Lake Winnebago Fishing Report: Mid-May Bite Heats Up for Walleye, Panfish, and More

This is Artificial Lure with your Lake Winnebago fishing report for Sunday, May 18th, 2025. If you’re out on the water around Oshkosh, Fond du Lac, or up by Menasha, it’s shaping up to be another strong mid-May bite.

Weather this morning started off cool in the mid-40s, but expect a steady warm-up to the low 60s by mid-afternoon. There’s a light southwest breeze today—just right for a comfortable drift. Sunrise was at 5:35 a.m. and sunset will be around 8:10 p.m., so you’ve got a long window for fishing[4][5]. No tides to worry about on this lake, but the moon phase is favorable and water temps are sitting in the low to mid-50s, which has started to push fish into active feeding patterns[4][5].

Walleye are still the main attraction and have been caught in good numbers this week, especially in that 12- to 23-inch slot—right along the rock reefs on the western shore, particularly early and late in the day. Most folks are trolling deep-running crankbaits like Deep ThunderSticks, Reef Runners, Wally Divers, and Shad Raps in colors such as blue, purple, chartreuse, orange, or natural patterns like perch and shad. Make sure you’re running those baits close to bottom to connect with the active fish[4][5].

Perch and panfish action has also picked up nicely since early May. The shallow weed beds are holding solid numbers of perch and big bluegill. Anglers are having luck with small jigs tipped with waxies or minnows. Don’t be afraid to fish up shallow—some of the best bluegill came from just a few feet of water[2][4][5].

Bass are starting to stage in warmer pockets, especially up in the bays and near river mouths. Try slow-rolling spinnerbaits, Texas-rigged plastics, and classic wacky worms. Folks chasing northern pike have seen a few big ones up north and near river inlets—big swimbaits and flashy spinnerbaits are doing the trick here[4].

A couple hot spots this week: the reefs off Black Wolf on the west shore for walleye, and the weed flats north of Oshkosh for panfish. Pike chasers might want to check the mouth of the Fox River where water temps are a tick higher.

In summary, the fish are biting and conditions are ideal. Deep-diving cranks for walleye, small jigs and waxies for panfish, and spinnerbaits if you’re after bass or pike. Good luck and tight lines, folks—see you on the water[4][5][3].