Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
September 21, 2015
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman
Moderate September temperatures continue through this week, with chances for showers nearly every day. The forecast promises a mild, sunny Saturday for Hayward Fall Festival.
The 31st Annual Hayward Fall Festival is this Saturday, September 26, starting at 9 a.m. The family oriented Fall Fest offers games for kids of all ages, musical hay bales, a pumpkin decorating contest, sidewalk chalk drawing, craft and food vendors, live music, and a farmers market. For more information, visit the website or call (715) 634-8662.
The 37th Annual Stone Lake Cranberry Festival is October 1-3. The event hosts more than 300 vendors, including artisans, crafters, food, and hospitality areas, as well as cranberry marsh tours, and more than 30,000 people for its fun festival and parade.
The 38th annual Hayward Lakes Chapter-Muskies, Inc. Fall Muskie Tournament is October 2-4. The event offers participants more than $30,000 in prizes, including trolling motors, gift certificates, depth finders, GPS units, and more. Each entrant is eligible for the Grand Door Prize – a 2015 Lund 1725 Pro Guide tiller boat, ShoreLand’r trailer, and 60 hp Mercury motor. Entry fees are $90 for adults and $25 for youth 16 and younger. You have until 11 p.m. October 1 to enter in person at Jenk’s (715-462-3055) or in person and by phone at Hayward Bait (715-634-2921).
Pat at Happy Hooker says musky anglers should fish along weedlines and breaks in 18-25 feet.
“Use bucktails, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, swim baits, topwaters, and suckers. For walleyes, fish structure in 18-25 feet with fatheads, suckers, and crawlers on jigs, slip bobbers, and live bait rigs. Catch northerns near weed beds and structure in 15-20 feet with crankbaits, spinnerbaits, buzz baits, and suckers.
“For largemouth, fish piers, slop, and weed flats with plastics, tubes, topwaters, crankbaits, and suckers. Fish smallmouth on weed edges and drop-offs near rock/gravel areas with tubes, spinners, plastics, swim baits, and topwaters. Jig small fatheads for crappies around weeds in 15-20 feet and suspending along deeper weedlines. Catch bluegills in weeds in 8-15 feet on waxies, leaf worms, and crawlers.”
Jim at Hayward Bait says muskies are active on topwaters, and Ghosttails/bucktails.
“The walleye bite is a little soft. Try crawlers, walleye suckers, and trolled stickbaits in 15-25 feet.
“Fish largemouth in 3-10 feet with topwater frogs and plastics. For smallmouth, use jigs and topwaters. Crappies suspending over deep water are active on crappie minnows and small plastics. Bluegills are in 5-20 feet, taking small plastics and waxies.”
Mike at Jenk’s says muskies are taking a variety of baits.
“Fish topwaters, bucktails, and suckers on the shallow parts of bars and humps, as well as the deep edges and drop-offs. Catch walleyes on deeper brush and cribs during the day and weed edges and stumps at night. Baits of choice are crawlers, minnows, and leech imitations. For northern, work spinnerbaits and weedless spoons in the weed beds.
“Crappies are actively hitting crappie minnows, Mini-Mites, and Gulp! baits on cribs and brush piles in 18-25 feet.”
Carolyn at Anglers All in Ashland says brown trout and salmon have started moving into the streams, Fish Creek, and Sioux River.
“Anglers are trolling river mouths, casting from shore, and fishing in the river.
“Smallmouth fishing is good in deeper areas of the breakwall, rock pile, and tip of Long Island. Northern action is very good by the breakwall, with smallmouth anglers catching them by accident while drifting suckers over the weeds. Anglers are catching walleyes along the Ashland shoreline at night.”
This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses anglers’ fish identification skills.
“Serious anglers assume they can identify most species they catch, but anglers involved in an Ohio study found their skills needed a little work.
“Ohio DNR researchers showed pictures of 18 common Ohio species to anglers across the state. Anglers made correct identifications only 42 percent of the time, with big differences in accuracy between species. While anglers correctly identified popular species such as bluegill, largemouth bass, channel catfish, and walleye more often than not, they identified lesser-known species such as green sunfish, pumpkinseed, and spotted bass less than 10 percent of the time.
