Ashland Area Fishing Report for May 7, 2015
~ Fishing guides Roger LaPenter and Luke Kavajecz from Anglers All, 715/682-5754 (http://www.anglersallwisconsin.com), report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. It's certainly getting busy on the water around here and the fishing has been great!
“We've had some gorgeous weather up on the big lake to start the year off, with high sun and calm winds,” said Luke Kavajecz of Anglers All in Ashland. “The water is really clear this year, too.”
Luke said the smallmouth bass are around in all the usual spots and they've been pretty happy. He said water temperatures are in the low to mid-50s.
“We've caught them on just about every different technique and even had a few fish on topwater already, so that's cool.”
People are still catching plenty of trout and salmon all the way from the head of the bay out to the Apostle Islands. Anglers are traveling from Bono Creek north and getting brown trout and Coho salmon. Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All, said they are still working the South Channel for trout and salmon as well.
People are still trolling and casting for walleye in the sloughs as well as the Xcel Energy “hot pond” and the surrounding water during the low-light hours using shallow-running stickbaits.
Stream fishing continues to be excellent. The Brule River and other South Shore tributaries like the Sioux and Onion are full of fish. Currently, anglers can find fish from U.S. Highway 2 all the way to the lake and there are fish entering other South Shore and Chequamegon Bay rivers.
“The Sioux is loaded with steelhead,” Carolyn noted. “So steelie season is definitely not over. The rivers have had a good number of them.”
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, www.visitashland.com, 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 9th Annual Chequamegon Bay Birding & Nature Festival will be held Thursday through Saturday, May 14-16. This highly anticipated weekend event features guided field trips, hands-on workshops, educational programs, exhibits, speakers, and more than 100 activities from which to choose. Locales for the various activities include Bibon Swamp, Stockton Island, Copper Falls State Park, the Moquah Pine Barrens and Penokee Hills.
Sharon “Bird Chick” Stiteler of Minneapolis, Minn., a National Park Service ranger and expedition leader, and Ryan Brady, a research scientist for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, are the keynote speakers this year.
The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center, at the intersection of U.S. Highway 2 and County Highway G in Ashland, will serve as home base for the event. For registration information or more details, go online at www.birdandnaturefest.com or call the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce at 1-800-284-9484.
This beautiful smallie was caught during the first week in May on Chequamegon Bay. Just remember that these fish grow big and old and it's a good thing to handle them properly, advises Luke Kavajecz, guide with Ashland’s Anglers All. “Some smallmouth in the bay will grow to be 22 years old,” he added. (Photo by Luke Kavajecz, Anglers All)