Hayward Lakes Sherry
08-13-2013, 11:28 AM
FISHING REPORT
By Steve Suman
Muskie:
Muskie action is improving, but mornings and late evenings offer the best success. Concentrate on weeds and weed edges, weedlines, drop-offs, bars, break lines, and points from shallow to deep – and all points in between (sorry, just the way it is right now). Best baits include bucktails, topwaters, plastic/rubber baits, and jerk, stick, glide, and crank baits.
Walleye:
Walleye catching remains a challenge, but as a friend used to say, “Ain’t no hill for a climber” (though he did not fish for walleye!) Fish are scattered from 6-25 feet on weeds and weedlines, gravel bars and drops, humps, and sunken bogs. Leeches and crawlers still work best, but a few anglers report catches on minnows. Fish live bait on jigs, slip bobbers, or live bait and spinner rigs, or troll stick and crank baits.
Northern:
Northern fishing is fair to good and improving with the cooler water temperatures. Work deep weeds and weedlines in 6-18 feet of water with spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, stick, crank, buzz, and chatter baits, or try northern suckers on live bait rigs or under bobbers.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth action is very good to excellent on most waters. Target thick weed beds, weedlines, slop, and brush/wood from extremely shallow to about 15 feet. Top baits include soft and/or weedless plastics (worms in various configurations, frogs), jerkbaits, stickbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwaters, and live bait such as crawlers, leeches, and minnows.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is good on rock bars, break lines, points, wood, and humps in 10-25 feet of water. For artificials, use plastics (worms in various riggings, frogs, Twister Tails, tubes), topwaters, crank and spinner baits. For live bait, run leeches and crawlers on Lindy Rigs and slip bobbers.
Crappie:
Crappie action is good, with fish scattered and suspending over deeper water and near mid-depth and deep weeds and weedlines, brush, bogs, cribs, and humps. Crappie minnows, fatheads, waxies, plastics, tube jigs, Gulp! baits, and Beetle Spins are all putting fish in the boat. Go prepared – what works best one day might not work at all the following day.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is fair to good on deep weedlines, brush, and cribs in 4-18 feet of water. Look for bigger fish in the deeper water. Use waxies, worms, leaf worms, crawler chunks, leeches, plastics, and Gulp! baits on small jigs and plain hooks (smaller than used for crappies), with or without bobbers.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 15-18: Sawyer County Fair (715-934-2721).
Aug. 17: Flambeau River State Forest ‘Fungus Among Us’ 1-5 p.m. (715-332-5271).
Aug. 17: Bonus unit-specific antlerless deer tags go on sale at noon.
Aug. 18: Hayward Bass Club free Youth Bass Tournament (715-699-1015).
Aug. 20: Deadline to transfer Class A Bear License to a youth hunter.
Aug. 24: Remaining fall turkey permits go on sale.
Through Aug. 31: Training dogs by pursuing bear (see regs for exceptions).
Sept. 1: Seasons open: Early September Canada goose (see regs); Mourning dove; Wild ginseng;
Sept. 1: Application deadline for hunters with disabilities to participate in sponsored hunt.
Sept. 4: Bear season opens (see regs).
Sept. 7: Hook-and-line lake sturgeon season opens on designated waters.
Sept. 14: Seasons open: Early archery deer; Ruffed grouse in the Zone A; Fall turkey; Gray and fox squirrel; Cottontail rabbit in northern zone; Fall crow.
Sept. 15: Early Canada goose season closes.
For more information on area events and activities, visit the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau website, view its Calendar of Events, or call 1-800-724-2992.
By Steve Suman
Muskie:
Muskie action is improving, but mornings and late evenings offer the best success. Concentrate on weeds and weed edges, weedlines, drop-offs, bars, break lines, and points from shallow to deep – and all points in between (sorry, just the way it is right now). Best baits include bucktails, topwaters, plastic/rubber baits, and jerk, stick, glide, and crank baits.
Walleye:
Walleye catching remains a challenge, but as a friend used to say, “Ain’t no hill for a climber” (though he did not fish for walleye!) Fish are scattered from 6-25 feet on weeds and weedlines, gravel bars and drops, humps, and sunken bogs. Leeches and crawlers still work best, but a few anglers report catches on minnows. Fish live bait on jigs, slip bobbers, or live bait and spinner rigs, or troll stick and crank baits.
Northern:
Northern fishing is fair to good and improving with the cooler water temperatures. Work deep weeds and weedlines in 6-18 feet of water with spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, stick, crank, buzz, and chatter baits, or try northern suckers on live bait rigs or under bobbers.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth action is very good to excellent on most waters. Target thick weed beds, weedlines, slop, and brush/wood from extremely shallow to about 15 feet. Top baits include soft and/or weedless plastics (worms in various configurations, frogs), jerkbaits, stickbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, topwaters, and live bait such as crawlers, leeches, and minnows.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is good on rock bars, break lines, points, wood, and humps in 10-25 feet of water. For artificials, use plastics (worms in various riggings, frogs, Twister Tails, tubes), topwaters, crank and spinner baits. For live bait, run leeches and crawlers on Lindy Rigs and slip bobbers.
Crappie:
Crappie action is good, with fish scattered and suspending over deeper water and near mid-depth and deep weeds and weedlines, brush, bogs, cribs, and humps. Crappie minnows, fatheads, waxies, plastics, tube jigs, Gulp! baits, and Beetle Spins are all putting fish in the boat. Go prepared – what works best one day might not work at all the following day.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is fair to good on deep weedlines, brush, and cribs in 4-18 feet of water. Look for bigger fish in the deeper water. Use waxies, worms, leaf worms, crawler chunks, leeches, plastics, and Gulp! baits on small jigs and plain hooks (smaller than used for crappies), with or without bobbers.
Upcoming Events
Aug. 15-18: Sawyer County Fair (715-934-2721).
Aug. 17: Flambeau River State Forest ‘Fungus Among Us’ 1-5 p.m. (715-332-5271).
Aug. 17: Bonus unit-specific antlerless deer tags go on sale at noon.
Aug. 18: Hayward Bass Club free Youth Bass Tournament (715-699-1015).
Aug. 20: Deadline to transfer Class A Bear License to a youth hunter.
Aug. 24: Remaining fall turkey permits go on sale.
Through Aug. 31: Training dogs by pursuing bear (see regs for exceptions).
Sept. 1: Seasons open: Early September Canada goose (see regs); Mourning dove; Wild ginseng;
Sept. 1: Application deadline for hunters with disabilities to participate in sponsored hunt.
Sept. 4: Bear season opens (see regs).
Sept. 7: Hook-and-line lake sturgeon season opens on designated waters.
Sept. 14: Seasons open: Early archery deer; Ruffed grouse in the Zone A; Fall turkey; Gray and fox squirrel; Cottontail rabbit in northern zone; Fall crow.
Sept. 15: Early Canada goose season closes.
For more information on area events and activities, visit the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau website, view its Calendar of Events, or call 1-800-724-2992.