Walleye, Perch, and Catfish Biting Strong on Lake Winnebago

Good morning folks, this is Artificial Lure coming to you with your Lake Winnebago fishing report for Saturday, September 6th, 2025, and what a crisp kickoff to the weekend it’s been already.

Let’s start with the weather. The air is clear, skies showing patchy sun after last night’s cooler front, and there’s a gentle southwest breeze pushing waves to 1-2 feet. Early morning temperatures hovered in the upper 50s, but expect it to climb into the low 70s by midday. Sunrise was right around 6:27 AM, and you’ll want to plan your evening bite wrap-up before sunset at 7:21 PM. Water temps are holding steady—today’s surface reading puts Lake Winnebago at 70 degrees, just nudging down towards typical fall averages according to seatemperature.info.

Tide-wise, it’s freshwater, so no tide chart for us, but wind-driven currents were noticeable along the east shore—good news for drifting.

Let’s talk fish activity. The bite’s picking up as summer wanes, and fall patterns are creeping in. According to recent updates from the Lake Winnebago Daily Fishing Report podcast on Spreaker, walleye, perch, and catfish are biting strong despite this week’s choppier waters. Yesterday, anglers reported steady walleye action drifting harnesses, along with bonus jumbo perch and a smattering of channel cats in deeper holes near the river mouths.

If you’re after bass, recent submissions to Omnia Fishing say largemouth have been lively around submerged vegetation especially near Fond du Lac and along the west shoreline. The key has been casting bladed jigs like a Z-Man Original Chatterbait in green pumpkin or purple—rip it through the grass, and the bites have been coming fast when the bait bogs down. Folks also report good numbers of keepers by following up with a Zoom Magnum Speed Worm in weed edges.

Best lures right now for walleye have been shad-imitating jointed crankbaits trolled over 8-12 feet and crawler harnesses when the breeze sets a good drift. Lindner’s Angling Edge on the World Fishing Network reminds us that jigs tipped with plastics or live crawlers still jig up plenty of marble eyes, especially when worked along gravel or rocky transitions.

For panfish, jumbo perch are mixing in with the walleyes, and small minnows or red worms on slip bobbers have put fish in the livewell, mostly near reefs off Oshkosh and in deeper channels. As for channel cats, cut bait or stinkbait from shore near the mouth of the Fox River has been steady after sunset.

Some hot spots to check: Try the reefs southeast of Oshkosh for both walleye and perch, and don’t overlook the “Horseshoe” near Brothertown—the deeper holes here have been loaded up. Up north, the “Gravel Pit” by Stockbridge has also produced a mixed bag, especially on windblown days.

Bait-wise, you can’t go wrong with fatheads, nightcrawlers, and leeches for multispecies action. Early risers have done best with a subtle presentation—slip bobber setups with plastic grubs or creature baits in watermelon or bluegill colors cover a lot of water and mimic the forage just right for this time of year.

Remember, this shoulder season between summer’s end and that first true taste of autumn can be simply golden—so whether you’re boat trolling, casting off the seawalls, or just shore fishing with the kids, you’re in for some action if you match the hatch and follow the wind.

That’ll do it for today’s Lake Winnebago report. Thanks for tuning in—don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss your local fishing scoop. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

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