Northwoods Bass Fishing Report – End of Summer, 2018

Summer 2018 has produced the most 90 degree or hotter days, the past handful of seasons combined. Even though the heat has delivered some of the most explosive big bass fishing of the season, I’m so over it and the heat, and ready for fall to come. Winter can take its sweet time arriving this year, however.

I haven’t hosted trips since the first week of August due to vacations and desk work. Even though we’re on a short break until after Labor Day, I’m still fishing.

I recently spent a full week of fun fishing, August 10th thru 16th. First time all year I got to fun fish a full week and do things I otherwise haven’t been able to do all summer. Lots of multi-species fishing, relaxation, and precious time spent in the northwoods with my sweetheart Amanda.

Big fish locations and behaviors are predictable most days, and big bass are where they are supposed to be right now. Even though the water temps have been 76-82 degrees for most of the month, the big fish bite was the best it’s been all summer. With great weather comes bigger and longer feeding windows, patterns that last several days, and awesome fishing.

What’s Happening Now

The big bass express has been excellent due to warm weather, high pressure, and easy to pattern fish.

Water temperatures remain stable, but when they cool down, fish will focus more on baitfish and start their fall movements by congregating around deep weeds and offshore locations. Right now, largemouth bass are the better of the two bites, and their locations are correlating with YOY bluegills. Offshore, and deep weeds. Catching them on surface frogs, topwaters, swim jigs, deep diving cranks, and swimbaits is a blast. If fishing shallows, you will find steady action from pads, slop, piers, and wood. On any hot and humid calm day, my favorite method to fishing is working a surface frog thru pads and slop, and finding schools of juvenile bluegills that largemouth schools will gang up on.

Largemouth bass are providing the most consistent fishing and catch rates when weather stays warm, and it remains. During recent heat waves like we’ve experienced the past few weeks, their fishing has been unbeatable and action packed. My recommendation is to fish LMB’s during coldfront and high heat days. The species always responds best to adverse conditions. Average days have produced 20 to 40 fish from action and trophy fish waters.

Deep weedlines, laydowns and shoreline wood, flooded tamarack swamp bushes, edges of deep or isolated weed humps are my main targets on most mesotrophic and eutrophic lakes. Jigs with craw trailers, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, swimbaits, swim jigs, and 5 inch stick baits are my lure choices. If fishing shallow weed infested eutrophic lakes, slop and pads offering shade and protection are ideal spots, and best fished with brush-guard jigs and creature baits, surface frogs, and swim jigs.

As we progress into August and head towards Labor Day weekend and into September, there will be continued movements of smallmouth into the shallows as long as water temps remain in the low 70’s and cooler. This will relate to presence of forage and cooling water temperatures. Rock bars and offshore points are great areas to start. Then we will have the perch migrations, and a lot of fish will be found utilizing deep weedlines and ganging up on the perch.

August could have delivered the best big fish guide trips of the year, but it was much better spending precious quality boat time with my better half. Hardcore fishing in the early AM’s, followed by nightly SMB cruises. Heat wave had the big bass going, and it was a great relaxed vacation week filled with big bass and many memories.

Water temps 78-82 degrees (bad for midday efforts). Daytime fish deeper 10-20ft, while early am’s and nights had location shifts back shallow to the tops of rock bars and shoreline flats.

Amanda’s biggest fishing goal recently was to best her 19.5″ PB, and to top the 20 inch mark. She got it the other week, with this 20 incher she caught during a nighttime outing we went on.

Largemouth bass fishing has been on fire recently too. This summer has produced the most trophy caliber largemouth we’ve ever experienced.

Fish using deep green weedlines (10-15ft zones), and thick coontail and near-shore slop areas have been easy to pattern. The late summer heat wave has them easy to locate and predictable, and are the best bite in hot weather.

During vacation week, Amanda and I got into very good bites with several fish in the 19 to 20″ range. Morning and midday efforts produced best fish and action. Once water temps topped off at a certain number (80’ish degrees), the fishing and activity levels then died.

Small Wisconsin lakes are full of surprises. This 34 inch pike greeted me with a blast and explosion on the swimbait. Following quick photo she swam off to continue her open water patrol and herding/ population control on stunted panfish.

