Ashland Area Fishing Report for April 28, 2016
~ Fishing guides from Anglers All, 715/682-5754, report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. The area has received several inches of rain since Sunday accompanied by high winds.
“There’s a lot of dirty water out in the bay right now from all of the wild wind and weather,” said Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All. “It’s going to take a few days for that to settle down.”
Once that happens, folks will no doubt continue to troll for trout and salmon, many of them flatlining stickbaits.
“Near-shore trolling had been pretty good for splake and browns,” said Luke Kavajecz, Anglers All fishing guide, “but the water was still pretty cold, so this bite is just going to get better as it warms up a little.”
“Most people were working the shallows and looking for the mud lines,” said Carolyn. “There had been reports of Coho salmon, brown trout, steelhead, splake and lake trout all being caught, with browns being the most prevalent species.”
Josh Teigen, owner/operator of Josh Teigen’s Guide Service based in Iron River, has been making the most of stream fishing this spring. He has caught several beautiful steelhead like the ones shown here while fishing the famous Brule River in Northern Wisconsin. “It's been a great year!” Josh said. “One of the best I've ever had out there.” (Photo courtesy of Josh Teigen’s Guide Service)
Both Carolyn and Luke said they are really looking forward to the fishing opener coming up in May.
“The smallies are already in their shallow-water places,” Carolyn noted. “It’s just a matter of getting the water to clear.”
“We're all trying to hold back the excitement for our favorite fishing of the year,” commented Luke.
It will be catch and release only on the smallmouth bass starting May 7 and continuing through June 17. Then from June 18 all the way until March 5, 2017, anglers are allowed to harvest one smallmouth that is a minimum length of 22 inches.
“All of that rain should have brought fresh fish into the streams,” Carolyn continued. “It will be a few days until those swollen streams come down and then it will be great!”
Fishing for steelhead has remained productive in Lake Superior tributaries like the Sioux River and Fish Creek.
“Steelhead fishing has been excellent in the Brule River and other South Shore tribs,” Luke noted. “Most of the fish we're catching in the Brule right now are dropbacks, but there should still be fish around for a while yet.”
Carolyn said there have been some nice walleyes caught, mainly at night, on the Ashland shoreline. In addition, there have been quite a number of people fishing for sturgeon on either end of the Ashland breakwall.
“There have been several legal sturgeon caught,” said Carolyn, “which is 50-plus inches! They are soaking a smelt on the bottom for those.”
She reminds anglers that they will need a sturgeon tag to fish for those and their limit is only one a year.
“They are also catching northerns along the shoreline,” Carolyn added “Now that the smelt run is over, you will see more pike being caught. And once again, they are soaking a smelt for those.”
** Located at 2803 E. Lake Shore Drive (U.S. Highway 2) in Ashland, Anglers All is a full-service tackle and fly shop with a professional guide service for Lake Superior and area inland lakes and rivers, offering the largest selection of baits and tackle in the Chequamegon Bay area. For the most complete and up-to-date fishing report, just give them a call at Anglers All and they will gladly keep you informed!
~ Fishing guides from River Rock Inn and Bait Shop, 715/682-3232, report the following:
Open-water fishing on Chequamegon Bay had been very good until the current weather system arrived, bringing gale-force winds and chilly temperatures to the Ashland area. The water in the bay right now is a reddish brown hue caused by all of the runoff from the rain-swollen streams, plus the surface is roiling and dotted with whitecaps.
“Before all of that wind started, trolling was great and there were some nice browns reported,” said Scott Bretting, owner/operator of River Rock Inn & Bait Shop. “There were lots of people fishing for northerns during the last week too, but with the way the lake is right now – the water’s all churned up and muddy – no one is going out.”
Bretting also noted that the “nor’easter wrecked our smelt season.” After what some reported as the best smelt harvest in several years, the run ended abruptly Sunday night when this unfavorable weather system moved in.
Because of the gale-force winds on the big lake, the smaller inland lakes have been seeing some action, however. “Panfish and crappies are getting in that spring mode,” Scott commented.
“The streams have still been offering good fishing,” said Nate Baron, River Rock employee and owner/operator of Up North Guide Service. “Steelhead are still moving pretty good on the streams.”
“The streams have been very high because of the heavy rain we’ve had,” Scott added, “but that should settle down next week. Once the weather settles down, things will be really good.”
“Guys who are out trolling are definitely getting quite a few Coho and browns,” Nate said. “They’re trolling shallow or off the shoreline, using stickbaits. They’re also going out and trolling off the islands.”
Scott said there were some awesome Coho salmon caught last Saturday, April 23, around the tip of Long Island and off Houghton Point.
** Stop in and see their wide variety of live bait, fishing tackle, gear, accessories, smoked fish, local cheeses, meats, and microbrews, and much more at River Rock Inn & Bait Shop, 1200 W. Lake Shore Drive (U.S. Highway 2), in Ashland. Call River Rock for the most current ice fishing report and they’ll give you the 411 on the bay area!
~ The Ashland Area Chamber of Commerce, 1-800-284-9484, reports:
Fishing is always a thrilling adventure in the Ashland area! Chequamegon Bay is famous for its world-class smallmouth bass fishing. The 12-mile-long bay’s rock piles and breakwater structures make for perfect bass habitat.
The Sanborn Community Club will hold a Smelt Fry from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, at Sanborn Memorial Park. The tiny community of Sanborn is located a few miles south of Ashland. (Take Hwy. 112 or Sanborn Avenue out of town.) The park is on County Hwy. E in Sanborn. For more details, send an email to rose1234@cheqnet.net.