Ashland Area Fishing Report for March 3, 2016
~ Fishing guides from Anglers All, 715/682-5754, report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. Fishing continues to be pretty good for those who are venturing out. A wide variety of fish are being caught in the area, including brown trout, whitefish, perch, northern pike and splake.
The wind and warmer temperatures are causing the ice to deteriorate and with next week’s predicted highs in the mid-40s and 50s, we may be looking at an early ice-out this year.
“We lost the ice on the outside of Houghton Point,” noted Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All in Ashland. “That wind the other day took everything out.”
She said there is still “plenty of good ice within the bay proper. We’re expecting good fishing for the North Wisconsin Rod and Gun Club’s Ice-O-Rama tournament out at Second Landing.”
Carolyn said the fishing report is pretty much the same with the late afternoon hours into sunset having the best bite during this past week. She said her cousin caught a big brown out by the Ashland Breakwater Lighthouse in the afternoon a few days ago.
“Everything is moving through the channel now,” she said, “so they can expect to find fish in shallow water or in up to 35-40 foot of water.”
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:
“Looks like it’s going to be a fast spring,” commented Scott Bretting, fishing guide and owner/operator of River Rock Inn & Bait Shop. “With temperatures in the 50s next week, that ice is going to go quick! The ice I fished on last Saturday (near the mouth of the Sioux River) is no longer there, so that should give you an indication of where we’re at.”
Scott said there is open water right now from the tip of Long Island to the tip of Houghton Point.
“In the thickest spots, there’s only a foot and a half of ice out there,” he continued. “This is not a normal year where we have three feet out there, so it’s going to go fast when we get the warmer weather next week.”
But in the meantime, anglers are having a ball.
“Last weekend the fishing was fantastic!” Scott enthused. “On Saturday we had gorgeous weather. We were sitting out on the ice in 55-degree weather; it doesn’t get any better than that.”
Scott said he “caught lots of whitefish. And it was an early morning bite – by 10 o’clock, it was done.” He said he also got some “brown trout, splake, a mix of things.”
The usual spots – such as the Ashland lighthouse, off Second Landing 3 miles east of Ashland, and off the Ashland shoreline by the marina – have all been producing fish, Scott said.
There were a lot of fish reported during the annual Neighborly Bar ice fishing contest held last Saturday. “A big northern won the contest, a 15-pounder,” Scott noted, “because they couldn’t get out to where the lake trout are.”
“But people were fishing all over the bay from end to the other, in front of the creeks at the head of the bay, all the way to the mouth of the Kakagon Sloughs and out to Houghton Point, and over by Second Landing.”
He said plenty of smelt also were caught in front of the Ashland lighthouse.
“The perch off of Second Landing are picking up in numbers,” said Scott, “but if you’re catching only small ones, move. Because there are some schools of small ones swimming around out there, but we’ve had some nice reports of some big ones, 9-14 inches.”
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 getting northern pike too in the same spots as the perch, so going off of Second Landing is a good plan for those targeting pike.
“Walleye are showing up too on the east side of the bay in the Second Landing area,” Scott added. “They will eventually go up the Kakagon Sloughs to spawn. They’re pre-spawn right now, so they’re feeding pretty heavily.”
Scott noted that anglers are using “crappie minnows” or “small fatheads” on the inland lakes to get those panfish like bluegills. “Some nice crappies have been reported on those. Waxies are working, too.”
** 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!
A smiling quartet of ice anglers shows off the tasty trout they caught in Chequamegon Bay on a recent weekend excursion with Josh Teigen’s Guide Service out of Iron River. “Trout fishing has been phenomenal the past two weeks,” Josh said, “and it should continue!” (Photo courtesy of Josh Teigen)
This intrepid lady angler was thrilled with the largemouth bass she caught on Lake Superior ice with a Beaver Dam tip-up. (Photo courtesy of Josh Teigen)
Another handsome walleye is displayed by an angler who went out ice fishing on Chequamegon Bay in late February with Josh Teigen’s Guide Service of Iron River. (Photo courtesy of Josh Teigen)
~ 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.
The 29th Annual Ice-O-Rama ice fishing contest sponsored by the North Wisconsin Rod & Gun Club will be held this Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6. The contest starts at 5 a.m. Saturday and continues through noon on Sunday. There will be $100 prizes awarded for five categories of fish, plus cash prizes for the 2nd and 3rd largest fish in each category. In addition, a raffle drawing for five Grand Prizes will take place at 1 p.m. on March 6 at the Rod & Gun Club, 67032 Sloughs Lane (Second Landing), Ashland. Contestants may fish at their own risk anywhere on Chequamegon Bay. All fish must be registered by noon on Sunday, March 6. No frozen fish will be registered. For more information, call 715/685-9778.
The Annual Pan-a-Rama Ice Fishing Tournament will take place on Saturday, March 12, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Northern Lure Resort & Campground on Gordon Lake in Glidden. This contest is for panfish only. There is a $5 entry fee. Prizes will be awarded for the biggest panfish in several categories. Lunch will be served. For more information, call 715/264-3677 or visit www.northernlure.com.
The Snowbelt Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will host their 16th Annual Hunting Heritage Banquet on Saturday, March 12, at the AmericInn Hotel & Suites, 3009 E. Lake Shore Dr., Ashland. Doors open at 5 p.m. with dinner served at 7 p.m. Ticket includes the dinner and membership in the NWTF. This is the Snowbelt Longbeards Chapter’s annual fundraising and membership banquet. There will be a pre-event raffle and early bird incentive drawing. For more information, call 715/893-2216 or 715/893-2270.