Ashland Area Fishing Report for Dec. 10, 2015
~ Fishing guides Roger LaPenter and Luke Kavajecz from Anglers All, 715/682-5754, report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. Because of the continued warm weather, ice fishing is still on hold.
Very few people are going out fishing right now because they’ve already put their boats away for the winter. “Most boats are usually in storage before deer hunting season,” noted Luke Kavajecz, guide with Anglers All in Ashland.
However, anglers who have gone out are having good luck trolling, he said. “They are finding a real good mixed bag with a little bit of everything.”
Luke said folks have been hauling in brown trout, lake trout and steelhead, as well as smallmouth bass. “They are pretty much finding them in the same places they would if there was ice.” He also suggested people give the river mouths like the Sioux and Onion a try.
“There are currently some great open-water opportunities out there,” said Luke. “So you might want to even think about getting your boat back out,” he added, half-jokingly.
If you do want to get your fishing fix and have no plans to bring the boat out of its winter storage, there has been decent walleye activity along the Ashland shoreline with anglers jigging, dragging stickbaits –mostly Rapalas – and using sucker minnows to catch those. Luke said the Xcel Energy “hot pond” and the coal dock in Washburn are productive places to fish from shore.
Either way it’s definitely time to at least prepare for ice fishing season. By ensuring that your equipment is in good working order now, you will be able to head out onto the ice as soon as it forms!
These items should be among those on your readiness checklist: review ice safety information, inspect your portable ice shack, check your ice auger, and invest in a good pair of ice cleats. Anglers All has numerous items in stock for hard-water season with more gear on the way, so be sure to stop in.
For the most complete and up-to-date fishing report, just give them a call at Anglers All and they will gladly keep you informed!
~ The Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-284-9484, reports:
Fishing is always a thrilling adventure in the Ashland area! Chequamegon Bay is famous for its world-class smallmouth bass fishing. The 12-mile-long bay’s rock piles and breakwater structures make for perfect bass habitat.
Professional guide Josh Teigen of Iron River, Wis., holds up a nice steelhead he caught on Dec. 7 while out with Nate Baron of Ashland-based Up North Guide Service. Nate said the group had “an awesome time” on Chequamegon Bay. “This time of the year you never know what you are setting the hook on,” Nate observed. “We caught smallies, walleye, whitefish, lake trout and steelhead all on the same lure.” (Photo courtesy of Nate Baron)
A happy gent named Ed from Richland Center, Wis., displays the beautiful smallmouth bass he caught Dec. 7 on Chequamegon Bay while fishing with Nate Baron, owner and operator of Up North Guide Service. “Open-water fishing in December ... it doesn't get any better!” said Nate. (Photo courtesy of Nate Baron)
Josh Teigen of Iron River, Wis., owner and operator of Teigen’s Guide Service, caught this whitefish on a recent outing where several different species of fish were all biting on the same lure. The continued warm weather in the Ashland area has ice fishing enthusiasts in a holding pattern, but there are plenty of great open-water fishing opportunities available for those who haven’t yet put their boat away for the winter. (Photo courtesy of Nate Baron)