Hayward Lakes Sherry
06-22-2010, 11:04 AM
June 21, 2010
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman
Hayward’s 61st annual Musky Festival starts this Thursday, June 24, and runs through Sunday June 27.
The Hayward Lions’ Dr. John Ryan Musky Festival Fishing Contest is June 25-27, and includes all Hayward waters. There is no entry fee, and all children 12 years of age and younger who enter receive a free rod and reel outfit.
The contest offers Adult and Children (12 and younger) divisions, and awards first and second prizes in eight different fish categories. Entrants must be present to win.
A complete list of contest rules is available on the Musky Festival website.
The third annual free Family Fishing Fun Days are Friday June 25 and Saturday June 26, from noon to 4 p.m., at Shue’s Pond. DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt, originator of the event, will be on hand to lead the activities, though he is recovering from extremely serious injuries sustained in an early May traffic accident.
“We will offer lure making, assisted fishing, fish identification, casting games, demonstrations, fish printing with National Park Service staff, and more,” says Pratt. “This is a wonderful opportunity for kids and their parents or guardians to fish together. The parents or guardians receive fishing license waivers, and we even provide the fishing tackle and bait. It’s never been easier to try the fishing experience!”
(Pratt is dedicated to introducing youth and families to fishing, and he contributes considerable amounts of personal time to those efforts. Make it a point to stop by Family Fishing Fun Days to offer thanks and wish him well.)
June is peak nesting month for turtles. Watch for them as you drive Wisconsin’s highways and back roads, particularly near wetlands and rivers. When safe conditions allow, move the turtles across the road and (this is important) in the same direction the turtle is traveling.
Fishing Reports
Muskies:
Musky action is decent, and anglers are seeing – and catching – good numbers of fish. Best success is in the late afternoon and evening hours. Bucktails, Bull Dawgs, spinner and crank baits, topwaters, plastics, and large suckers are the top choices. Fish shallow weeds and weed lines, mid-lake bars and bar edges, and submerged weed beds. Depths vary from 4-20 feet.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is fair to good, and late afternoon until after dark is the best fishing time. The fish remain scattered, and depending on the lake you are fishing and the time of day, you can catch walleye in 5-30 feet or deeper. Leeches and crawlers are your best bet, fished on harnesses, jigs, or under slip bobbers. Walleye suckers and fatheads will also work, as will stickbaits, Beetle Spins, and plastics. Work weeds and weed edges, rocks, breaks, and drop-offs. Troll stickbaits during the day, and key on shallower water weeds and structure in the evening hours.
Northern:
Northern action is very good in the bays, around shallow weeds, on deeper weed lines, and over weed beds. Shallower water cover is great for action with smaller fish; go to deeper water mouths of bays and points for larger pike. Northern suckers, spoons, spinners and spinnerbaits, chatter, crank, buzz, stick, and surface baits will all catch pike. Learn to remove the y-bones – northern pike make great table fare.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth are numerous, very active, and anglers are enjoying exceptional action. You will find them holding in deep weeds, shallow weeds, and lily pad beds, and near rocks, wood, piers, cribs, and shoreline structure. Depths can vary from very shallow out 10 feet or the second drop. The fish are aggressive and hitting pre-rigged/Texas-rigged/weedless worms, X-Raps, crank, buzz, and swim baits, spinners and spinnerbaits, topwaters, poppers, and plastic frogs. For live bait, try leeches, fatheads, and crawlers on jigs, under bobbers, and with split-shot rigs.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass are post-spawn and providing excellent fishing action. Concentrate on rock/rock bars, drop-offs, points, hard-bottom/transition areas, and cribs in 5-15 feet of water. Work those areas with tubes, plastics, spinner and crank baits, leeches, worms, and Gulp! baits. Crawdad color baits and actions can be particularly effective for smallmouth bass.
Crappie:
Crappie action is fair to good. Depending on the lake you are fishing, crappies could be in depths ranging from 5-25 feet (and suspending anywhere between those depths) near weedlines, cribs, cabbage, wood, brush, stumps, and floating bogs. Crappie minnows, leeches, waxies, worms, and plastics – jigged, tipped on plain hooks, or dangled under slip bobbers – are all working, and topwaters and small spinners are also producing catches.
Bluegill:
Bluegills are done spawning but fishing continues to be good. You can find them from very shallow water down to 20 feet or so, depending on the lake. Look for weeds, cribs, wood, stumps, brush, and other structure. Waxies, worms, leeches, crawler chunks, Gulp! baits, poppers, and plastics on plain hooks or jigs, dressed jigs, and with or without bobbers, will all catch bluegills. Go deeper for larger ‘gills, and sometimes minnows will help avoid smaller fish.
Upcoming Events
June 24-27: 61st annual Musky Festival (715-634-8662.)
June 25-27: Hayward Lions “Dr. John Ryan” Musky Fest fishing contest.
July 16-18: 36th annual Honor the Earth Powwow (715-634-8924.)
July 16-18: Birchwood Bluegill Festival (800-236-2252.)
July 23-25: Lumberjack World Championships (715-634-2484.)
Through July 31: Illegal to run dogs on WPA lands. (See regs.)
Aug. 1: Hayward Lakes Chapter Muskies, Inc. Kid’s Fishing Day (715-634-2921.)
Aug. 2: Application Deadline: Fall turkey; Sharp-tailed grouse; Bobcat; Otter; Fisher; Horicon and Collins goose zones.
Aug. 19-22: 103rd annual Sawyer County Fair (715-934-2721.)
Aug. 27-29: Mega Bass Shootout at Musky Tale Resort (715-462-3838.)
For more information on area events and activities, see the Calendar of Events, visit Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau, or call 1-800-724-2992.
