D&S Bait,Tackle & Fly Shop

10/16/2026

D&S Madison Area Fishing Report - October 16th, 2026
If water temps could come down more we'd see a more drastic change in fish activity...and that's not to say that things AREN'T changing but a lot of things are the same as they have been for the last couple months.
Don't put your Monona Rigs away yet! Gills are still suspended 10-15' down over deeper water on Monona and Waubesa but maybe not AS deep of water as in July and August as those fish slowly start to move closer to shore. Of course Bluegills across the Madison Chain can be found in w**d pockets and outside w**d edges but I'm hearing more and more reports about fish on the bottom in water as deep as 20-25...even 30 FOW so don't be afraid to look deeper if you're not finding them shallow. There must be some kind of bloodworm hatch going on because I don't recall hearing about a fall bite like this since I've been behind the counter here at the shop.
Otherwise, w**d edges are still a great place to find a nice mixed bag of fish this time of year.
I am still hearing about huge schools of Perch on Mendota, mostly on w**dlines and most are only about 4" but hopefully that population may be rebounding a bit.
Crappies aren't abundant around the chain but are being found suspended or on shoreline structure.
LMB are pretty much shallow year round. SMB can be found shallow but lots of fish are still coming out of water as deep as 15'.
Otherwise, Walleye are hanging out deeper during the day and moving up shallow during low light periods and I am hearing about better action from shore anglers at night the last week or so. Walleye are still on mid-lake humps in good numbers. I mentioned it last week but Walleye appear to be moving away from worms and a lot of folks I talk to are doing better on minnows these days...which is typical for this time of year.
As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action continues to pick up.
Area rivers were running low all week but I'm sure the rain we just got will bump them up some. Trout season is closed but fall is a great time to fish our area rivers especially at dams.
We'll talk about the Salmon run in detail later in the report but fish are definitely in the tributaries in good numbers so get over there soon if you want to get in on that action!
Anyway, get out there and enjoy the beautiful fall weather while you can. Thanks for tuning in, good luck and we'll talk to you next week!

10/10/2026

Colored up chunkster! Only 5 days left in the season! Get out there while you can! Hoppers are still 🔥🔥🔥

10/09/2026

D&S Madison Area Fishing Report - October 9th, 2026
Things continue to slowly cool down but for the most part, fish remain in their summer patterns. Gills are still suspended over deep water on Monona but it seems that bite might be winding down.
Otherwise Bluegills across the Madison Chain are being found in w**d pockets and outside w**d edges in good numbers and I've been hearing a few reports about fish in water as deep as 20-25...even 30 FOW so don't be afraid to poke around deeper if you're not finding them shallow. Otherwise, w**d edges are still all you really need to know to find a nice mixed bag of fish this time of year.
I am still hearing about huge schools of Perch on Mendota, mostly on w**dlines and most are only about 4" but fingers crossed it does seem like the population may be rebounding a bit!
Crappies aren't abundant but are being found suspended or on shoreline structure.
LMB are pretty much shallow year round.
SMB can be found shallow but lots of fish are still coming out of water as deep as 15 FOW.
Otherwise, Walleye are hanging out deeper during the day and moving up shallow during low light periods. Walleye are also being found on mid-lake humps in good numbers and I'm starting to hear about some better action from shore anglers at night. One thing that is a little different is that the Walleye appear to be moving away from worms and a lot of folks I talk to are doing better on minnows these days...which is typical for this time of year.
As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action continues to pick up around town.
Area rivers and creeks are back down to seasonal levels...or maybe even a little low after a dry week here in Southern Wisconsin.
We'll talk about the Salmon run in detail later in the report but fish are definitely in the tributaries in good numbers so get over there soon if you want to get in on that action!
As always, post your comments and catches below, feel free to call the shop at 608-241-4225 if you have any questions otherwise thanks for tuning in and good luck out there!

10/06/2026

Referencing probably dates me but I liked the distinct birthmark on this little beauty so I guess I’m old! JUST 10 DAYS LEFT IN THE SEASON! Stop in, stock up and get out there!

