Southeast Wisconsin Area Lakes, Rivers and Ponds

I don't like to fish the larger Waukesha lakes on a nice Weekend day, due to all the disruptive pleasure boating and the newer wake boats that make huge waves. But rain days are great if you can handle the discomfort.  Sitting in a narrows that normally has crazy boat traffic,  I caught 8 gills 9 to about 11 inch and 4 crappie 11 to 12 inch. A couple other hardy fishermen were also out. Fish were 8 to 12 ft down in 12 o 16 ft of water

Hit the creek with what I though would be an impossible challenge, but it went really well.

Nice day out on Saturday.  Fished docks primarily since we were out at peak sun.  Plastics and night crawlers under a bobber both worked well.

Hard to find time to fish these days,  but got out yesterday evening for a couple hrs in Western Waukesha County on a several hundred acres lake. Went out to a hump that rises out of 16 ft of water. It was a fish every cast for first 1.5 hr, sitting in the same spot. Rock bass up to 11 inches,  gills to 10 inches and crappie up to 11 inch. Kept 8 for a fry and let a lot of nice fish go. 1/32 Oz jig and Gulp 8 ft under bobber

I'm a google map addict. I scroll around in Wisconsin looking for new water to fish, and I found some, but it isn't quite Southeast Wisconsin, more like Central Wisconsin. The only problem was I had to bushwhack my way into it because it was in a swamp. I thought the first pond/lake might hold fish, but it was too shallow. The second one did, but it was a Herculean effort to get into it, dragging my kayak through the cattails for over an hour. The usual suspects were in the lake/pond. The only surprise was ?pike. I didn't think it was big enough to hold them. I ?made a couple of circles around the lake casting little and big things to see what would bite.

Fished one my favorite small lakes yesterday. Caught alot of small gills early, Learned the bigger ones were right below the smaller ones on the deeper weed lines.  I remember what Hero said years ago.  "Adjust how you are fishing".  That comment came true yesterday.  You think you know everything about fishing, you know nothing.  I thank Hero for that. Came home with 12 beautiful gills between 8 1/2 and 9 1/2 inchers.
.Tight lines to all.    

A student of mine (I'm a middle school teacher), made his own lure design and 3D printed one for me. I took it to the pond to try and catch something with it.  It worked surprisingly well. ?I didn't catch anything big because this lure would only go about a foot deep. I think the bigger bass are ?deep by the last weed line. It was still a fun experiment!

Fish were deep this morning.  In the weeds and on the weed edges.  No fish caught topwater or off-structure.  Most action came middle of the morning.

Nice day in the kayak.  Fishing picked up after 4-5 pm, was finding them on the wind blown side of the lake in +/- 10 ft of water.  The swimbait, jerkbait, and popper all saw action.

Out yesterday on one of my small lakes. It was crowded, 2 kayaks and 1 boat. Cold east wind all day. On at 10, off at  4. First fish of the day, real nice Walleye, Threw that sucker back, I came for crappies. Slow start, moved around till we found a few. Kept a few large heavy gills, threw all the rest back, we came for crappies. Right now your thinking, he did not get any crappies. Wrong, we caught about 75. Only problem, no big ones, but a lot of fun. We kept about 25 for the smoker. Highlight of the day. Big John crying out, how are you catching one on every cast, I said the slow fall rig. He says, in five years you have never showed me that.I replied your full of it, I gave you 5 of the jigs I use, they are in your tackle box. I go back to fishing. A little later I hear John cry out, that is 6 in a row I got. They hit it before it gets in the water. With tears in my eyes, I am laughing my ass off. One more great day on the water. I wish it would never end.
Best of luck to all. HERO