Early Fall Walleyes, Perch, and Cats on Winnebago

Lake Winnebago anglers, Artificial Lure here with your September 5, 2025, fishing report, dialed in right to the heart of Fond du Lac, Oshkosh, and the east shore. Let’s get started with the conditions folks are facing this morning. Water temp at the surface is reading a balmy 78.3°F according to seatemperature.info, quite a bit warmer than the average for early September. The air is cool and brisk—Green Bay started out cloudy and in the upper 50s, with the high expected to stay in the upper 50s by mid-afternoon, and breezy NW winds settling in. No tides on Lake Winnebago, but this weather’s a firm nudge toward early fall patterns. Sunrise hit at 6:25 a.m., with sunset coming up around 7:23 p.m., and those daylight hours are shrinking fast as September rolls in—Green Bay News reports we’ll lose 88 minutes by month’s end.

Let’s get to the fishing: The statewide fishing reports from Outdoor News and Wisconsin DNR last week still ring true—walleyes are now shifting to their fall bite, pulling off the main rock humps and spreading out on flats and the edges of deeper reefs. Jumbo perch are starting to mix in, and catfish are keeping night anglers busy from shore. A few bonus white bass have also shown up in the mix on hard bottom and deeper gravel bars.

For lure selection, this time of year is all about versatility. The Berkley Money Badger in Spring Craw has been hot for that 10-12 foot zone walleyes are working, especially if you’re trolling main basin transitions or working over emerging weeds—hard-thumping cranks and spinner rigs tipped with a nightcrawler are still producing, especially on wind-blown shorelines. Don’t ignore the ever-reliable chartreuse jig and minnow combo if you’re vertical jigging in current seams or deeper holes near Oshkosh.

Best natural baits right now are fathead minnows and half-crawlers for perch, while cut bait brings in channel cats after sunset. For perch, work the gravel-to-mud transition near Wendt’s on the Lake or the southwest reefs by Brothertown. Folks are reporting solid buckets of 10-12 inch perch and limit catches when the schools move through. The east shore rocks from Roosevelt Park to Stockbridge harbor are also turning up pike and the odd smallmouth on spinnerbaits and swimbaits.

A couple of hot spots you’ll want to target: the reefs just south of Streich’s, particularly during mid-morning as the sun climbs and pushes baitfish up; and the mouth of the Fox River at Oshkosh for a mixed bag as water cools and fish stage for the coming turnover.

A quick heads-up for you harvesters: while Winnebago isn’t under the recent severe consumption advisories like some Oneida County waters, always check the latest DNR updates if you’re planning on keeping a stringer.

In short, early fall patterns are here—walleyes are moving, perch are hot, and the right presentation on the right structure pays off. Weather might be brisk, but the bite is heating up, and the crowds are thinning just in time to chase those oversized Winnebago goldens.

Thanks for tuning in with Artificial Lure—subscribe for each week’s on-the-water pulse and don’t miss a cast. This has been a quiet please production, for more check out quiet please dot ai.

Great deals on fishing gear https://amzn.to/44gt1Pn