Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report
Fishing has been very good this past week with excellent catches of walleyes and crappies coming in along with some very nice muskies. In addition to the great fishing, we have been seeing a lot of activity around our bear baiting stations.
 |
 |
| Doug Aziz with a nice musky |
Charlie Peth and Doug Aziz with Charlie's musky |
 |
 |
| Charlie Peth releasing a nice musky | Charlie Peth with his 2nd musky of the day |
The walleyes have been primarily holding in about 8 to 12 feet of water along sharp break lines. A few of the fish have been holing along the deeper weed edges but most of the action has come from fish associated with rocks. We are using jigs tipped with minnows and crawlers but have also seen some action on leeches.
The crappie bite has been very good and we are now starting to see some of the larger "slabs" in our daily outings. Just this past week one angler pulled a very nice 14 1/2 inch slab from a local body of water. Most of the fish are suspended in 12 to 16 feet of water about 4 to 6 feet down. Run slip bobbers set to appropriate depths baited up with small jigs and minnows to entice the crappies into striking as you move through the areas that they are holding.
Action for bass has been outstanding... This past week we caught numbers of nice fish in the 16 to 18 inch range along with a few pushing that 20 inch mark. Most of the action has come from crayfish imitating crankbaits worked around mid lake rock humps and shoreline rip-rap but we also saw some good action on top water baits over weeds too.
 |
 |
| Braydon Bates from Arkansas with his first smallmouth bass | Braydon bates from Arkansas with a walleye |
The bluegill bite has been very good and anyone wanting to get a youngster into fishing should take advantage of this great bite. For action look for mid-depth weeds in 4 to 8 feet of water. Run a small hook baited up with a worm or piece of crawler suspended under a tiny bobber set about 1 to 3 feet down. For the larger gills don't use a bobber at all and work the outside edge of the weeds. Once you have tossed your bait in let it slowly fall all the way to the bottom and work it back to the boat. You may even run into a few nice perch this way as well.
Wow... The catfish bite has been very good and it just seems to get better every year. Lots of nice cats in the 3 to 5 pound range are being caught by our clients every day along with some really nice fish in the 10 to 15 pound range, and those are some real slobs! For finding and catching catfish just locate any deep pool or washout hole in the main river system and set up directly above the hole. Run small sucker minnows or cut-bait on a #4 or #2 Octopus hook and weight it down with a large bell sinker set about 18 inches above the bait. Toss the bait into the washout hole or pool, anchor the rod down and get ready. It won't take long and you should be into a feisty catfish.
 |
 |
| Braydon Bates and his grandpa Tom with Braydon's 30 inch northern pike |
Braydon bates and his grandpa with their catch from the day |
With the recent heat the musky bite has really turned on. We are catching multiple fish on our trips along with some really nice sized fish as well. Most of the action is coming on bucktails and spinnerbaits in orange and green but we are seeing some good action on the top water baits too. We are targeting weeds in 6 to 10 feet of water and wood strewn break line edges along the old river channel in the main lake system.
Central Wisconsin black bear investigating the bating station
The warm weather hasn't deterred the bears activity at all, as our stations have been hit every day this past week by frequently visiting bait raiders. We have had action from several different bears and it looks like they have decided to make our locations their new home. "To keep the bears coming - and to be consistent" it is imperative to keep changing the bait with different kinds of food and rotate your days as far as baiting. This inconsistent way of baiting will keep the bears interested in the site and keep them from moving off to another hunters location.
Good luck and 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