Thank you everyone for your recent inquiries and trip reservations. Before my desk job gets busier this winter, I wanted to post an itinerary of what this upcoming 2025 fishing season could look like from the perspective from my boat…. and as a guide for you as you consider which month(s) to fish and schedule your tips with us.

While you could be preparing your 2025 fishing trip plans, or in the early stages of them, it’s never too early to consider a fully guided bass fishing trip on the inland waters of Northern Wisconsin.

Please be mindful that May, June, September, October are the most demanding and popular fishing trip months for smallmouths only. This is due to excellent fishing and trophy fish potential every day.

Northwoods Bass Fishing Adventures, LLC specializes in trophy bass fishing on the inland lakes of Northern Wisconsin. Based in Minocqua, WI, we offer unique specialty fishing trips such as trophy hunts, numbers days, technique-specific workshops, lake-learn sessions, wilderness adventures, plus more. 10 years into this, we are still the only Wisconsin specialty bass fishing guide service and information resource of its kind.

I always give my loyal repeat customers first priority and opportunities at re-booking with me, on peak season weeks and especially during the weeks I plan on fishing. Many of my loyal and closest repeat guests understand how I schedule throughout the year – in order to accommodate my family life and work life also. I schedule most of my fishing times and commutes from IL to revolve around peak windows throughout my 6 month season. Many of our trips and fishing weeks are centered around the moon periods, pre-spawn and post-spawn, spring-summer-fall peaks, and other odds for best conditions.

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To begin the 2025 fishing season, I am only scheduling from ice-out which can be anytime in April through month of June.

Just like last year’s early ice out by late March, I fully expect to be fishing by the last week of April. Backwater largemouths and ice out smallmouths are early season favorites.

The months of May and June will run about the same as they have in prior seasons, but if I am not booked a minimum of 5 days per week I have no incentive to fish much. I have a wife, home, and work to be at instead.

May trips will take place following Mother’s Day weekend through Memorial Day Weekend. The only weekends that are off-limits in May will be walleye opener weekend, and Mother’s Day weekend. All spring trips are full day only.

In June, we ramp up fishing activity following the completion of bass spawn. When spawn starts and concludes depends on weather, climate, and water temperature. But after first week of June we are in the clear for most activities. I do not host bed fishing trips, so do not waste my time in inquiring if that is of interest. Usually the month of June is excellent and dependable for action trips. Each day, the expectation can be numbers and good average size. Trophies are harder to come by, due to recovery from spawn and forage overabundance. To take advantage of bass numbers and other multi-species opportunities, I am currently scheduling June trips from roughly June 5th thru the 20th. June peak periods center around the mayfly hatch, and this is a prime time for smallmouth fishing if topwaters and surface lures are of interest. Half day trips are available in June, but on weekdays only.

Despite the high traffic and congestion on our lakes in mid summer, July and August can be great months too, so for mid-summer I urge you to please consider mid-week trips if possible. Favorite mid-summer trips revolve heavily around trophy largemouth bass and the progression of summer peak. Largemouth trips are a personal favorite. By the time the crayfish molt occurs in late July and nice daily weather gives us consistent patterns, smallmouth fishing greatly picks up, where action and trophies become the daily norms. Open water and pelagic fishing strategies for smallmouths are also a personal favorite for the summer months.

Later in the year, we look forward to September and October trips. September and October dates are all scheduled out for full day trips in which we exclusively prioritize trophy hunts and big fish trips only. The quality trophy fish water I have us work daily puts us in the best position possible to catch these fish. This is my favorite season of them all due to big fish abundance and vulnerabilities. Much of the fishing we do from Labor Day through early October revolves around casting and power fishing atop shallow flats. These strategies cater to proficient casters – intermediate anglers and better. September month books quickly and tends to get filled by late July, and I usually have a wait list that follows. In 2024, my boat caught 44 smallmouths measuring 20-inches and larger from Labor Day through mid November.

Please be flexible, open minded to the thought that other species could be more active than smallmouths on some days, and give strong consideration to scheduling weekday trips during summer season.

Thank you for your consideration, and hope this itinerary helps shape your trip planning with us.

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April

Assuming ice out occurs before or during third week of April, I am preparing to fish the last week of April into the first few days of May as this week is usually my “spring break – vacation week”. Early season smallmouths and largemouths are favorites of mine. Prioritize midday and afternoon fishing times. Crappies can be mixed in as well, in between. All ice out trips would be full day only.

• Backwater largemouths
• Swim jig and warm water jungle fishing largemouth early season
• Largemouth bass lake hopping
• Flowage smallmouth
• Wisconsin river system smallmouths (1 angler only)
• Staging smallmouth on lakes
• Coldwater tactics for smallmouth
• Crappies

^ Backwater largemouths – if you love casting swim jigs or chatterbaits and fishing shallow water and cover, you’ll love this combat fishing.
 

