DELAVAN & GENEVA LAKES
These two Walworth County waters are truly amazing fisheries.

Delavan continues to maintain a standard of excellence in spite of considerable pressure and the fact that walleyes of the 18-inch-minimum keeper size can be almost too easy to catch. Eighteen- to 20-inch walleyes aren't supposed to eat 7-inch purple plastic worms or spinnerbaits tossed near docks in search of bass, but they do on Delavan. If you try established walleye tactics like jigs or slip-bobbering off of developing weed edges and steep breaks during periods of low light, the fishing is even easier.

A few years ago you could go catch and release 50 walleyes a day. But every one of them was a "cookie-cutter" 13-incher. In a bold move, Department of Natural Resources biologist Doug Welch "weeded" a number of walleyes out of Delavan and stocked them in a couple of other waters, most notably Lake Geneva. The result has been nearly optimum performance and growth rate of walleyes in Delavan, and better fishing on Geneva than anybody can remember.

Geneva is a tough lake to fish because it's deep and ultra-clear. It is one of just a few inland lakes in the Badger State that hold a good population of lake trout. But it also has warmwater species like bluegills and bass. Walleyes used to be little more than a "bonus" species before the big transplant. Now they're present in good numbers, occupying a niche in the ecosystem that only a few anglers have figured out.

Consensus among the chosen few is that fishing here during daylight hours is a waste of time. At night, long-line trolling at places like The Narrows can be effective. Stickbaits are the weapon of choice now. By July, spinner rigs and crawlers are the way to go.

A relic walleye population swims here that is well into double digits. But most of the fish you'll tangle with on a warm spring night will be 16- to 20-inchers. Don't expect to fish Geneva and do well your first time out. Time on the water when most folks are sleeping is the key to success here.

Delavan is 2,072 acres, with Geneva checking in at about twice that size. Both lakes have adequate boat launch facilities, but bring your wallet, especially when launching at most sites on Geneva.

Contact Geneva Lake Bait & Tackle at (262) 245-6150.

SHAWANO LAKE
By far the best multi-species lake in northeast Wisconsin, 6,032-acre Shawano is home to both size and numbers of adult walleyes of various year-classes. But like Geneva far to the south, this lake becomes a haven for clueless pleasure boaters and jet-skis once Memorial Day rolls around. However, on opening weekend and for a couple of weeks thereafter, this is the best lake within 100 miles to find the critical ingredient for a walleye fish fry.

Schumacher Island is the focal point of walleye angling activity early in the season, with both spawning walleyes and walleye anglers drawn to natural structure and a number of man-placed rockpiles that are easy to locate.