“The lesson for Wisconsin anglers is that species identification may not be as simple as assumed, particularly when the differences between some species are small and hard to notice. Researchers also discovered that as a result of misidentification, angler-reported estimates of catch and harvest for some species may be off by up to 90 percent!”
DNR fisheries biologist Skip Sommerfeldt says musky fishing is good on bucktails, jerkbaits, soft-bodied lures, and large suckers.
“Walleye success is improving around mid-depth structure and gravel bars with leeches, crawlers, and minnows on small jigs. Northern fishing is fair on spinnerbaits near weeds.
“Fish largemouth around mid-depth weeds and structure in 5-10 feet and along deep weedlines and wood with soft plastics, worms, and craws. For smallmouth, fish finesse plastics near mid-depth wood close to deep water. Panfish anglers are catching nice crappie, bluegill, and perch along deeper weed edges.
“Sturgeon anglers report a fair number of small fish and just a few 60-inch and larger legal fish, mostly only on cut bait or crawler gobs fished in deep holes or river bends.”
The DNR’s seventh annual Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey is in progress. Hunters record their deer and wildlife observations while hunting and submit a tally sheet online. At the end of the year, participants receive personalized summaries. Survey results help DNR wildlife biologists track population trends for deer and other wildlife.
FISHING REPORT
Musky:
Musky anglers are doing well, reporting numerous sightings, follows, and hooked fish. You will find fish near and along the edges of weedlines, bars, breaks, humps, and drop-offs in 15-20 feet. Top baits include bucktails, topwaters, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits, gliders, Bull Dawgs, swim baits, crankbaits, and suckers on quick strike rigs.
Walleye:
Walleye action is fair to good and improving, with fish in 12-25 feet. Look for weeds, wood, brush, cribs, gravel, and other structure, working shallower water at night. Baits and presentations producing the best success include crawlers, walleye suckers, fatheads, and imitation leeches on jigs, slip bobbers, and live bait rigs, as well as trolled stickbaits.
Northern Pike:
Northern fishing is fair to very good. Look for fish around weeds and panfish out to 20 feet. Northern suckers, spoons, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, buzz baits, and swim jigs will all tempt the pike.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth fishing is fair to excellent on most waters. Target structure such as weeds, weedlines, wood, brush, cribs, docks, and slop in depths from 3-12 feet. Baits of choice include plastics (topwaters/frogs, rigged worms, tubes, craws), drop-shot rigs, swim jigs, crankbaits, crawlers, and small suckers.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth action is inconsistently good. Work drop-offs and the edges of wood, rock, and gravel in 3-10 feet, but near deeper water. The most productive baits include plastics (tubes, rigged worms, frogs/topwaters, finesse baits), spinnerbaits, crankbaits, swim jigs, fatheads, and small suckers.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good to very good and best in early morning and evening hours. Fish are hanging on weed edges, cribs, and brush in 12-25 feet and suspending over deeper water. Use crappie minnows, small fatheads, plastics, Mini-Mites, Tattle-Tails, and Gulp! baits on jigs or plain hooks, with or without bobbers.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is good once you find the fish. Small fish offer great action in shallower weeds, but you will find larger ‘gills around weeds and weed edges in depths to 20 feet. Small jigs with waxies, leaf worms, crawler pieces, plastics, and Gulp! baits will all catch fish, whether jigging or fishing baits under a slip bobber.
Upcoming Events
Sept. 26: Duck season opens in North Zone.
Sept. 26: 31st Annual Hayward Fall Festival (715-634-8662).
Sept. 30: Seasons close: Trout on inland waters and rivers flowing into Lake Superior (see regs for exceptions); Lake trout on Lake Superior; Hook-and-line sturgeon on inland waters.
Oct. 1-3: 37th Annual Stone Lake Cranberry Festival (715-865-3378).
Oct. 2-4: Hayward Lakes Chapter Muskies, Inc. 38th Annual Muskie Tournament (715-634-4543).
Oct. 10-11: Youth Deer Hunt.
Oct. 17: FHNB Fall Fundraiser at Flat Creek Inn & Suites; (715-634-3185).
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.