May

May trips can run first days of the month before and after walleye opener, and after Mother’s Day Weekend until we see it being still worthwhile. May weather has been God-awful these last several years, between massive cold fronts shutting down the activity, to intense heat waves that prompt fish to being nesting without any regard for their surroundings. May 2024, however, was very nice in that smallmouths were prompted to already build nests by May 13th. Ice-out timelines and climate ultimately dictates spawning movements, which is something we have no control of. Traditionally, the spring peak and best fishing of the month takes place from third weekend in May through the end of month. Last year, spring peak was the first week of May. Prioritize midday and afternoon fishing times. All May trips are full day only.

• Lipless cranking largemouth
• Swim jig and warm water jungle fishing largemouth early season
• Largemouth bass lake hopping
• Big water smallmouth and trophy hunts only
• River and flowage smallmouth
• Cold water paddletail and rip jigging smallmouth
• Suspended jerkbait and fluke minnow fishing for smallmouth
• All pre-spawn fishing for smallmouth
• Crappies

^ Longtime and repeat customer, and good friend, Jason Norris with a trophy smallmouth he ended a May trip day on. Jason fishes with us 3 to 4 times per year, and each trip I give him new experiences and bring him to new destinations.

 

June

June is a top month for action and numbers. Depending on the vacation schedule, this year we will be fishing roughly June 5th through the 20th. Despite not hosting any bed fishing trips, I always have workarounds to the dilemma, whether it is fishing different water bodies, rivers, or temporarily seeking other species. Throughout June, finesse plastics and tube fishing produces huge numbers. Topwaters can too, on calm humid days. Hair jigs are a top producer for numbers and if mayfly hatches are present. Don’t want smallmouths? Largemouth bass explode in June, and I personally enjoy fishing them most during this month. Largemouth are more responsive on foul weather days and anytime smallmouths aren’t going. Additionally, their spawn finishes quickest, fish recover quickly, and we enter their summer patterns. On junk weather days, my preference is to do mixed bag fishing – a foreign concept to most. June is a great month for walleyes and pike, as some bass fisheries we visit contain them both. June 2024 was excellent on both numbers and on size, with the bite peaking during the third week of the month. Half day trips are available in June, weekdays only.

• Post spawn largemouth and smallmouth
• Drop shot and finesse plastics smallmouth
• Wacky worm largemouth
• Mayfly hatch and hair jigs
• River systems and flowages early month
• Smallmouth cranking
• Topwater smallmouth
• Frog fishing largemouth
• LMB and SMB numbers fishing
• Multi-species and mixed bag trips (walleyes and pike)

 

The entire tackle box is open in June. This is an awesome month because every day can fish differently. All species of fish are active and feeding heavily.
 

July 

Summer fishing patterns are in play, and summer peak happens. The 4th of July Holiday week delivers the most boat and vehicle traffic too, and I won’t be guiding anywhere that week. With heat and high fishing pressure & boating traffic, I only fish in July during the second half of the month. During busy weekends I will also stay away from popular lakes with heavy recreational (non fishing) boat traffic. My July trips ONLY take place during the third and fourth weeks of the month. This time of season early mornings, evenings/nights, and traveling to lakes off the beaten path are prioritized. Largemouth bass fishing peaks on the season, where we hunt for trophies.

• Night fishing smallmouth
• AM and late PM topwater smallmouth
• Power cranking smallmouth
• Swimbait and suspended open water smallmouth
• Cisco lakes
• Mayfly hatch smallmouth
• Surface frog and slop fishing largemouth
• Crayfish patterns and the molt
• Onboard and offshore
• Bluegill patterning largemouths
• Remote & wilderness lakes

 

July is an accommodating month if you seek action and numbers. I am able to host anglers of all skill levels and fishing backgrounds. Trophy largemouths are tops in my boat if considering summer trips.
 

August 

The same fishing patterns and strategies from end of July carry-over into August. The fishing improves drastically at the onset of summer peak, as trophy hunting patterns become more predictable. Much of the fishing we do is out in deeper depths; for smallmouths onboard and offshore, and mid-depth and deep structure. I prioritize targeting the deep and cooler-water pelagic and cisco based fisheries, and lakes with high crayfish populations.

Largemouth fishing peaks on the year too, with us frequently fishing algae-bloomed and shallow eutrophic lakes, targeting offshore locations and 10-15ft grass and weedlines where greater catch rates and giant fish can be had. Depending on water temps and weather, some shallow water opportunity is available early and late in the day.

