Outdoor Report October 16, 2012

October 15, 2012
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman

A beautiful sunny Monday starts what appears to be a nice week, with some high temperatures in the 60s and a few chances for much-needed rain in the forecast. Very nice compared to much of the past week or two!

“The majority of late fall fishing is hardcore muskie anglers targeting big fish prior to ice-up,” says Pat at Happy Hooker. “During this time, we usually see short windows of opportunity, sometimes as short as fifteen minutes or as long as one hour, once you see fish becoming active. If you start getting some action, hit it hard. Muskies are responding to jerkbaits, crankbaits, soft plastics, gliders, and suckers on deep break lines, submerged humps, and rock bars.”
Pat notes the Quiet Lakes produced more than 30-percent of the fish caught in the recent Hayward Muskies, Inc. tournament – with the winner catching four fish on Lost Land.
Mark at Hayward Bait says deer registrations are slow, with strong winds and plentiful acorns curtailing deer movement.
“Hunters will have to move a bit to find the deer, as well as turkeys and squirrels – none have to move far to find food. This was also the case for bear hunters during the just completed bear season.”
Randy at Jenk’s says the Chippewa Flowage is still down about three feet and the water temperature is in the low 50s.
“Muskies are moving deeper and providing fair action on Bull Dawgs and suckers fished on deeper drops into the old river beds. Many anglers complain about northerns hitting their suckers, but these are nice pike, with a fair number of 32-inches and larger fish.”
Guide Dave Dorazio at Outdoor Creations says Chippewa Flowage water temperatures slipped into the low 50s and muskies are in 10-20 feet of water.
“Try gliders and Bull Dawgs, but expect to get the most action on suckers. Walleyes are in 15-20 feet of water and taking jigs with fatheads. Use four- to six-inch sucker minnows for larger fish.”

At Anglers All in Ashland, Carolyn says wind got the best of most Chequamegon Bay anglers last week.
“Those toughing it out found smallmouth on the rock pile, the breakwall, and Long Island. The Ashland shoreline is also producing some large fish. Walleye anglers are doing well in the hot pond. Brown trout and steelhead are there, so be sure to have a trout stamp.
“Trollers are doing great from Pikes Creek to the Sioux, the bay by the ore dock, and the head of the bay, with stickbaits in the shallows, as well as bait flies, dodgers, and spoons. The best colors vary from gold/orange combinations and firetiger to ‘wonder bread’ (white with dots in multiple colors).”

According to DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter, knowing the age of fish in a lake or river is a critical piece of information that helps fisheries managers determine growth rate and survival within a population. In this first part of a two-part piece, he says there are several ways to determine age.
“Fish that are tagged or clipped when they are stocked into a lake are considered ‘known age’ when we recapture them. We can determine the age of wild fish captured during surveys by examining bony structures such as scales, spines, and fin rays taken by non-lethal means. As fish grow, they form dense bands of bone during periods of slow growth (winter) that we can count just like counting rings on a tree.
“Otiliths, which are essentially ear bones, are often best for determining age, though removing them requires sacrificing the fish.”

Northern Lakes Cooperative IGA grocery store manager Kevin Janicki reminds outdoor enthusiasts the store is a DNR sales agent, offering hunting and fishing licenses and permits, as well as ATV and snowmobile trail passes.

In the past week, Hayward area registration stations (Shooting Star, Hillman’s Store, Hayward Bait) registered 44 deer for archery season – 24 antlerless and 20 bucks – including one very nice 12-pointer. Dennis at Shooting Star says hunters are telling him they are just starting to see a few scrapes.
Reminder: Registration stations no longer register turkey harvest. Turkey hunters must register their birds through the Harvest Registration Hotline (1-888-486-8947) or Harvest Registration System on the DNR website.

FISHING REPORT
Muskie:
Muskie fishing is going strong on most waters. Work weed lines and deep breaks, rock bars, and humps in 8-22 feet of water with gliders, Bull Dawgs, tubes, jerkbaits, and crankbaits. Suckers are particularly productive at this time – and row trolling can be very effective.

Walleye:
Walleye fishing is good for bigger fish on deeper humps and drop-offs in depths from 15 to more than 30 feet of water. Jigs and fatheads, walleye suckers, crawlers, and trolled crank and stick baits are all effective right now, and use bigger suckers for the larger walleyes.

Northern:
Northern pike action is fair to good around weeds and weed lines, with bigger fish in deeper water. Spoons and spinnerbaits work well, but use northern suckers in deeper water for bigger pike. There are numerous reports of muskie anglers hooking big pike while soaking muskie suckers.

Bass:
With the colder weather, bass fishing is slow for both largemouth and smallmouth and few anglers are targeting them. Look for largemouth around deep weed lines and smallmouth on deep, hard-bottom areas.

Crappie:
Crappie action is good once you find the fish. Search around cribs and deeper water breaks in 14-23 feet of water. Look for fish suspending somewhere in the water column or holding very close to the bottom. Jigs with fatheads, crappie minnows, and waxies, and Mini-Mites, Tattle-Tails, tubes, and other plastics are all catching fish, but sometimes a plain hook with live bait works just as well if not better.

Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is slow, with few anglers pursuing them. Concentrate on deeper weeds and weed lines and in the same locations as crappies. Baits of choice include jigs tipped with waxies, worms, plastics, and Gulp! baits, and try minnows for bigger ‘gills.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 15: Wolf hunting and trapping season opens (see regs).
Oct. 20: Seasons open: Pheasant; Ruffed grouse (Zone B); Sharp-tailed grouse (by permit); Bobwhite quail; Hungarian partridge; Raccoon gun and trapping (residents); Red and gray fox hunting and trapping; Coyote trapping; Muskrat; Mink (Northern Zone); Fisher trapping; Bobcat hunting and trapping Period 1 (north of Hwy. 64.)
Nov. 4: Northern Zone duck, goose seasons close.
Nov. 5: Woodcock season closes.
Nov. 9: Mourning dove season closes.
Nov. 10: Northern Zone duck, goose seasons open.
Nov. 10-16: Hayward Rod & Gun Club sight-in days 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (715-865-2506).
Nov. 15: Seasons close: Archery deer; Turkey; Crow.
Nov. 17-25: Gun deer season.
Nov. 17-Jan. 6: Late archery deer season.
Nov. 25: Northern Zone duck season closes.
Nov. 26-Dec. 5: Muzzleloader deer season.

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.