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Pike Lake (Washington Co)
Mon Oct 26 – Wed Oct 28, 2026 · Central Time · Walleye
- Shallow cover, points, creek mouths
- First light (first light CDT) → ~9 AM
- Use any ripple as cover
- Shade lines, docks, deeper edges
- Electronics for bait height first
- Slow down once the sun is overhead
- Revisit shallow shade as sun drops
- Topwater if the surface lays down
- Weekday traffic is lighter — work quiet pockets
Pike Lake walleye are in their fall feeding period. As the water cools, walleye move shallower in low light to feed on baitfish along weed edges and breaks, then drop back deeper during bright, calm days.
As the water cools, walleye move shallower in low light to feed on baitfish along weed edges and breaks, then drop back deeper during bright, calm days. What's on the menu: yellow perch, shiners and other small baitfish.
Largemouth · smallmouth. Bass hold on deeper weed edges and points by day; a Texas-rigged worm, jig or spinnerbait finds them.
Weekday traffic — lighter than the weekend. Fish early, give ramps and swim areas room.
Fixed Dam-controlled water. No shared generation/level feed this cycle — check the agency page the morning you fish; releases and pool levels change daily. Stay outside buoyed restricted zones.
| Item | Note | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Permit / regs | Check the current Wisconsin DNR fishing regulations for Pike Lake before you keep any fish. | |
For walleye, cast a minnow bait or a jig and minnow from the pier or shore in the last hour before dark, or set a slip bobber with a leech or minnow. During the day, a worm under a bobber catches bluegill, and a weedless worm along the weeds can find largemouth. Construction near the beach may move parking, so follow posted signs.
Morning are the calmest paddling windows. The south wind builds a ripple on the north shore, so plan a route you can paddle back against the wind. For walleye, work a jig and minnow or slip bobber along breaks near the weed edges as the sun sets, and troll a shallow crankbait slowly along the weeds.
Use your electronics to find breaks and points next to weed edges, then fish a jig and minnow or a live-bait rig slowly during the day. As the light fades, troll shallow crankbaits along the weed edges or cast lipless rattle baits over the weeds. Evening on the north shore is the top window.
Shallow minnow bait cast over weed flats at dusk. Slip bobber with a leech or minnow on calm evenings. Surface action is limited, so focus lower in the water.
Lipless rattle bait ripped through shallow weeds. Shallow-running crankbait trolled along breaks after dark. Swimbait on a light jighead along weed edges.
Live-bait rig with a nightcrawler or large fathead minnow. Jig tipped with a minnow on main-lake points and breaks. Blade bait snapped off the bottom on deeper edges.