Ashland Area Fishing Good Despite Erratic Weather
The Ashland area fishing is very good for multiple species according to anglers. Northerns have been biting along the Ashland shoreline with anglers catching them in the shallows. Bass are also staging in the shallows right now and smallies can be found in Sand Cut as well as other areas in the Bay.
River Rock Inn and Bait Shop report the 2012 Spring Fishing Opener did not disappoint the many anglers that traveled to the area to catch a few fish. From beautiful, pre-spawn Chequamegon Bay Bass to the game fish on our inland waters, despite the weather, good reports came in across the board.
Here on the Bay, smallmouth were staged thick in the Sand Cut and Kakagon area. Fish were in the 5 to 8 feet of water areas of the Sand Cut and 3 to 5 foot depth areas of the Kakagon. Also, a few pike and walleye were caught by anglers in the same areas, as usual.
Water temps were right at 50 and dipped a bit from the continued overnight northeast winds and rain on Sunday. Covering water over these staging flats was the name of the game. Once a pod of fish was found, continued working of the area with varying techniques helped in getting more fish in the boat. Searching with Rattle Traps, Spinner baits, Swim Jigs, Jerk Baits and Jig/Grub combos was the initial key, prior to slowing down with tubes, football jigs, Carolina rigs, and drop shots in areas where fish were caught. Fish will continue to be pre-spawn for a few more weeks.
From the Inland Lakes there were differing reports for differing waters. Fishing was a bit tougher on the clear water systems like the Pike Lake Chain and the Eau Claire Chain, but fish were still caught. Crappies and Bass were still biting well on these bodies of water, with crappies transitioned to the shallows and smallmouth bass staging off the breaks in pre-spawn.
Fishing seemed a bit better, especially for walleyes where anglers were finding them up in the new weed growth by pitching jigs or using slip bobbers. Also, some folks were catching them deeper, off cribs and, as usual for this time of the year, crappies were not that hard to find. Pitching small jigs and slip bobbering caught them. These patterns should hold for another week or until the water temps spike another 10 degrees.
For dining, lodging, entertainment and other activity information in the Ashland Area, connect with the Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce at www.visitashland.com or ashchamb@centurytel.net or 800-284-9484.