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman
Hayward’s 61st annual Musky Festival starts this Thursday, June 24, and runs through Sunday June 27.
The Hayward Lions’ Dr. John Ryan Musky Festival Fishing Contest is June 25-27, and includes all Hayward waters. There is no entry fee, and all children 12 years of age and younger who enter receive a free rod and reel outfit.
The contest offers Adult and Children (12 and younger) divisions, and awards first and second prizes in eight different fish categories. Entrants must be present to win.
A complete list of contest rules is available on the Musky Festival website.
The third annual free Family Fishing Fun Days are Friday June 25 and Saturday June 26, from noon to 4 p.m., at Shue’s Pond. DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt, originator of the event, will be on hand to lead the activities, though he is recovering from extremely serious injuries sustained in an early May traffic accident.
“We will offer lure making, assisted fishing, fish identification, casting games, demonstrations, fish printing with National Park Service staff, and more,” says Pratt. “This is a wonderful opportunity for kids and their parents or guardians to fish together. The parents or guardians receive fishing license waivers, and we even provide the fishing tackle and bait. It’s never been easier to try the fishing experience!”
(Pratt is dedicated to introducing youth and families to fishing, and he contributes considerable amounts of personal time to those efforts. Make it a point to stop by Family Fishing Fun Days to offer thanks and wish him well.)
June is peak nesting month for turtles. Watch for them as you drive Wisconsin’s highways and back roads, particularly near wetlands and rivers. When safe conditions allow, move the turtles across the road and (this is important) in the same direction the turtle is traveling.
Fishing Reports
Muskies:
Musky action is decent, and anglers are seeing – and catching – good numbers of fish. Best success is in the late afternoon and evening hours. Bucktails, Bull Dawgs, spinner and crank baits, topwaters, plastics, and large suckers are the top choices. Fish shallow weeds and weed lines, mid-lake bars and bar edges, and submerged weed beds. Depths vary from 4-20 feet.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is fair to good, and late afternoon until after dark is the best fishing time. The fish remain scattered, and depending on the lake you are fishing and the time of day, you can catch walleye in 5-30 feet or deeper. Leeches and crawlers are your best bet, fished on harnesses, jigs, or under slip bobbers. Walleye suckers and fatheads will also work, as will stickbaits, Beetle Spins, and plastics. Work weeds and weed edges, rocks, breaks, and drop-offs. Troll stickbaits during the day, and key on shallower water weeds and structure in the evening hours.
Northern:
Northern action is very good in the bays, around shallow weeds, on deeper weed lines, and over weed beds. Shallower water cover is great for action with smaller fish; go to deeper water mouths of bays and points for larger pike. Northern suckers, spoons, spinners and spinnerbaits, chatter, crank, buzz, stick, and surface baits will all catch pike. Learn to remove the y-bones – northern pike make great table fare.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth are numerous, very active, and anglers are enjoying exceptional action. You will find them holding in deep weeds, shallow weeds, and lily pad beds, and near rocks, wood, piers, cribs, and shoreline structure. Depths can vary from very shallow out 10 feet or the second drop. The fish are aggressive and hitting pre-rigged/Texas-rigged/weedless worms, X-Raps, crank, buzz, and swim baits, spinners and spinnerbaits, topwaters, poppers, and plastic frogs. For live bait, try leeches, fatheads, and crawlers on jigs, under bobbers, and with split-shot rigs.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass are post-spawn and providing excellent fishing action. Concentrate on rock/rock bars, drop-offs, points, hard-bottom/transition areas, and cribs in 5-15 feet of water. Work those areas with tubes, plastics, spinner and crank baits, leeches, worms, and Gulp! baits. Crawdad color baits and actions can be particularly effective for smallmouth bass.
Crappie:
Crappie action is fair to good. Depending on the lake you are fishing, crappies could be in depths ranging from 5-25 feet (and suspending anywhere between those depths) near weedlines, cribs, cabbage, wood, brush, stumps, and floating bogs. Crappie minnows, leeches, waxies, worms, and plastics – jigged, tipped on plain hooks, or dangled under slip bobbers – are all working, and topwaters and small spinners are also producing catches.
Bluegill:
Bluegills are done spawning but fishing continues to be good. You can find them from very shallow water down to 20 feet or so, depending on the lake. Look for weeds, cribs, wood, stumps, brush, and other structure. Waxies, worms, leeches, crawler chunks, Gulp! baits, poppers, and plastics on plain hooks or jigs, dressed jigs, and with or without bobbers, will all catch bluegills. Go deeper for larger ‘gills, and sometimes minnows will help avoid smaller fish.
Upcoming Events
June 24-27: 61st annual Musky Festival (715-634-8662.)
June 25-27: Hayward Lions “Dr. John Ryan” Musky Fest fishing contest.
July 16-18: 36th annual Honor the Earth Powwow (715-634-8924.)
July 16-18: Birchwood Bluegill Festival (800-236-2252.)
July 23-25: Lumberjack World Championships (715-634-2484.)
Through July 31: Illegal to run dogs on WPA lands. (See regs.)
Aug. 1: Hayward Lakes Chapter Muskies, Inc. Kid’s Fishing Day (715-634-2921.)
Aug. 2: Application Deadline: Fall turkey; Sharp-tailed grouse; Bobcat; Otter; Fisher; Horicon and Collins goose zones.
Aug. 19-22: 103rd annual Sawyer County Fair (715-934-2721.)
Aug. 27-29: Mega Bass Shootout at Musky Tale Resort (715-462-3838.)
For more information on area events and activities, see the Calendar of Events, visit Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau, or call 1-800-724-2992.