps were a close second. I concentrated on breaks and humps that ranged in depth from 7 – 12 feet. With the water temps finally warming up, these fish seemed to want the baits moving a little faster. There was a fair amount of junk in the water, so I had to constantly monitor the baits to make sure they were running clean. I really only found one small concentration of fish today so the key was to keep those baits moving to locate active fish.
I have a feeling that this bite is only going to get better as the water continues to warm and get greener. If you’ re in the area, give Menomin a try. We’ll see you on the water (green water)!