Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report
It has been another great week in Central Wisconsin for outdoor sports. Fishing has been very good for several species and the turkey hunters have been shooting some really nice Toms. The water temperatures this past week have moved into the upper 50’s to lower 60 degree range. The walleye spawn is over and the crappies and bass have now moved up into the shallows to do their thing.
If it is walleyes that trip your trigger this past week has found the majority of these post spawn fish in shallow backwater areas in less than 5 feet of water. Just after the big females get done with their spawning routine they move out and head to shallow backwater locations to “rest” and a lot of the accompanying fish follow. To target post spawn walleyes look for shallow areas with substantial cover. Maybe it’s a tree in the water or a stump with extending trunk legs or some over-hanging brush. I like to look for anything that can conceal them in shallow water. For tackle I run weed less jigs made by Baitmaker Tackle on a 7’0” medium light rod from Elk River Rods. The jigs are kind of triangular in shape and with the accompanying weed guard they will slip through dense brush and cover effortlessly getting you into the strike zone. The longer rod with a fast tip and good backbone allows me to feel subtle strikes and still have enough strength to haul the walleyes out of the heavy cover. With a slow presentation and precise casting you will find yourself catching walleyes most people don’t even realize are there.
The crappie bite this past week has been phenomenal. A lot of fish have made their way to traditional shallow water spawning locations and they can be easily targeting with very simple tactics. When it comes to looking for early spring crappies I like to start out in shallow backwater areas or small structure filled bays. These areas warm up quickly and will attract crappies and other fish as they prepare to spawn. To target these spawning fish I like a simple method of running a 1/16th ounce lead-head jig under a bobber. Set the jig anywhere from 6 inches to a foot below the bobber depending on water depth and bait it up with a minnow or plastic tail. Toss the baited rig up towards the structure getting as close as you can with your cast and wait for the action. One simple recommendation however is that since we are fishing in very shallow water, is that these fish will easily spook. It is imperative that you keep your distance from the structure and throw with long accurate casts.
Bass action has picked up dramatically this past week as a lot of fish have moved up to shallow water locations. Shoreline rock, wood, and other structure are now holding a lot of active fish. To target these early spring bass I like to toss a tube jig or cast a medium sized crankbait. Don’t hesitate trying top-water baits either as these are aggressive fish that will strike prey on the surface even this early in the year.
One species we don’t talk about a lot is white bass. Now I know a lot of people head over to the Wolf River for the annual white bass run and it is a lot of fun but it is crowded. What many people don’t know is that we have a good number of white bass right here in central Wisconsin on Lake Dubay. This past week we found some really nice fish and got into some of the best white bass fishing I have ever seen. We found most of the fish in 7 to 12 feet of water with good current. Our presentation was simple as it of consisted of an 1/8th ounce lead –head jig tipped with a minnow, but as we ran low on bait a simple twister tail on the jig seemed to work just as well as the live bait. The action was fast and furious and the fight these little scrappers put up is second to none.
Turkey hunters have had a great week with lots of action and some really nice Toms being shot. A lot of the birds have been coming to calls but I did something very different this year. I was hunting with good friend Alan Andrus and we spotted a big Tom with 4 hens on one of his fields. It was a wide open field but it was a rolling field with some small hills and ravines. The Tom was about 1/2 mile away on the edge adjacent to the woods, we decided to put a stalk on him. We grabbed my B-Mobile decoy and shotgun and headed out onto the field making sure we stayed low enough below the hill-line to keep out of the birds’ line of sight. We were able to close the distance quickly and got to about 150 yards from the birds before we couldn’t close the distance any further. At that point I set the decoy high enough on the hill so the Tom could see the outline and we started calling on the slate call. The calling got the big Toms attention but he was not about to leave “his” hens. We tried for about 20 minutes to get him to move but it was effortless. All the Tom did was fan out his tail feathers and spin around showing off for the ladies. That’s when I got an idea. What if I tuck down and hide behind the decoy and start moving towards him? So I got on my hands and knees and with on hand on the decoy and the other hand holding my gun I started slowly working my way towards the birds. At first the turkeys didn’t seem to care about my presence, the hens kept feeding and the Tom just kept doing his thing. But as I got closer you could see the Tom become a little agitated. At first his actions were not that conspicuous but as I closed the distance you could see him change his tune. He definitely did not want anyone or anything intruding on “his harem of hens. His eloquently displayed tail-fan went down and he took a defensive stance then he started coming at me, slowly at first and then it got interesting. Every time we moved closer to the Tom he moved closer towards us. What had started out as him moving a little bit at a time was now growing in leaps and bounds, and as we got closer the Tom got more agitated and he closed the distance more quickly. It was really quite exciting as we closed the distance. I finally got to the point where I had to make a decision or this bird was going to be in my lap. At 18 yards I decided we were close enough. I quickly set the decoy in an upright positon, slid my left hand under my gun, raised it up, took aim and dropped the hammer. He never knew what hit him. Bird Down!
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Licensed Wisconsin Hunting and Fishing Guide
Hooksetters Guide Service
Web: www.hooksetters.biz
Phone: 715-693-5843