Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report
Once again Mother Nature has hit us with another major April snow storm impacting both fishing and hunting. The latest dumping dropped over 10 inches of wet heavy snow in the Central Wisconsin area creating quite a mess.
On a positive note I recently picked up my new Crestliner boat from Amherst Marine and I absolutely love it. A huge thank you to Jason, Gene, and Jerry for all of their help and support with everything from purchasing the boat, to rigging and on the water testing. They did a great job and I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a new or used boat or if you are looking for any type of service.
With the recent snowfall the water temperatures have remained in the low to mid-30 degree range keeping the spawning walleyes at bay. Most of the fish are still staging in pre-spawn locations and can be caught with a simple jig and minnow combination or Jig and plastic. A few savvy anglers are throwing crankbaits and having some luck with them as well.
In addition to the many walleyes that we are catching we have been picking up a few nice crappies and an unbelievable amount of sturgeon. So far this season we have hooked into at least 15 sturgeon and that is not normal. On a good year I typically see one or two sturgeon at most. As far as the crappies, we are picking them up incidentally while walleye fishing in some of the deeper holes in the river system.
If you get a chance stop in at your local Kwik Trip and check out my column in the recent issue of On Wisconsin Outdoors on Early Season Walleyes with tips and techniques for catching pre-spawn walleyes.
I have been out turkey scouting for the upcoming season and despite the harsh winter it looks as though they made it through and the spring herd is in good shape. I saw a lot of birds and plenty of gobblers. Get ready for another exciting season!
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Hooksetters Guide Service
Web: www.hooksetters.biz
Phone: 715-693-5843