walleyemaxx
06-03-2010, 03:19 PM
Hi Everyone,
Here is the weekly report by the Park Falls DNR office for the northwest part of the state.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - More summer-like weather in the last week made for improved fishing across many lakes in the Northwoods. Water temperatures have climbed into the low 70s on most lakes and this has spurred on quite a bit of fish activity. Crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass have all pretty much completed their spring spawning rituals; while bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass are still in the midst of their nesting periods. With the northern zone musky opener over the Memorial Day weekend, musky fishing was the highlight of this past week. However, anglers reported only mediocre action, with many sightings and follows and a relatively low number of hook-ups. Jerk baits such as Suicks seemed to produce the most activity and medium bucktails also got some interest. With the stable weather, walleye fishing showed a little more consistency in the last few days and anglers were making some good catches of fish in the 14 to 18 inch size. The best success has been on leeches and crawlers - either on a slip bobber, a small lead-head jig or on a bare hook/split shot rig; and fished around structure in 8 to 12 feet of water. The mayfly hatch has just begun on many Northwoods lakes, so walleye action may get a little more erratic once the hatches get into full swing on these lakes. A few nicer walleye have also been caught on stick baits cast in the shallows in the hour before dark. With the spawning season completed for most largemouth and smallmouth bass, their feeding activity should greatly increase with the warming water temperatures. Male smallmouth may still be seen guarding nests and schools of their fry, but most other smallies have retreated to deeper water. After a short recovery period following the rigors of spawning, they will soon start their summer feeding binge and begin to relate to shallow and mid-depth structure. Largemouth bass also seem to be in their post-spawn recovery period, but some decent fish have been found cruising the shallow and mid-depth weed beds. The largemouth haven't been relating to woody structure too much yet, but lily pad beds have produced some good action on top-water and soft-plastic baits. Panfish action has been generally good, with bluegill providing most of the success in the last week. Anglers just need to find an active spawning colony, where a bobber and a piece of nightcrawler can provide some fast and furious action. Catches of crappie have been a bit tougher to come by and it seems that the quick warm-up after their spawning period has put a lot of stress on many crappie populations. As such, there have been many reports of fish kills coming in and most have been for dead/dying crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed in these waters. The culprit is usually Columnaris disease and this is a common occurrence at this time of year on many panfish waters. While hundreds of dead panfish may be observed, anglers and lake users should not be overly alarmed and just report the fish kills to a local DNR office
Sounds like a good time to go fishing.
Walleyemaxx
Here is the weekly report by the Park Falls DNR office for the northwest part of the state.
Park Falls DNR Service Center area
Upper Chippewa Basin fisheries report (Price, Rusk, Sawyer Taylor and inland Ashland and Iron counties) - More summer-like weather in the last week made for improved fishing across many lakes in the Northwoods. Water temperatures have climbed into the low 70s on most lakes and this has spurred on quite a bit of fish activity. Crappie, largemouth and smallmouth bass have all pretty much completed their spring spawning rituals; while bluegill, pumpkinseed and rock bass are still in the midst of their nesting periods. With the northern zone musky opener over the Memorial Day weekend, musky fishing was the highlight of this past week. However, anglers reported only mediocre action, with many sightings and follows and a relatively low number of hook-ups. Jerk baits such as Suicks seemed to produce the most activity and medium bucktails also got some interest. With the stable weather, walleye fishing showed a little more consistency in the last few days and anglers were making some good catches of fish in the 14 to 18 inch size. The best success has been on leeches and crawlers - either on a slip bobber, a small lead-head jig or on a bare hook/split shot rig; and fished around structure in 8 to 12 feet of water. The mayfly hatch has just begun on many Northwoods lakes, so walleye action may get a little more erratic once the hatches get into full swing on these lakes. A few nicer walleye have also been caught on stick baits cast in the shallows in the hour before dark. With the spawning season completed for most largemouth and smallmouth bass, their feeding activity should greatly increase with the warming water temperatures. Male smallmouth may still be seen guarding nests and schools of their fry, but most other smallies have retreated to deeper water. After a short recovery period following the rigors of spawning, they will soon start their summer feeding binge and begin to relate to shallow and mid-depth structure. Largemouth bass also seem to be in their post-spawn recovery period, but some decent fish have been found cruising the shallow and mid-depth weed beds. The largemouth haven't been relating to woody structure too much yet, but lily pad beds have produced some good action on top-water and soft-plastic baits. Panfish action has been generally good, with bluegill providing most of the success in the last week. Anglers just need to find an active spawning colony, where a bobber and a piece of nightcrawler can provide some fast and furious action. Catches of crappie have been a bit tougher to come by and it seems that the quick warm-up after their spawning period has put a lot of stress on many crappie populations. As such, there have been many reports of fish kills coming in and most have been for dead/dying crappie, bluegill and pumpkinseed in these waters. The culprit is usually Columnaris disease and this is a common occurrence at this time of year on many panfish waters. While hundreds of dead panfish may be observed, anglers and lake users should not be overly alarmed and just report the fish kills to a local DNR office
Sounds like a good time to go fishing.
Walleyemaxx