D&S Bait,Tackle & Fly Shop

D&S Madison Area Fishing Report - July 17th, 2026
Other than warmer water temps, heat, and a lot of smoke, not much has changed fishing-wise since last week. Bluegills are done spawning across the Madison Chain and are mostly being found on outside w**d edges...and honestly, w**d edges are basically all you need to know to find many species of fish in the summertime. I haven't heard of any Gills suspending over deep water on Monona yet, but I'm sure we're not far from that. Otherwise most fish are in their summer patterns. Crappies 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 coming out of water as deep at 15 feet. Otherwise, Walleye are hanging out deeper during the day but definitely being found up shallow during low light periods and they're also being found on mid-lake humps in good numbers where they will remain until late fall. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere but the Musky action has been non-existent due to the high water temps. The Catfish bite down the road at the 113 bridges has slowed down but I am still hearing about a few being picked up. Area rivers are at very fishable levels as are the Trout streams...but it's been too warm to fish for Trout lately. Good luck out there!

D&S Madison Area Fishing Report - July 10th, 2026
We're definitely getting into what I like to call "Summer Cruise Control" as far as fishing reports go because other than warmer water temps, not much has changed since last week. Generally speaking, outside of some fish still on beds on Mendota, Bluegills are done spawning across the Madison Chain and are being found on outside w**d edges. I haven't heard of any Gills suspending over deep water on Monona yet, but I'm sure we're not far from that. Otherwise most fish are in their summer patterns. Crappies 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 coming out of water as deep at 15 feet. Otherwise, Walleye are hanging out deeper during the day but definitely being found up shallow during low light periods and they're also being found on mid-lake humps in good numbers where they will remain until late fall. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere but the Musky action hasn't been great, mostly because of the warm water temps. Area rivers are at very fishable levels as are the Trout streams...but it's too warm to fish for Trout right now.
Thanks for tuning in and good luck out there!

Madison Area Fishing Report - July 3rd, 2026
Happy 4th of July weekend everyone!
We're definitely getting into what I like to call "Summer Cruise Control" as far as fishing reports go because other than warmer water temps, not much has changed since last week. Generally speaking, most fish are done spawning on the Madison Chain but Bluegills are still on beds on Monona and Mendota, although it sounds like things are definitely winding down on Monona. Otherwise many fish are starting to move into their summer patterns. Crappies are being found suspended or on shoreline structure. LMB are pretty much shallow year round. SMB can be found shallow but I'm also hearing reports of them out as deep at 15 FOW. Otherwise, Walleye are moving deeper during the day but definitely being found up shallow during low light periods and I continue to hear more and more reports of good Walleye action on mid-lake humps which will be a thing until late fall. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere but the Musky action hasn't been great, at least for the folks I'm talking to. The Catfish bite down the road at the 113 bridges has slowed down but I am still hearing about a few being picked up. The rain we got yesterday, has area rivers up a bit but they're still at very fishable levels. I'm sure area streams are dirty today but should clear up nicely if the rain stays away. Good luck out there!

Got out one last time before the heat moves in. Had a great afternoon alternating between the Foam Flying Ant and Foam Beetles we carry.

Madison Area Fishing Report - June 26th, 2026
Honestly not much has changed since last week. Generally speaking, most fish are done spawning on the Madison Chain but Bluegills are still on beds on Monona and Mendota, although I bet the heat next week will wrap that up in short order. Otherwise many fish are starting to move into their summer patterns. Crappies are being found suspended or on structure. LMB are pretty much shallow year round. SMB can be found shallow but I'm also hearing reports of them out as deep at 15 FOW. Otherwise, Walleye are moving deeper during the day but definitely being found up shallow during low light periods and I continue to hear reports of good Walleye action on mid-lake humps which should be a thing until late fall. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action should be picking up...but I haven't heard much. The Catfish bite down the road at the 113 bridges has gotten slow but I am still hearing about a few being picked up. The rain we got Wednesday, has area rivers and streams up a bit but they're still at very fishable levels. Thanks for tuning in and good luck out there!

Madison Area Fishing Report - June 19th, 2026
Happy Father's Day on Sunday to all the dads out there! Generally speaking, most fish are done spawning on the Madison Chain but Bluegills are still on beds on Monona and Mendota. Otherwise many fish are starting to move into their summer patterns. Crappies are being found suspended or on structure. LMB are pretty much shallow year round and SMB can be found shallow but I'm hearing reports of them out as deep at 15 FOW. Otherwise, Walleye are moving deeper during the day but definitely being found up shallow during low light periods and I'm hearing more reports of them on mid-lake humps where they'll remain until fall. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action should be picking up but I haven't heard much. The Catfish bite down the road at the 113 bridges has slowed down this week as those fish disburse back into Lake Mendota proper but I am still hearing about a few being picked up. Despite all the rain we got Wednesday, area rivers and streams are in great shape! Good luck out there!

Sometimes being lazy pays off! Checked a dozen or so creeks but most were blown out. Found one that was only dirty and wasn’t expecting much. I still had one of Uncle Curt's Tungsten Flies Peacock Nymphs on from Bluegill fishing and was too lazy to tie something else on but I had a GREAT day! Stop in and get yours today! Awesome fly for Gills AND Trout!

D&S Madison Area Fishing Report - June 12th, 2026
Generally speaking, most fish are done spawning on the Madison Chain but Blugills are still on beds on Monona and Mendota...and maybe a few on Waubesa still. Otherwise many fish are starting to move into their summer patterns. Crappies are being found suspended or on structure. LMB are pretty much shallow year round and SMB can be found shallow but I'm hearing reports of them out as deep at 15 FOW. Otherwise, Walleye are moving deeper during the day but definitely being found up shallow during low light periods and I'm hearing more reports of them on mid-lake humps where they'll remain until fall. As usual, Pike are pretty much everywhere and the Musky action should be picking up until it gets too hot to fish for them. The Catfish bite down the road at the 113 bridges continues to be good but I feel like those fish are starting to disburse back into Lake Mendota proper. With all the rain we got this week, area rivers and streams have come up but how much depends on where you're looking and I'll talk about that later in the report. Good luck out there!