Ashland Area Fishing Report for May 6, 2016
~ Fishing guides from Anglers All, 715/682-5754, report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. The high winds and heavy rain from last week have dissipated, leaving behind much calmer, somewhat clearer waters.
Water temperatures in the bay right now are probably in the low 40s, estimated Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All. “With this warm-up coming now, those temperatures are going to go up into the 50s pretty quickly in the shallows,” she predicted. “The water out in the big lake is in the high 30s to low 40s, which is about average, so we’ve managed to work our way into a normal spring.”
Folks will be out in force on the bay this weekend, motor trolling for trout and salmon, many of them flatlining stickbaits.
“There are still brown trout in the shallows on the Ashland side,” Carolyn noted. “And I know there have been some nice northern pike being caught. Plus, they are getting walleye during the lowlight hours along the shore.”
She said anglers will find perch along the shoreline, too. The sturgeon have been hanging around near shore as well, but as water temperatures rise those fish will move out into deeper water.
“There have been several legal sturgeon caught,” said Carolyn, “which is 50-plus inches! They are soaking a smelt on the bottom for those.”
Josh Teigen of Iron River caught and released this nice early-season crappie just a few days ago using a Kalin’s grub. (Photo courtesy of Josh Teigen’s Guide Service)
She reminds anglers that they will need to purchase a sturgeon harvest tag in advance for $20 if they intend to keep one of those and their bag limit is only one a year.
Fishing for steelhead (migratory rainbow trout) has remained productive in Lake Superior tributaries like the Sioux River and Fish Creek.
“There are plenty of fish in the streams yet and now that the water level has gone down some, fishing should be at a really good point on those right now,” Carolyn said.
“And we are all definitely looking forward to a great smallmouth season!” Carolyn concluded.
It will be catch-and-release only on smallmouth bass starting tomorrow – Saturday, May 7 – and continuing through June 17. Then from June 18 all the way until March 5, 2017, anglers are allowed to harvest one smallmouth that is a minimum length of 22 inches.
Conditions on the inland lakes this weekend should be close to perfect for catching panfish, according to Luke Kavajecz, fishing guide with Anglers All.
In an interview published May 5 in the Ashland Daily Press, Luke said those fish “are probably not up on their beds yet, but they are definitely moving into the shallows.”
And although the waters on those inland lakes were still a bit cool, Luke said they will warm up fast, especially with a predicted high close to 90 today. “By the weekend, they should be fishing good. I think it’s going to be great!”
** 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:
The waters of Chequamegon Bay have settled down nicely now in the absence of the gale-force winds that plagued the region last week. The water clarity has improved considerably and the water level has come down a bit.
“Guys were starting to get out there trolling more this week,” said Scott Bretting, owner/operator of River Rock Inn & Bait Shop. “And of course, bass fishing opens up this weekend.”
Scott said “anything that looks like a smelt or minnow is a good bait for trolling. They’ve been going out around Long Island and Houghton Point, as well as the mouths of the Sioux and Onion (rivers).”
He said there are fish all over, including “some nice splake, brown trout, Coho, even some lakers. Soon you’ll start seeing walleye show up.”
The water is not quite warm enough yet for them to come to the shallows, Scott said.
“They are staying deep, in the cooler water,” he explained, “but pretty soon you’ll start seeing them migrate, when the weather settles and they move up to spawn. They’re in pre-spawn mode now.”
As far as bait for those, anglers will soak a smelt for northerns and sturgeons, plus the occasional brown, Scott commented. “And we have crawlers and leeches available for walleye.”
One of the area’s “hidden jewels” as far as Scott is concerned is bringing in lake sturgeon. “They’ve been catching them out by the Ashland lighthouse. They spawn this time of year up the Bad River, one of the few areas they do that.”
The streams are still doing well, Scott noted. “The people fishing them are getting browns and steelhead. They’re not running as fast now either.”
Scott cautioned anglers and other outdoors enthusiasts that it is “pretty dry in the woods right now. It’s like a tinder box out there, so please, be careful with any campfires this weekend.”
** 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.
Fishing inland waters
It is looking like great weather for the general inland fishing opener coming up this Saturday, May 7! For Ashland County, there are no major changes to bag limits on most inland waterways.
The 2016-17 Wisconsin hook & line fishing regulations provide for a harvest of 25 panfish per day for species such as bluegill, sunfish, pumpkinseed, crappie and yellow perch.
Anglers are allowed a total of 5 walleye per day on inland lakes and streams.
Northern pike season also starts tomorrow, May 7, and runs through March 5, 2017. The season limit is five northern pike of any length.
While many fish are fair game starting May 7, anglers are reminded that some seasons are still a ways off. Smallmouth bass is catch-and-release only for inland waters in the Northern Zone and on Lake Superior and its connected sloughs until June 18, while the season opener for musky fishing isn’t until May 28.
License to fish
Wisconsin residents and non-residents 16 years of age and up will need a fishing license to fish any waters in the state. An annual license costs $20. Go online athttp://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/regulations/hookline.html for more details.
Residents born before Jan. 1, 1927, don’t need a fishing license. They do need to carry proof of their age when fishing, however.
State residents who are members of the U.S. Armed Forces on active duty are entitled to obtain a free license when they go on furlough or leave.
New this year
Motor trolling is now legal on all inland waters with one hook, bait, or lure and – depending on location – with up to three hooks, baits, or lures, according to the DNR website.
Most inland lakes and rivers within the Ceded Territory (which includes Ashland County) have a daily bag limit of 3 walleye.