10/02/2026

D&S Madison Area Fishing Report - October 2nd, 2026

Things continue to cool down but for the most part, fish remain in their summer patterns. Gills are still suspended over deep water on Monona and Waubesa so the Monona Rig is still very effective!
Otherwise if you don't want to drift aimlessly over deep water, Bluegills across the Madison Chain are being found in w**d pockets and outside w**d edges in good numbers and I've been hearing a few reports about fish in water as deep as 20-25 FOW so don't be afraid to poke around out in those depths.
Otherwise, w**d edges are still all you really need to know to find a nice mixed bag of species this time of year.
I am hearing about huge schools of Perch on Mendota, mostly on w**dlines and most are only about 4" long but some folks are able to sort out a decent 10 fish limit. So fingers crossed it does seem like the population may be rebounding a bit.
Crappies aren't abundant but are being found suspended or on shoreline structure. LMB are pretty much shallow year round. SMB can be found shallow but lots of fish are still coming out of water as deep as 15 FOW. Otherwise, Walleye are hanging out deeper during the day and moving up shallow during low light periods. Walleye are also being found on mid-lake humps in good numbers and I'm starting to hear about some better action from shore anglers at night. One thing that is a little different is that the Walleye appear to be moving away from worms and a lot of folks I talk to are doing better on minnows these days...which is typical for this time of year.
As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action continues to pick up.
Area rivers and creeks are up from the rain the last couple days but rivers pretty much remain at seasonal levels but you might struggle to find clear water in many of our local creeks after all the rain Wednesday and Thursday.
Lake Michigan Salmon are stacked up out in the harbors and folks are getting them from shore. I'm sure all this rain has pushed a lot of fish into the tributaries so now is a great time to get over there and join the Salmon Rodeo as my friend and guide, Craig Amacker likes to call it!
Post your comments and catches below. Feel free to call the shop if you'd like us to expand on anything otherwise thanks for tuning in and good luck out there!

10/01/2026

SHOP TALK IS BACK! Fall = Walleyes and Madison Angling Guide Service shares his top 4 techniques for getting Walleye in the net!

WALLEYES!!!!WELCOME BACK to SHOP TALK! It's been a while! In this...

10/01/2026

Finally got my Dam tip-ups in! Some off these are VERY limited edition and won’t last long! In-store only, no reservations, Beaver Dam Ice Fishing collectors I’ll see you in the morning!

09/28/2026

My 5th ever Tiger! Hoppers are 🔥 stop in and stock up!

09/25/2026

Madison Area Fishing Report - September 25th, 2026
Water temps continue to come down but for the most part, fish remain in their summer patterns across the Madison Chain. Gills are still suspended over deep water on Monona and Waubesa so the Monona Rig is still very effective!
Otherwise if you don't want to drift aimlessly over deep water, Bluegills are being found in w**d pockets and outside w**d edges in good numbers...and honestly, w**d edges are still all you really need to know to find a nice mixed bag of fish this time of year.
I am hearing about more Perch every week! Most of the Perch I hear about are on Mendota w**dlines and most are only about 4" long but some folks are able to sort out a decent 10 fish limit of 8-9" fish. So fingers crossed it does seem like the population may be rebounding a bit.
Crappies aren't abundant but are being found suspended or on shoreline structure. LMB are pretty much shallow year round. SMB can be found shallow but lots of fish are still coming out of water as deep as 15 FOW. Otherwise, Walleye are hanging out deeper during the day and moving up shallow during low light periods. Walleye are also being found on mid-lake humps in good numbers and I'm starting to hear about some better action from shore anglers at night. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action continues to pick up on the lower chain.
Area rivers and creeks came up from the rain last weekend but are back down and are running at about seasonal levels.
Lake Michigan Salmon are stacked up out in the harbors and folks are getting them from shore, but they are also in the rivers in good numbers!
Feel free to call the shop at 608-241-4225 if you like us to expand on anything in the report. Otherwise I appreciate you tuning in and wish you good luck out there!

09/24/2026

49,500 Walleye just got stocked in Lake Mendota! Big thanks to Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources the fine folks Gollon Bait & Fish Farm and to Dave Lundey for the 🎥!