Surprisingly the fishing on Lake Onalaska did not slow down as the temps rose. Now that the cold front has moved through I expect that the crappies and perch will really start becoming more active. That being said guys are reporting that they are catching bluegills, crappies, and perch without moving the boat. The bass have really turned around and are starting to bite really well after taking much of the summer and early fall off. The northerns have continued their hot streak from the summer, I saw a 38″ northern last week. Although the fishing has been excellent on the lake the last month or so, I think that as the water temps cool a bit it is going to get even better.
September 21, 2017
Hopefully you have found time to come out and catch some bluegills in the last few weeks, but if you haven’t they are still going strong on Lake Onalaska. The temperature swings have been doing their best to throw the fish off, and some days it definitely does. The crappies especially seem to be sensitive to the changes and on these warm days that we have been having the bite slows down considerably. Hopefully this hot streak that we are experiencing is it for the season! If the forecast holds true and we start getting highs in the 60’s next week I think the crappies will be ready to go. Stop in and get the latest report!
September 8, 2017
I am running out of ways to say that the bluegills are biting, but they continue to be really active with good size also. The crappie bite is steadily improving, however we are still a few weeks away from hitting the peak. The perch also are moving in and guys are catching big perch in limited quantities. The Northern bite is continuing its red hot streak, I just had some customers come in with some mid 30’s yesterday. Stop in and I can go over a map with you!
August 23, 2017
The bite overall on Lake Onalaska continues to be good. Bluegills are still being caught in large numbers with a good ratio of keepers to small fish. The early crappie bite is also still on, early and late in the day continue to be best, but guys are also doing well midday on cloudy or cooler days. The northern continue their frenzy with just about everyone catching one whether or not they are trying to. Stop into the shop and get the latest report!
August 10, 2017
We are turning a corner in the last week or so and it looks like the start of the fall pattern on Lake Onalaska. Panfish have started moving back and guys have started catching large gills, crappies, and perch. There are still a large amount of gills out on the main channel, if you know how to fish them get out there before they have all left! We are definitely still a ways away from peak fall fishing, but there is a noticeable shift in the bite. Northern continue to be on fire, with a 40+ inch northern caught this week! Stop in and I can get you rigged up with the right baits!!!
July 27, 2017
The heavy rain has really slowed things down on the lake. Luckily the river dropped quickly and we are already back to normal water levels, however the issue now is water clarity. The good news is it is cleaning up fairly quickly and I expect decent visibility by the weekend. If you are going out look for the clean water as there are pockets of it, guys have been having the best luck there. As we turn the corner into August the fishing should start picking up as the fish transition from their summer to fall patterns.
July 5, 2017
The northern bite continues to be really good on the lake, and the bass are hitting pretty well on topwater. Panfish in general are pretty slow, but with the mayfly hatch happening anytime now there is going to be some opportunity with flies and poppers. It looks like the river is going to drop below 6 feet finally so that will open up some new opportunities that we haven’t seen for some time on the main channel.
June 14, 2017
The bluegill spawn came and went rather quickly. You might still be able to find a few on beds, but a majority of them have moved to deeper water. Lake Onalaska is fully into the summer pattern with most of the crappies moving out to the sloughs by the main channel or in the channel itself. Perch and bluegills will be spread out with weed edges being good areas to try. Bass and pike are hitting topwater really well, and the catfish have become quite active as well. The weeds on the main part of the lake are not very bad yet, if you like fishing out there it is still fairly easy to get around.
June 7, 2017
The Bluegills continue to bite as they are in full swing with their spawn. I have not had any reports of spawned out females yet, but they should pop at any time now. The northern continue to be very aggressive and the bass are getting into their summer patterns. Most of the crappies have moved out, but there are still some around if you want to target them. Stop in and get the latest fishing report and any bait you need!
May 31, 2017
The water dropped fast here on the lake. We are maybe 6 inches above normal today, so there are no more high water issues on this side of the lake. The river is still high however so exercise caution when going out on the main channel. The bluegills are primed and ready to spawn so the next week or so should be excellent fishing. I am already seeing a lot come in with the average being 8-8 1/2 inches. There are plenty around the 9′ mark but the 10s are tough to come by. The crappies have slowed way down and I suspect most have moved out to the sloughs off of the main channel, but a few guys are still able to dredge up some nice ones. Pike continue to harass panfishermen so if you are looking for some northern they are not hard to find.