Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report 9-21-12
Cooler temperatures has fishing in the central Wisconsin area heating up. With that said musky action has picked up and we are seeing a lot of really nice fish coming on jerk baits like Reef Hawgs and Suicks. Now that the water is cooler we are also seeing some guys starting to use suckers which you can purchase at local sport shops like Gander Mountain. When it comes to running suckers I like to run one close behind the boat set below a slip bobber about 3 to 5 feet down. The second sucker line is a free running flat line that has no bobber on it and is set out about 25 to 50 feet behind the boat. More times than not this is the one that gets struck.
For you guys targeting walleyes, now is the time to start looking at the deeper pools in the main river section and low current areas. Deeper pools in 12 to 16 feet of water and back water eddies are holding a majority of the fish right now and they can be targeted by simply using 1/8 or 1/4 ounce jigs tipped with fathead minnows. With the stained root beer colored water in the Wisconsin River system the best colors we have found for jigs are orange, chartreuse and pink.
The crappie bite has been very good this last week. We are catching a lot of very nice fish suspended 3 to 5 feet down over anywhere from 8 to 16 feet of water. These are not your typical 8 inch crappies either, these are 12 to14 inch slabs that are suspended in the water column feeding on schools of bait fish. To target these crappies we are using slip bobbers and suspending our baits in front of the fish at the appropriate depth. Most of the time our baits are consisting of 1/16 and 1/32 ounce jigs in pink or white tipped with either a small plastic like a Mini-Mite or a lively crappie minnow.
Joe from Georgia with a nice crappie
The action for smallmouth bass has really developed. With the cooler water temperatures these fish are searching out and locating submerged rock humps and rocky riprap shorelines. These areas are especially good in the afternoon periods once the sun has been out all day long and has heated up the water surrounding the rocks. We are casting crank baits in and around these rocky areas to pick off feeding smallmouth.
Another species of fish that we been seeing consistent action from is catfish. A lot of these fish are coming while we are targeting walleyes in the deeper pools. If you're going to specifically target catfish try running flat lines rigged up with either a small sucker minnow or a smelly chicken liver. The nice thing is if you're using the small sucker minnows you may pick up some decent walleyes as well.
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| Joe and Dave from Georgia with their catch of crappies and walleyes. | Randy Derbick with a nice crappie and big bluegill |
The 2012 bear season is well under way and some nice bears have been taken. Our clients at Hooksetters have taken several nice bears in the 200 to 300 pound range but there are also reports of some really nice bears taken in Wisconsin that are upwards of 500 and 600 pounds. In addition to bear season being underway the 2012 whitetail archery season has started. With it being early in the season hunters taking to the woods should target locations between bedding areas and crop fields consisting of soybeans, corn or alfalfa. Always remember that when placing a deer stand you take the wind direction into consideration as this can be your number one enemy when targeting whitetail.
Also for anyone interested, the North Star Casino and Resort has many upcoming events for the remainder of September and October starting with great weekend entertainment, a Halloween costume contest, a Beer festival with over 50 beers from 25 local brewers and don't forget about the all you can eat seafood extravaganza which is held every Friday and Saturday night. I have had it and it is outstanding! For more information on these and many more activities you can visit their website at: www.northstarcasinoresort.com
Have a great week, good luck hunting and fishing.
Phil Schweik
Licensed Wisconsin Hunting & Fishing Guide
Hooksetters Guide Service www.hooksetters.biz
Ruttnut Guide Service www.ruttnut.com
Reed & Hoppe Wildlife Food Plots www.foodplotting.com