In August, we prefer targeting mostly trophy largemouths and trophy smallmouths. Schedule is TBD due to personal vacations being likely.

• Night fishing smallmouth
• AM and late PM topwater smallmouth
• Power cranking smallmouth
• Swimbait and suspended open water smallmouth
• Surface frog and slop fishing largemouth
• Bluegill pattern largemouth
• Crayfish patterns and the molt
• Ned rigs
• Drop shots
• Onboard and offshore

 

 

September

Most September trips are booked by mid summer. This is the big transition month when all fishing, strategies, location, and lake selection is based on weather and the timing of turnover. Most days of the week, we will be on lower density trophy fisheries where the expectation is fewer bites but big fish. Catching 10 to 20 fish per day from these waters is a good day, and about average. Our September and fall lake rotation only consists of 10 to 15 different lakes, and we’ll camp on a single lake per day. If you are looking to experience new lakes or lake-hop, this is NOT the time of year to do so. Nearly all of our September month fishing revolves around shorelines, huge expansive flats, and weedlines where casting search lures and moving baits catches them all. Patterns depend on the forage and water temps, but following young of the year perch schools throughout the lake often pays off for catching big smallmouth. Paddletails, swimbaits, football jigs, and crankbaits are some of our preferred methods.

September trips can take place all month, but typically start around September 15th. This month is commonly in-demand by my most serious anglers and die-hards.

September is my favorite month of fishing, and for smallmouth we prioritize trophy hunting and full day trips only. We might fish only 1 lake that day only. I reserve these months for my experienced and experts. THIS IS NOT THE MONTH FOR NUMBERS AND FAST ACTION.

• Swimbait and suspended open water smallmouth
• River and flowage smallmouth
• Midday and afternoon fishing times prioritized
• Shallow flats swimbaits and lipless cranking smallmouth
• Offshore and deep grass largemouth
• Vertical jigging smallmouth
• Football jigging
• Blade baits and rip baits
• Largemouths on Indian summer days
• Muskies (repeat anglers only please)

 

September is full day trophy hunts only where we prioritize seeking the biggest fish of the year. September is my most popular month of the year, high demand, and most dates get filled by early August. Most years, September has a 100% occupancy.
 

October & November

I don’t host wintering trips because exploitation of wintering holes and sensitive lake locations isn’t of interest, and I really don’t want to show you my secret honey holes. October fishing is similar to September’s strategy. Except after mid-month we enter post-turnover and coldwater period. Many of the same fishing strategies from September are still utilized in early October. After turnover mid-month, almost 100% of our fishing is over deep water, incorporating jigging, casting, and position fishing. Most days we will also incorporate the usage of specialized livebait rigging, running my spreads off the back end of the boat.

We will continue fishing shallow until turnover. And this could last through the first week of October. Once we start seeing signs of turnover and the water temps drop to 58-59, we’ll take a break from the bass and guided trips for a week or two until things stabilize down below.

Most bass trips for the year are completed by turnover, but I keep the 3rd and 4th weeks of the month always open before I call it quits for the year as weather and fishing can be very productive. A pro-longed productive season may still continue into late month into early November depending on weather, climate, water temps, and ice formation. We are done bass fishing for the year by the time water temps reach the low-40’s. During October month, the tackle box closes. I also limit my lake selection to a rotation of about 5 to 10 different lakes whose fall patterns and locations have been specialized. October trips are full day only. Midday and afternoon hours prioritized.

• River and flowage smallmouth
• Midday and afternoon fishing times prioritized
• Shallow flats swimbaits and lipless cranking smallmouth
• Deep water position fishing
• Vertical jigging smallmouth
• Football jigging
• Blade baits and rip baits
• Live bait rigging
• Muskies (repeat anglers only please)

 

October trips are full day trophy hunts, and smallmouth trips only. Midday and afternoon hours are prioritized daily. We’ll only fish 1 lake for the full day. This is not a numbers month. Live minnows are carried in the boat for insurance purposes. Trips can last through end of the month, weather and water temps permitting. 

 

Please contact me directly to make your reservations by e-mail, or telephone. This will help give you an idea for scheduling your 2025 fishing trips and vacations to the northwoods. I ask you all to consider weekday and mid-week trips when possible. Usually, we are the only boat on some waters.

I’ll be keeping flexible this year, while prioritizing the top-4 months as I’ve highlighted, and have no problem making frequent back-and-forth commutes between here and where I live.

Thank you so much for considering Northwoods Bass Fishing Adventures, LLC

 

Andrew Ragas
Northwoods Bass Fishing Adventures, LLC
Licensed and Insured
Specializing in Northern Wisconsin inland bass fishing

tel: 708-256-2201
email: andrew@northwoodsbass.com
web: www.northwoodsbass.com