August 18, 2014 Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman
One could easily condense the current forecast for this week’s weather into one short sentence: Mild temperatures in morning and night, with chances for showers. Do not let the “maybes” prevent you from enjoying your favorite outdoor activities, especially as we start to wind down summer!
“Fish muskies on weed edges with topwaters and black or natural bucktails with gold blades,” says Pat at Happy Hooker.
“Find walleye on weed edges, humps, and rock bars with fatheads, leeches, crawlers, and crankbaits. Northern in deeper water near baitfish are taking suckers on jigs or slip sinker rigs, and various baits over weed flats.
“Fish largemouth on weedlines and points with rigged plastics, crankbaits, and live bait; catch smallmouth in 12-20 feet with leeches and small suckers. Crappies suspending along weedlines are hitting small fatheads, waxies, and plastics.”
Guide Dave Dorazio at Outdoor Creations says Chippewa Flowage muskie fishing is good around weeds in 3-8 feet of water.
“Throw bucktails during daytime and topwaters in low light. Fish walleyes in/on brush and bogs with leeches and crawlers. Bright bucktails are good for northerns; largemouth action is hot in the slop on the west side with weedless frogs and Texas-rigged plastic worms.
“Catch crappies with crappie minnows and jigs/tube skirts in 12-24 feet on sunken brush and cribs during the day and bog edges in the evenings.”
Jim at Hayward Bait says bucktails, gliders, spinnerbaits, and topwaters around weed beds in 8-15 feet work best for muskies.
“Fish walleyes in 15-30 feet with leeches, crawlers, walleye suckers, and fatheads on gravel bars and mid-lake structure, or troll crank and stick baits. Fish northerns with sucker minnows, spinners, and bucktails on weedlines in 5-15 feet.
“Catch largemouth on buzz baits, spinnerbaits, rigged plastics, and topwaters in 3-10 feet, and smallmouth in 15-20 feet with leeches, crawlers, and plastics. Crappie fishing is good in deeper water with minnows, waxies, and plastics.”
Mike at Jenk’s says Chippewa Flowage muskie action improved last week, with (unconfirmed) rumors of a 57-incher.
“Try bucktails and topwaters on weed edges and bars in early morning and evening hours. Walleye fishing remains good with crawlers and leeches on sunken brush during the day and bars at night. Northern action is good on the west end with spinnerbaits and northern suckers.
“Bass anglers report success with poppers and Senkos. Crappie fishing is good on crappie minnow, Mini-Mites, and Gulp! baits on bogs and brush piles starting at about 7-7:30 p.m.”
Jim at Minnow Jim’s advises Nelson Lake walleye anglers to bobber fish leeches or minnows around cribs and structure, or troll the river channel and shorelines with stickbaits.
“Mepps, spinners, and surface stickbaits are working for northern pike, and largemouth are active along shoreline weeds and lily pads on scented weedless worms, frogs, stickbaits, and spinners.
“For crappies, fish near deeper water bogs and cribs with dressed jigs, Gulp!, and live bait.”
Carolyn at Anglers All in Ashland says trolling for trout and salmon – mainly trout – is great from Outer Island to the flats, in the South Channel, and over to Houghton Point.
“Fish could be anywhere – they move with thermocline changes, which change with wind direction.
“Catch smallmouth in deeper areas with sucker minnows on plain hook split shot rigs. Walleye anglers are catching fish on crawler harnesses and stickbaits trolled slowly over weeds and humps, with some reporting incidental catches of whitefish and brown trout.”
This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses muskies as top predator.
“Many anglers assume muskellunge are the top predator in a lake and control the abundance of other species. A report from Minnesota indicates this is far from the case.
“Researchers looked at fisheries survey data before and after stocking 41 lakes with muskellunge. After muskies established populations, there was no decrease in the numbers of walleye, perch, bluegill, black crappie, white sucker, northern pike, or tulibee.
“The researchers suggest that muskellunge generally coexist with most other species and do not exert significant predation on other recreationally important species such as walleye.”
The Sawyer County Outdoor Projects & Education (SCOPE) Family Fun Day is this Saturday, August 23, at Summit Lake Game Farm. Experience outdoor activities and learn from expert demonstrations of many outdoor related skills. Attractions include .22 rifle target shooting, sporting clays, archery, fly-fishing, canoe/kayak/paddleboard rides, birdhouse building, laser hunting simulation, mountain biking, plus a free raffle for all youth. Registration starts at 8 a.m. Interactive stations begin at 8:30 a.m. , but close at 2:30 p.m. for the featured performance by Randy Oitker, and exhibition archer who won 17 national titles and two world championships before he was a teen! Admission is free to youth 18 years of age and younger and $5 for adults. For more information, visit www.sawyercountyoutdoors.com or call Chris Wunrow (715) 558-5371.
FISHING REPORT
Muskie:
Muskie action is decent, with best bite windows in early morning and evening hours. Work weeds, weedlines, and weed edges in 3-12 feet of water with bucktails, gliders, spinnerbaits, plastics, and topwaters.
Walleye:
Walleye success remains best in low light conditions. During the day, concentrate on deeper gravel, weeds, humps, rock, wood, brush, and sunken bogs in 12-30 feet of water, and river channels. Fish shallower water in early morning, late evening, and after dark. Best baits include crawlers, leeches, fatheads, and trolled crank and stick baits.
Northern Pike:
Northern fishing is fair to very good on weeds, weedlines, and near forage in 4-18 feet of water. Baits of choice include northern suckers, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, bucktails, and buzz, swim, stick, and chatter baits.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth action is very good on most waters. Look for fish in 3-10 feet of water on/near weedlines, weed and lily pad beds, points, piers, slop, bogs, and brush. Various baits are working well, including crank, stick, buzz, and spinner baits, plastics (worms, lizards, etc.), and topwaters, as well as fatheads, crawlers, and leeches on simple split shot rigs.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is best in early or late hours in 12-25 feet of water, near rocks, hard bottoms, breaks, bogs, and cribs with leeches, crawlers, suckers, tubes, swim jigs, drop-shot and split shot rigs, X-Raps, and Flicker Shad.
Crappie:
Crappie action is good once you locate them, with best success in early morning and evening hours. Look for crappies suspending over deeper water, near brush, bogs, and cribs in 8-25 feet of water. Top producers include crappie minnows, waxies, leeches, and plastics, Mini-Mites, and Gulp! baits on jigs or plain hooks fished under slip bobbers.
Bluegill:
Bluegill action remains good for small fish in the shallows and fair for larger fish in deeper water. Work weedlines, weed edges, points, and sand with waxies, worms, leaf worms, leeches, crawler pieces, and plastics on small jigs or plain hooks, with or without bobber.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 18: Bonus unit-specific antlerless deer tags on sale.
Aug. 23: Remaining fall turkey permits go on sale.
Aug. 23: SCOPE Family Fun Day (715-558-5371).
Through Aug. 31: Training dogs by pursuing bear (see regs. for exceptions).
Sept. 1: Seasons open: Early September Canada goose; Mourning dove; Wild ginseng.
Sept. 3: Black bear hunting season opens.
Sept. 6: Sturgeon season opens on designated waters (see regs).
Sept. 14: Seasons open: Fall turkey; archer and crossbow deer; Ruffed grouse in Zone A; Cottontail rabbit in North Zone; Gray and fox squirrel; Fall crow.
Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau and Sawyer County Record co-sponsor this report. For more information on area events and activities, visit the HLVCB’s Calendar of Events or call 800-724-2992.