Outdoor Report October 27, 2014

October 27, 2014
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman

Beautiful late fall weather continued through the weekend, but the forecast is calling for a noticeable change, including cooler highs and lows, as well as rain and “other” showers.

“Quiet Lakes fishing continues to provide good to excellent opportunities,” says Pat at Happy Hooker.
“Muskies are in less than 15 feet, off break and weed edges. Use large suckers, jerkbaits, gliders, or crankbaits. For walleyes, fish jigs and minnows tight to bottom in 12-30 feet on mud flats and humps.
“Northerns are near weeds in less than 12 feet. Use bucktails, crankbaits, or northern suckers under slip bobbers. Catch smallmouth on humps and break edges in 10-20 feet with jigs/minnows, tubes, and plastics.
“Fish crappies on breaks and weed edges to 15 feet, or main lake flats in 12-30 feet, with crappie minnows or plastics on jigs or under slip bobbers.”

Guide Dave Dorazio at Outdoor Creations says some Chippewa Flowage muskies are still shallow and anglers should try jerk and twitch baits near green weeds.
“Most fish moved to 12-20 feet on steep shores and river channels. Let a Bull Dawg sink and then work it with hard jerks. Keep one sucker on a quick-strike rig near the boat to pick off follows and another near bottom.
“Fish walleyes in 18-25 feet with jig/fathead combos and 5- to 7-inch walleye suckers. Some evening anglers do well jigging green weeds. Catch crappies in Moore’s Bay, Blueberry Flats, and Pine Point with crappie minnows and jigs with tubes or Gulp! baits.”
Jim at Hayward Bait says the muskie bite is on and several anglers report multiple fish days.
“Muskies are taking big suckers, bucktails, Bull Dawgs, and deep crankbaits on weed beds in 5-15 feet. On clear days, fish deeper water.
“Walleye fishing is very good with walleye suckers, fatheads, and crankbaits on weedlines, rock, and gravel bars in 10 to 40 feet. Northerns are hitting suckers, spinnerbaits, spoons, and crankbaits on weedlines in 5-15 feet.
“Smallmouth action is good with walleye suckers on weeds, wood, and rock humps. Fish crappies on timber and weeds in 15-30 feet with crappie minnows, waxies, plastics, Gulp!, and Tattle-Tails.”
Mike at Jenk’s says Chippewa Flowage muskie anglers report numerous looks and follows, but not many strikes.
“The majority of action is on suckers, with some on jerkbaits and deeper twitch and crank baits. Target deeper narrows and shorelines with drop-offs and shelves. Locate the baitfish and you will find the muskies.
“Walleye action is decent on weeds, brush, and stumps in 18-25 feet with large walleye suckers, medium to large fatheads, and some crawlers.
“Crappie fishing is good in Moore’s Bay, Blueberry Flats, and Crane Lake. Find the ‘bait balls’ and set your crappie minnows, fatheads, Gulp!, and Mini-Mites a foot or so above them.”

This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses bluegills and pumpkinseeds.
“In the Hayward area, panfish anglers are used to catching a mix of bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish, but have you ever wondered what makes the two species different?
“Both species are known to eat aquatic invertebrates and zooplankton, but pumpkinseed’s favorite food – snails – sets them apart from other Wisconsin panfish species. Pumpkinseeds specialize in eating small snails and studies consistently find that snails are a very important part of their diet.
“Due to their preference for snails, pumpkinseeds are more often near the bottom of the lake and are less likely to eat food off the surface of the water than bluegill.”
DNR fisheries biologist Skip Sommerfeldt says with the more stable weather, more muskie anglers are on the water.
“Most are using large suckers on quick-strike rigs with very good success. The ‘big fish’ bite has not kicked in yet, but look for the trophy potential to increase as the fall cool-down progresses.
“A few more walleye anglers are trying to key in on the fall bite, slowly fishing minnows on jigs, slip bobbers, or split-shot rigs along gravel/rock drop-offs, deep weed edges, and near bottom break lines in late afternoon to before dark.
“Panfish action is been fair, with some nice perch and crappie caught around green weeds and mid-depth cover.”

In the past week, Hayward area registration stations (Shooting Star, Hillman’s Store, Hayward Bait) registered six bucks for archery season, including three taken with crossbows. They say hunters are starting to see good numbers of scrapes. It appears rut is starting and that should increase hunting interest.

On November 3, County Deer Advisory Councils (CDAC) will release preliminary county-by-county recommendations regarding deer population objectives. People can comment in an online survey on the CDAC page.

The DNR has published the latest wildlife reports focusing on different species such as deer, bear, grouse, and non-game species. The Deer Hunter Wildlife Survey is one of the more popular surveys. For a list of all wildlife reports, search “wildlife reports” on the DNR website.

FISHING REPORT
Muskie:
The muskie bite is very good and getting better! Target weed beds (green if you can find them), breaks, drop-offs, channels, and steep shorelines in 5-22 feet of water. There is a good bite on large suckers on quick-strike rigs – and suckers are available. Other productive baits include Bull Dawgs, big bucktails, and crank, jerk, and twitch baits.

Walleye:
Walleye action is good to very good on most lakes. Late afternoon until dark offers the best success. Fish green weeds, rock/gravel bars, mud flats, humps, brush, stumps, and drop-offs in 10-30 feet and deeper. Live bait choices include large walleye suckers, fatheads, and crawlers on jigs, under slip bobbers, or plain hook split-shot rigs. Crankbaits are also productive.

Northern Pike:
Northern fishing is good on weeds in 4-18 feet. Best baits include northern suckers, bucktails, minnow baits, crankbaits, spinners, spinnerbaits, and spoons. For trophy pike, go deeper with bigger baits.

Largemouth Bass:
Bass anglers report catching some nice largemouth around structure in depths to 12 feet, fishing plastic worms in various configurations, topwaters, spinners, crankbaits, and live bait.

Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is very good on the deep, clear lakes. Work weeds, woods, rock humps, hard bottoms, and cribs in 10-22 feet of water with walleye suckers, jigs/minnows, plastics, tubes, X-Raps, and Flicker Shads.

Crappie:
Crappie action continues to be good in the usual fall spots – Moore’s Bay, Blueberry Flats, Crane Lake, and Pine Point. Work weed edges, green weeds, wood, cribs, and brush in 12-30 feet with crappie minnows, fatheads, waxies, plastics, Gulp! baits, Tattle-Tails, Mini-Mites, and tube jigs.

Bluegill:
Though few people fish for bluegills in late fall, this is a good time to catch big fish. Look for cribs, rock bars, and weedlines in 15 feet and deeper, and check the entire water column, top to bottom, for fish hugging bottom or suspending anywhere in it. Waxies, leaf worms, and small plastics work well. Try small minnows for bigger ‘gills.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 25: Seasons opened: Muskrat; Mink.
Nov. 1: Wild ginseng season closes.
Nov. 2: Seasons open (see regs): Beaver trapping; Otter trapping; Non-resident raccoon season.
Nov. 3: Woodcock season closes.
Nov. 9: Mourning dove season closes.
Nov.15: Trout and salmon fishing closes on downstream Lake Superior tributaries (see regs).
Nov.20: Seasons close: Fall turkey; Fall crow.
Nov.22: Regular gun deer season opens.
Nov.25: Duck season closes in north zone.
Nov.30: Seasons close: Regular gun deer; Muskie; Turtle.
Dec. 1-31: Extended fall turkey season in zones 1-5.

Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau and Sawyer County Record co-sponsor this report. For more information on area events and activities, visit the HLVCB’s Calendar of Events or call 800-724-2992.