Ashland Area Fishing Report for Aug. 20, 2015
~ Fishing guides Roger LaPenter and Luke Kavajecz from Anglers All, 715/682-5754, report the following:
This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. Accounts of some great lake trout fishing continue to come in, mostly out into the Apostle Islands and out on the "flats."
“The lake trout action has still been very good,” said Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All in Ashland. “Browns have been reported off the Sioux and Onion rivers in 30-50 foot of water,” she added.
“We’re in a period of transition right now with this weather,” Carolyn noted. “With the extreme heat and humidity the area has been experiencing, plus the southerly winds, water temperatures have risen and the bite has been tough within the bay in general.”
She said fish are being caught both in the shallows and out in the deeper drop-offs to the channel. “However, with the rain event we’ve just had, we’re going to see a lot of dirty water in the bay soon.”
Carolyn advises anglers to “try to get on the outside of that dirty water. For the smallmouth, look in the deeper areas. For walleye, try the mud lines if you’re trolling.”
She explained that in the deeper water there has not been a lot of “thermocline” – defined as “a transition layer in a thermally stratified body of water that separates zones of widely different temperature” – so anglers should try to find that 50-degree water.
To learn more about thermocline and how it works, here is an excellent essay by Randy Womack:http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/thermocline.html.
Sometimes it pays to move around and try different spots if you're not getting any action in a specific location, especially right now with everything in flux.
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!
~ 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 Ashland County Fair will be held Aug. 20-23 at the county fairgrounds in Marengo. Enjoy carnival rides, a dirt dash, lawnmower races, live music, demolition derby, truck & tractor pull, livestock judging, softball tournament, and so much more.
Bad River’s 36th Annual Manomin Pow Wow, honoring the ricing season of the Bad River Band of Ojibwe, will beAug. 21-23 at the Pow Wow grounds on County Road A near St. Mary’s Church in Odanah. The event features traditional Native American dancing, fry bread contest and canoe race.
A happy client of Nate Baron’s proudly displays the nice smallie she caught out on Chequamegon Bay on Aug. 11. Baron, who owns Ashland-based Up North Guide Service, said the bass are biting on “sucker minnows, football jigs, Storm Arashi's and Rapala DT6.” He said he’s been using “fat cranks mostly over weed and rock in 14-21 FOW.” He added that the fish “are spread out and we have to move a lot to find them but we’ve been getting 3-4 here and there.” (Photo courtesy of Nate Baron)