June 2 Upper Chippewa Basin Fishing Report
Constantly changing weather in the last week has made for some challenging fishing conditions for most anglers across the Northwoods. Water temperatures seem to be holding in the mid-60’s on most lakes and this has extended the spawning activity for a lot of crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass. This has also gotten a few bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass to begin their nesting periods.
With the musky opener over this past Memorial Day weekend, musky fishing was the highlight of this past week. However, anglers reported only mediocre action - with many sightings and follows and a relatively low number of hook-ups. Small to medium-size bucktails seemed to produce the most activity, while jerk baits such as Suicks also got some interest. With the wind and ever-changing weather, walleye fishing continued its erratic trend and anglers were having to move around quite a bit to find some active fish. The most productive baits have been jig/minnow combinations, as well as leeches and crawlers - either on a slip bobber, a small lead-head jig or on a bare hook/split shot rig. The best success has come in the evening hours as the wind dies down, and some fair catches of fish in the 12 to 16 inch size have come along break lines or structure in 8 to 12 feet of water. The mayfly hatch has just begun on many Northwoods lakes, so walleye action with leeches and crawlers may get a little consistent once the hatches get into full swing on these lakes. With the spawning season almost completed for largemouth and smallmouth bass, their feeding activity should greatly increase with the warming water temperatures. Male smallmouth may still be seen guarding nests and schools of their fry, but most other smallies have retreated to deeper water. After a short recovery period following the rigors of spawning, they will soon start their summer feeding binge and begin to relate to shallow and mid-depth rock and woody structure. Many largemouth bass also seem to be in their post-spawn recovery period, but some decent fish have been found cruising the shallow and mid-depth weed beds. The largemouth haven't been relating too much to woody structure yet, but lily pad beds have produced some good action on top-water and soft-plastic baits.
Panfish action has been generally good, with bluegill and crappie providing most of the success in the last week. For bluegill, anglers just need to find an active spawning colony, where a bobber and a piece of nightcrawler can provide some fast and furious action. Catches of crappie have been a bit tougher to come by, but some decent catches have still been made in shallow water along any emergent weed lines.
Price County Tourism Department
126 Cherry Street, Room 9
Phillips, WI 54555
715-339-4505
715-339-3089 (fax)
www.pricecountywi.net