Docks and weedbeds are top targets for Lake Delavan largemouth.
No volume or manner of recreational traffic from the region’s big cities and crowded suburbs seems to affect the productivity of southeast Wisconsin’s premier fisheries, Delavan Lake and Geneva Lake. They may not look, or fish, a lot alike, but these sister waters in Walworth County are the kind of siblings you love to compare notes on and occasionally revel in their rivalry.

Delavan Lake is 2,072 acres of dark, dock-filled water that maxes out at 40-foot depths. Braided line and tough baitcasting gear are good choices here. Geneva’s 5,262 acres of gin-clear water favor the   angler with fluorocarbon line and finesse tactics — and mastery of his electronics.

But make no mistake. Both lakes, a mere three miles apart, are awesome fisheries that hold up to heavy recreational traffic from the metropolitan areas of Milwaukee and Chicago and scores of other nearby cities.

“They are totally different but probably the two best lakes in southern Wisconsin,” said Jimmy Templin, a.k.a. “Jimmy T,” who guides on the treasure trove of natural lakes in southeast Wisconsin and northeast Illinois. “What’s especially nice about them for bass fishermen is that you can usually find a good pattern shallow or deep.”

Ron Urick, a St. Croix pro-staff member who frequently wins bass-tournament cash from regional waters, ranks the sisters as his favorites. Three techniques — dock flipping with a three-eighths-ounce rattle jig with pork or a twin-tail plastic, wacky-rigging a Yamamoto Senko and frogging with a Scum Frog Popper or Spro Bronzeye Frog — account for the lion’s share of his catches on Delavan. Geneva is his dropshot test tank, with Senkos, football-head jigs, Zoom Flukes and hard jerkbaits also pulling their weight.


Lake Geneva’s clear waters call for light lines and finesse tactics.

Both lakes feature long lines of docks, grass flats and defined deep-water structure from weed edges to rock piles. Healthy vegetation is a major contributor to the robust, multi-species smorgasbord at each. Largemouth and smallmouth bass are big and abundant with multiple year classes always present. Bluegill, crappie and other sunfish thrive at each, with Delavan perhaps boasting a modest edge on bluegill and Geneva an abundance of rock bass with magnum crappie as a bonus. Strong pike populations swim in both lakes and offer consistent deep-water action on breaklines in midsummer. As for walleye, Delavan boasts the numbers, Geneva the trophies.

With its cool, well-oxygenated waters and depths reaching to 165 feet, Geneva also houses an underfished lake trout population and an occasional brown trout.

“Geneva is tailor-made for guiding,” said Phil Piscitello, owner of Borderline Guide Service. “You can have three or four average fishermen in a boat, and they can comfortably fish those big weed flats. All have a shot at good fish, even if they can’t cast accurately.”


The author used a dropshot rig to lure this smallmouth from Geneva’s depths.

That’s no knock on Delavan, the guide’s other favorite worksite, which more often calls for “target fishing” around its abundant docks and scattered laydowns. But Delavan boasts its own advantages, namely shedding its ice and warming up well ahead of Geneva for spring anglers.

Knowledgeable area anglers read the rhythms of both and tune in to the hot bites of each for almost continuously high-quality, multi-species angling.

 


Resources

Guides:

Jimmy Templin

Jimmy T’s Guide Service

(847) 331-7537


Phil Piscitello

Borderline Fishing Guide Service

(847) 638-7547


Ron Urick

On the Water Bass Clinic (fishing classes)

(815) 477-7174