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Big Green Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Wisconsin’s deepest lake: Green Lake drops 237 feet and holds lake trout, cisco and smallmouth.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
84 / 84 F
Wind
WSW 10 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Big Green Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings cloud cover, wind WSW around 10 mph, steady pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 84. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Lake troutFair

Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Yellow perchFair

Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 78 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp84 F
High / Low84 / 66 F
WindWSW 10-20 mph
Pressure1010.7 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 45%
Sunrise / Sunset06:23 / 19:26
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Rain, 84/66 F, wind 20 mph, rain 45%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Big Green Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Lake trout illustration

Lake trout

Best: ice-out and fall turnover

The char of the deep: 40-year-old predators patrolling the cold basins of glacial lakes, from the Finger Lakes to the Rockies. Transition depths: work 40-80 ft structure edges with white tubes and flutter spoons. Early mornings can find fish surprisingly high over deep water chasing bait.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Good most of the year

The great lakes and northern panfish staple. Schools tight to bottom; where you catch one there are fifty. Drifting flats and weed edges with small jigs tipped with bait.

When to come: the Big Green Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Lake trout
Smallmouth bass
Northern pike
Yellow perch
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Big Green Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 81 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 86 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 88 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

Wisconsin requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Wisconsin license. Lake trout, walleye and bass limits per current WDNR regulations.

Access

Public ramps around the lake; services and lodging in the town of Green Lake.

About this water

A 7,320-acre glacial lake 237 feet deep in Green Lake County, Wisconsin: the state’s deepest inland lake.

Fishing Big Green Lake: the full guide

A glacial deep

Big Green Lake covers 7,320 acres in central Wisconsin and reaches 237 feet, making it the deepest natural inland lake in the state. That depth supports a coldwater fishery unusual for the region: lake trout, brown trout and cisco in the deep basin, joined by smallmouth and largemouth bass, walleye, northern pike, and panfish along the shorelines.

Lake trout and the deep

Lake trout are the distinctive fishery: troll deep with spoons and dodgers or jig over the basin at 80-150 feet through summer, with fish moving shallower after ice-out and in fall. Cisco (lake herring) school in the deep water and are targeted by a small dedicated group, particularly through the ice in winter.

Bass and walleye

Smallmouth work the rocky shorelines, points and drop-offs in clear water that rewards finesse. Largemouth hold the weedier bays. Walleye relate to the breaks and deeper weed edges, best at low light. The clarity means most warm-water fishing is better early, late or in wind.

Green Lake logistics

Public ramps and the town of Green Lake serve the lake, with a long resort tradition dating to the 1800s. Summer brings substantial recreational traffic. The lake is big and deep enough that weather deserves respect. Ice fishing draws anglers for lake trout, cisco and panfish when conditions allow.

Common questions

Are there really lake trout?

Yes: the depth supports a coldwater fishery rare in southern Wisconsin, with cisco alongside them.

How deep is it?

237 feet: the deepest natural inland lake in Wisconsin, which is what makes the trout fishery possible.

Is the smallmouth fishing good?

Yes, on the rocky shorelines and points, though the clear water demands finesse and low-light timing.

Is fishing good at Big Green Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Puckaway6 miLake Poygan27 miLake Winnebago32 miLake Wisconsin42 miCastle Rock Lake50 miPetenwell Lake51 mi
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