Larger northern pike, 30 inches and up, are becoming rare. I sure wish the DNR can manage pike some day, and we get some lakes in the region to have special northern pike regulations. Don’t you agree? A few of them can rear beauties, and fish way bigger than this. Some of these lakes with quality pike don’t have any muskies or other competing gamefish in them altogether

September Fishing Forecast

Despite the recent rain and a slight cooldown, the water temps will remain in the upper 60’s to low 70’s for perhaps another week. Fish are still holding on shallow and mid-depth humps and rock structures. Some are also on wood and cribs too. Where deep weedlines remain healthy and young of year perch are schooling, SMB and LMB have followed to these same locations for feeding. But take note, most weedgrowth is horrible this year on many lakes, making this pattern unreliable unlike previous seasons.

Expect some pre-fall/ pre-turnover movements beginning to take place this week, but not until the first major cooldown of fall, and when turnover time comes (at 55-60 degs).

I always look forward to this time of season as more bass will be moving into the shallows and feeding on baitfish until turnover period (55-58 deg range). A pattern I like to capitalize on for this time of season is locating migrating schools of yellow perch along the deep and still green weedlines. Usually I find this dynamic in depths from 5 to 15 feet.

As the waters cool, smallmouth are also setting up in areas with deep structure in preparation for late fall and winter. These fish are being located in small schools along shallow and mid depth humps with access into deep water, main lake points and secondary points, flats, and deep offshore points and rock humps. Ledges with boulder and wood have probably had the best fishing and most quality catches, IMO.

I’ve been catching fish from these areas on ned rigs, leech pattern jig worms, deep diving crankbaits, football jigs, hula grubs and tubes, and swimbaits.

To those of you who have been early fall bass fishing this week, if you find the right lake where prey and predator are both active together, you will enjoy extraordinary fishing once dialed in. If one lake is poor and lifeless, jump on to the next.

Whether seeking trophies, or looking for a challenging experience in learning new water, early autumn until fall turnover is my favorite time of year for giant bass. We have a fair number of crappy days to look forward to and deal with. But then I actually catch some of my biggest and best bass of the year during warm’ish sunny indian summer days in late September and early October.

Bass Bling

Warm and stable weather has the biggest fish of every system on the major feed right now. As a result, big power moves such as jigs, cranks and topwaters are hitting fish from shallow to deep.

Recent fishing has produced the best topwater bites of the year for smallmouth. I’m very biased to the lemon head colors by Rapala, as the 5” walk the dog and XRap Pop are the only two I’ll ever need to throw. My line of choice – 15lb Mono. Also, experiment with musky size topwaters, 6” and up; you won’t be surprised. Best bite has taken place early mornings, and sunset to dark.

For largemouth, fish with heavy duty braid such as Cortland Line Masterbraid (sizes 20-30-50) to extract fish from thick weeds and jungles, located near shore, and offshore if heavy weed mats present. This can be done throughout the entire day. At times, you may also want to attach fluoro leader to the main line if fishing clearer water and abrasive rock/wood. I always keep 16 and 20lb fluoro attachments handy.

As shown above for largemouth:

• Super K Fishing swim jigs and K-plunk jigs with Missile Baits D-Bombs and swimbait trailers
• Kalin’s Fishing Wacko worms (baby bass) wacky rigged on VMC weedless wacky jig
• Vexan Fishing Surface Frogs
  
• Rapala DT 6 crankbaits
  

Pretty simple approach that covers all depths and the entire lake’s spectrum for some of the biggest bass available. We’re not dinking around for the rest of this year.

END OF YEAR FALL DATES AVAILABLE:

Fall fishing dates for middle September through mid October are now getting reserved. Act now before it’s too late. My guide season this year ends October 10th. Weekend dates for big bass trips are still available – trophy hunt only. Thank you to all for making year-2 on the job busier and more fun than I could have ever imagined.

September and October, 2018.

Trips are scheduled from September 22nd thru October 10th.

My rates are reflective for up to 2 anglers ONLY.

This year’s bass trips will end by second weekend October. I will only be Musky fishing from mid October onward.

Our focus at this time will be seeking big fish during early fall / pre-turnover. Afternoon / midday fishing times prioritized.

No live bait fishing. No “wintering” trips. Smallmouth bass fishing preferred only.

Contact to schedule your fall fishing trip. As the season concludes, we focus entirely on big bites and big fish.

Visit Availability Calendar

Thanks all for reading. I wish I had more time to go into detail more with strategy and specifics, but you can schedule a day with me to learn more!

Please practice catch and release on all smallmouth bass. Help educate to others, locals, and other guides the value and excitement of these sportfish. We release every bass we catch, and I reserve the right to void trips if intentions are keeping and depleting the resource.

Andrew Ragas
www.northwoodsbass.com
tel: (708) 256-2201
andrew@northwoodsbass.com