Outdoor Report September 9, 2013

FISHING REPORT
Muskie:
Muskie action is fair to good, with best fishing early and late in the day. Weather changes cause muskie pattern changes, so check with your favorite bait shop before hitting the water. Fish are in and around weeds and weed beds and weed edges in 10-15 feet of water, and on deeper breaks. The most productive baits include big bucktails, gliders, topwaters, plastics, and jerkbaits.

Walleye:
Walleyes remain scattered from 10-30 feet (sometimes shallower or deeper). Check weed edges, gravel, rock, brush, bogs, humps, and other structure. If you do not find them in one place, try another. Top bait picks include crawlers, leeches, fatheads, and walleye suckers. For artificials, try crankbaits, minnow baits, stickbaits, and Rapalas.

Northern:
Northern pike action is improving with the cooling water temperatures. Look for them in and around thick weeds, weedlines, weed edges, and near panfish in shallow to mid-depth areas. Northern suckers are very effective, but you can catch pike on spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, crankbaits, Mepps spinners, and swim baits.

Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth action is fair to very good on shallow weeds, weedlines, weed edges, slop, and brush. Largemouth will take a wide variety of baits, from plastics, plastic worms, swim jigs, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, buzz baits, topwaters, crawlers, and fatheads. When largemouth are on the feed, it is tough not to catch them.

Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is good to very good on deeper hard bottoms, rocks, points, and breaklines. Use plastics, tubes, swim jigs, leeches, and fatheads on drop-shot rigs, but smallies are also hitting topwaters at times.

Crappie:
Crappie action is fair to good, with best success early and late in the day. Work on and along deeper weedlines, weed edges, bogs, brush, and cribs with crappie minnows, fatheads, waxies, plastics, tube jigs, and Gulp! baits on small jigs or plain hooks, with or without bobbers.

Bluegill:
Bluegills continue to provide fast action for small fish in shallow water. Fishing in deeper water (as deep as 20 feet) for larger bluegills is slower action, but you can catch some nice eating size fish. Baits of choice include waxies, worms, leaf worms, crawler chunks, plastics, and Gulp! baits fished on small jigs, teardrops, and plain hooks under slip bobbers.

Upcoming Events
Sept. 4: Bear season opened (see regs).
Sept. 7: Hook-and-line lake sturgeon season opened on designated waters.
Sept. 14: Seasons open: Early archery deer; Ruffed grouse in Zone A; Turkey; Gray and fox squirrel; Cottontail rabbit in northern zone; Crow.
Sept. 15: Early Canada goose season closes.
Sept. 16: Canada goose season opens in exterior zone.
Sept. 19-22: Youth Muskie Hunt at Mystic Moose Resort (715-462-3014).
Sept. 21: Hayward Fall Festival (715-634-8662).
Sept. 21: Duck season opens in northern exterior zone.
Sept. 27-28: Cable Area Fall Festival (800-533-7454).
Oct. 5-6: Youth Deer Hunt.

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.