Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report 6/21/2012
This past week has been pretty good for walleye activity. A lot of nice fish are being caught in 10 to 14 feet of water along deep weed edges on jigs tipped with minnows. We are also seeing some nice fish coming on crankbaits like Rapalas and Bombers late in the day as they move up shallower in the weeds.
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| Kevin Meyers with a nice musky | what a nasty backlash looks like.... |
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| Dave Hansen with a nice walleye | Terry Woldvogel with a couple of nice walleyes |
The crappie bite has really never slowed down all season long. We have been catching a lot of nice fish in 10 to 14 feet of water mostly while targeting the walleyes. Jigs tipped with minnows has been working for us but to catch the larger ones try suspending a minnow under a slip bobber about 5 to 7 feet down.
The musky action has been very good so far this year and it looks to be one of the best starts that I can remember. Most of the action has been on bucktails but we have been seeing some good action on top water baits along with a few fish on jerkbaits, crankbaits and rubber baits like Bulldawgs.
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| Terry Woldvogel with a couple of nice crappies | Ernie Brigs and his wife from Indiana with a couple of their crappies |
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| A plan landing in the water | |
The bass action has been consistent with nice catches being caught on every trip. Fish in the 15 to 18 inch range are common along with a few nice bass up to and over 20 inches being caught as well. Most of the bass are holding in 2 to 5 feet of water associated with rocks but we are seeing a few of the bass holding tight to wood cover along the shorelines.
A lot of hunters started bear baiting this past week and with a little luck their locations will start seeing some activity. For bait and locations start by finding a spot that is far from human contact as bears don't like a lot of activity. Deep impenetrable areas far from the roads are good places to start. I look for large tangled thickets of briars and tag alder swamps as they are great locations to place a bait station especially if their is water nearby. Try setting up at the edge of these areas under a blow-down or hollowed out stump. Use pastries for bait as well as old cookies and candies or anything sweet. I like to use molasses as a base along with some liquid smoke for additional scent. Remember that your bait must be totally concealed under the blow-down or stump and hidden from sight to avoid non-target species. With a little luck you should start seeing some activity at your stations.
Have a great week,
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