June 2021 Fishing Report

June is typically a pretty great time for Wisconsin musky fishing. The northern zone is officially open for fishing and the water temperatures are usually in the ideal zone for musky. 

This year we have had some weird variables to deal with. Water levels were low to very low in most of the state AND we got a stretch of very hot weather early June. These two together made it seem like we almost skipped spring musky fishing and jumped right into summer. We even paused on musky fishing for a couple weeks as water temps got into the low-mid 80s. This was then followed up by the recent cool weather which thankfully brought the water temperatures down and made the fish a bit happier. Bite windows have been happening throughout the day especially as temps start to drop. Most of our action has been before noon. 

All in all the fishing is very solid right now and should continue for the next couple weeks until the dog days of July and August roll around. 

On the lakes, weeds have definitely started to pop and fish have been found relating to weed edges especially those near or adjacent to deep water. We are still finding fish shallow (2-5 feet of water) but most of our success in the last week has been on the deeper weed edges (8-12ft). 

On the rivers, it has been all about water levels. With most rivers in the southern part of the state running pretty low we have been working the deep holes as well as some of the ultra shallow structures where fish seem to be holding when it's time to eat. Timber and any mid-river weeds have been the ticket for finding fish on the rivers we fish. 

As for flies and presentation, it has really been a mixed bag. The month started (as it usually does) with small and slow presentations moving the most fish for us. In the last week or so we have noticed a big change and response to fast returns. Some of the big flies burned back to the boat (often 2 hand strips) have resulted in some awesome strikes or at least follows. This period typically coincides with when we see conventional musky anglers really start to pound the water with bucktails and blades. When it comes to fly fishing, you truly can’t move a fly fast enough when the “blade bite” is on. Keep this in mind not only for stripping back to the boat but also when executing a figure 8. Keep that fly moving as fast as you can! 

We have been throwing medium to large size flies in white, natural sucker varieties, and black and orange patterns. This guy hit on the Adaptive Fly Yard Sale in the Black, Orange, Gold pattern.

The weather pattern for the next 10 days should continue to keep the fish happy! Nothing too hot and a lot of rain/storms mixed in. Hope everyone is finding a little success and has a chance to get out during this awesome stretch of weather!