Central Wisconsin Outdoor Report
We are a week and a half into the 2019 Wisconsin Black Bear season and our hunters have already put the hammer down on 10 black bears with the largest coming in at a whopping 385# dressed out. The big bear was shot by Tyler Hinze from Marshfield. Most of the bears have come out of Zone “C” right here in central Wisconsin with only one bear being shot in Zone “B”. We have already had a very successful season and a lot of that comes from countless hours of pre-season planning and scouting and many hours in the woods setting bait stations. Not to mention - we had some very good hunters as well.
With our guides being busy with the bear hunts this past week we have not had a lot of time on the water and due to the fact that we received over 4 inches of rain in the past week a lot of our typical fishing locations are unfishable. I did however get out for a couple of hours with Alex Martin and his dad and we had a very successful trip catching lots of walleyes, catfish and one nice pike. Most of the fish we caught were in backwater areas off the Wisconsin River system out of the current. To catch the fish we were using jigs tipped with minnows or slip bobbers rigged up with a small # 2 red octopus hook and a minnow set about one foot off the bottom.
Water temperatures on Sunday, September 15th were 60 to 62 degrees with a very strong and high flow on the Wisconsin River in the central Wisconsin area. The water was dirty and finding fish was difficult in the main river but the back water areas were cleaner and held some nice fish.
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Hooksetters Guide Service
Web: www.hooksetters.biz
Phone; 715-693-5843