Ashland Area Fishing Report for Feb. 19, 2016
Ashland Area Fishing Report for Feb. 19, 2016
~ Fishing guides from Anglers All, 715/682-5754, report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. With the rain and warmer temperatures, conditions are changing constantly. The weather forecast for this weekend has been altered drastically with a predicted high on Sunday only in the upper 20s now instead of the 40s as originally announced.
“There are spots to beware of out on the ice now,” said Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All in Ashland. “People should know it’s going to be wet on top since we’ve had a decent amount of rain now.
“There are still people trying to access Bodin’s and the Sioux and Onion (river mouths) on the Washburn side,” she said. “At this time, we have no idea of the conditions there due to the amount of water on the ice from all of the recent rains.
“In the middle of the bay, it’s not doing much to the ice,” she continued. “The problem will occur at the landings. People are going to have to be careful getting on and off the ice, especially if the sun comes out and starts eating that ice up.”
This smiling ice angler holds up the nice walleye he caught on a recent weekend fishing trip with Josh Teigen, owner and operator of Josh Teigen’s Guide Service in Iron River. (Photo courtesy of Josh Teigen)
She said fishing has been “fairly good this week” with a wide variety of fish continuing to be caught in the area, including brown trout, whitefish, perch, northern pike and splake.
“They’re fishing shallow, they’re fishing deep, and what’s funny is that the folks fishing shallow seem to be doing better than the ones fishing the deep water. Off of Second Landing, they’re catching perch in anywhere from 10 to 30 foot of water.”
She said anglers are using crappie minnows, fatheads, shiners and waxies doing both jigging and setting tip-ups. “And they’re getting trout and salmon on the Ashland side.”
Carolyn recommends travel on the ice by snowmobile/ATV or on foot. “The ice isn’t such that you would want to drive a car or truck out there.”
On the inland lakes, people have been finding some good crappies and bluegills over in the Iron River and Delta areas. “There is a lot of slush reported on most of the inland lakes,” Carolyn noted.
With the unusually warm winter the northland has experienced, Carolyn urged anglers to be very mindful of ice safety.
“People are going to have to be prepared for some conditions they don’t normally face here at this time of the year,” she noted. “They really need to go back to checking their way as they go and using extreme caution.
** Located at 2803 E. Lake Shore Drive (U.S. Highway 2) in Ashland, Anglers All is a full-service tackle and fly shop with a professional guide service for Lake Superior and area inland lakes and rivers, offering the largest selection of baits and tackle in the Chequamegon Bay area. 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!
~ Fishing guides from River Rock Inn and Bait Shop, 715/682-3232, report the following:
“We made a little ice with that last new cold snap,” said Scott Bretting, fishing guide and owner/operator of River Rock Inn & Bait Shop. “People are starting to fish a little bit out into the islands, but most are locals so they know where they’re going.”
Scott said although people are heading out from Red Cliff, there are areas where the ice is still pretty thin and it’s probably only 8 inches thick at most. Extreme caution is advised!
He said anglers are still doing very well on Chequamegon Bay. “It’s not your typical winter doldrums like you usually get this time of year, where it gets real slow. We’re getting reports from all areas and people are catching fish.”
The perch are still biting off of Second Landing if people are willing to look for them.
“Sometimes people are sitting in areas where there’s never any fish and then they’re unhappy when they don’t catch anything,” Scott noted. “They need to move around to find them.
“That little bit of weed patch on the bottom is where they’ll find those perch. I’ve seen some really nice catches of perch!”
He said they’re getting northern pike too in the same spots as the perch, so going off of Second Landing is a good plan.
Folks fishing out by the Ashland lighthouse are seeing a lot of smelt. “They’ll want to move away from that if they want to catch trout,” Scott commented.
“With the South Channel being open, the smelt and other fish don’t have to go far to hit open water,” Scott added. “They’re staying in the bay and they’re moving and active because the water is not as cold as it usually is.
He said people fishing from Houghton Point toward Washburn are doing well with whitefish and splake. And there were people this week who were fishing off the S-curve and catching browns and whitefish over there. Scott said he has not heard of many Cohos being caught.
“The number of people out there fishing is down this season in general because ice conditions have not been premier,” Scott observed. “A lot of people like to drive their trucks out there and they can’t do that this year, so they’re not fishing.”
He said that lake shiners are working well for perch and for most fish. “Tip-ups with a shiner are definitely a mainstay. Jigging with a waxie on a buckshot or pimple is always good for perch and gold has been a good color.”
Scott said anglers are using “crappie minnows” or “small fatheads” on the inland lakes to get those panfish like bluegills. “Or waxies are working, too. They’ve been putting out tip-ups with a golden shiner to get northerns on those smaller lakes.”
Scott reminded anglers that northern pike season is coming to an end on the inland lakes on March 6.
** Stop in and see their wide variety of live bait, fishing tackle, gear, accessories, smoked fish, local cheeses, meats, and microbrews, and much more at River Rock Inn & Bait Shop, 1200 W. Lake Shore Drive (U.S. Highway 2), in Ashland. Call River Rock for the most current ice fishing report and they’ll give you the 411 on the bay area!
~ 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.
Don’t miss this week’s episode of Larry Smith Outdoors as the Berlin, Wis., guide and outdoorsman teams up with Tommy Hicks of Ashland and Beyond the Catch Guide Service to tackle Chequamegon Bay. Trout are on the menu along with whitefish when Larry and Tommy head out on the ice in “one of the prettiest parts of the state.”
The 15th Annual ABC Sportsmen Kids’ Ice Fishing Contest that had been planned for Saturday, Feb. 20, at Kreher Park in Ashland has been CANCELLED due to unfavorable ice conditions. Call 715/373-2088 with any questions.
The 12th Annual Jonny Angel Foundation Fisheree will be this Saturday, Feb. 20, at Dick and Joan’s Butternut Resort, 11633 Lakeview Rd. (County Rd. B), Butternut, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded in multiple categories. Raffles and prize drawings throughout the day. For more information, call 715/769-3333 or check out www.butternutresort.com.
The Neighborly Bar 2016 Ice Fishing Tourney and Ice Raffle will be held Saturday, Feb. 27, and will feature cash prizes in seven categories of fish, including walleye, lake trout, perch, crappie and more. And whoever catches the biggest fish overall will be crowned the 2016 King of the Lake! Tickets must be purchased by bar close on Feb. 26. Entry fee includes food and prizes. Fish any lake. All fish must be registered by 5 p.m. on Feb. 27. Ice Raffle drawing at 6 p.m. Need not be present to win. Call 715/682-9908 for more information.
The Annual Claus Kraetke Memorial Ice Fishing Jamboree at Donner’s Bay Resort, 2974 Hiawatha Rd., Butternut, on the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage, will take place Saturday, Feb. 27, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cash prizes will be given for the largest fish caught in several categories. There will be hot food, warm & cold beverages and tickets for many raffles for sale inside the resort's lodge. For more information, call 715/476-2555.
The Mellen Rod & Gun Club Annual Ice Fishing Contest on Lake Galilee is planned for Sunday, Feb. 28, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Drawings will be held from noon to 3 p.m. Call 715/274-2080 or 715/274-2330 for more information.