Remember the Fallen
First, and the only real thing of importance this week, we’re all going fishing or turkey hunting…or shopping …on this long weekend because of the hundreds of thousands of men and women over hundreds of years who gave their lives for America’s freedoms. Say a prayer of thanks for them, and think of them while you’re doing whatever it is you choose to do this Memorial Day weekend. And always remember that the ballot earned by them and now held by you can non-violently keep freedom and the Constitution alive and well from generation to generation to generation. Never forget. They are your God-given and most precious possessions.
Dick Adair (pictured) and Jim Ellis find crappies cooperative on the Manitowish Chain.
Crappies finally came in to the spawning grounds last week in northern and southern Wisconsin. In the north, Jim Ellis and Dick Adair reported very good action in the shallows on very big fish. They kept crappies in the 11 to 13 inch range on the Manitowish Chain near Boulder Junction. They also thanked me for not joining them and shutting off the bite. Long-time family friend Dick Adair, who was a visitor to our cabin, also reported that his 7-year old grandson and expert fisherman Nicholas Adair, recently wrestled a near world record largemouth into submission on a farm pond. OWO is seeking an exclusive Nicholas interview in the near future to bring our interested readers the scoop on his tactics and general approach to fishing.
On Wisconsin Outdoors’ VIP Nicholas Adair, 7, shows why bass don’t want to mess with him.
Jim Ellis had found nice crappies too near his home in Forest Lake, Minnesota fishing with his 16 year old neighbor, Reid Connell. The two reported they almost missed that bite, hitting the fish in 64 degree water temperatures when action is usually better between 58 and 62 degrees. Despite being stuck in Minnesota, Jim is a diehard Badger/Packer fan who predicts a Packer Super Bowl victory in 2018 because it will be played in the Vikings new stadium, and will basically make that whole state sick. What a shame.
Proud Grandpa Peter Deinlein sends us this photo of grandson Carson Callies with his first catch. Carson caught the monster on Silver Lake fishing with his daddy, Rick, and Grandpa Mike Callies. Three generations of pure bliss on the water!
Reid Connell, 16 of Forest Lake shows the crappie haul.
Hundreds of miles to the south in Wisconsin, OWO contributor Jim Olsson reported the same kind of fast crappie action on Delavan. Olsson is one of those fish magnets who knows what he’s doing on the water, and he also reports fast Coho salmon action on Lake Michigan in the Milwaukee Harbor. He will be sending photos soon on those catches. You can expect chinook to be following the cohos in short order.
OWO contributor Jim Olsson got into crappies and some decent walleyes in Walworth County.
Buddy John Faucher, Owner of Johnny’s Little Shop of Bait in New London, says the Wolf River bite has been fast and furious. Below, Kyla Warner of New London holds up a nice Stringer of late-blooming spawners on May 20th mixed in with a batch of 10 catfish and 3 white bass (not pictured).
I’m still looking for Tom after blowing a couple encounters in Grant County and misleading two nice gobblers with the mouth call. The gory details will be coming soon. Going back though. Gobblers have been dumped by the nesting hens and they, including the monster birds, should be really receptive to calling if you can stand the bugs and ticks. Late season is my favorite time and you will see fat Thomas if you can take the heat…literally.
Lori and I put out grape jelly in a small glass bowl (palm size) on our deck railing and have been seeing 20 orioles a day sucking up the sweet stuff. We also put out a half of orange but have not seen one oriole take the orange over the jelly. Around the corner and under the eave we have a few baby robins keeping their parents busy. It’s really cool to put the telephoto on them when the parents return with a juicy grub or maybe a tasty nightcrawler and watch them stretch in competitive welcome to mom and dad for the meal. Their appetite makes me run right to the oatmeal.
Down the road from my New Berlin home, I shot one of the bigger strutting Toms I’ve seen with a long, long beard yesterday with the telephoto, then spun around and shot a bald eagle tearing apart a carcass in the middle of a plowed field. A bald eagle? In New Berlin? Life is good.
Life is good because of those fallen soldiers. Remember them. Thanks for connecting with On Wisconsin Outdoors. Shoot straight.
Dick Ellis