Hayward Lakes Sherry
07-06-2010, 09:00 AM
July 05, 2010
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman
Summer is here in all it’s glory (so to speak) and the July 4th weekend saw a mix of sun, heat, humidity, and even some rain showers. Overall, it was a very good weekend for celebrating our nation’s independence.
Local DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt reports Family Fishing Fun Days during Musky Festival was again a great success.
“We had 150-200 participants, all offering rave reviews, and I worked with kids in making 161 spinners and 19 streamer flies,” says Pratt. “Our conservative estimate is every sunfish in Shues Pond was caught and re-caught numerous times.
“Special thanks are in order for the DNR staff of Russ Warwick, Dave Neuswanger, and Joe Krahn, Hayward, public works coordinator John McCue, who filled Shues Pond to full pool just prior to Musky Festival, and to the National Park Service for their always popular ‘fish painting.’”
If you have questions about the new law requiring people to remove aquatic plants and animals from their boats, trailers, and equipment before leaving boat landings and driving on public roads, visit the DNR website to view an online video showing the steps necessary to meet the requirements.
The DNR now offers alerts sent to e-mail or wireless service addresses notifying people of wolf attacks on pets or hunting dogs. To subscribe, visit the DNR home page, search for “dog depredation by wolves” and follow the instructions. Bear-dog training season opened July 1 and ends August 31.
Researchers detected 180 packs (two or more wolves each) in Wisconsin during the winter 2009-10 count, and their population estimate of 690-733 wolves at the close of winter is approximately a ten-percent increase from 2008-09. Wolves are listed as endangered in Wisconsin. Although the USFWS is attempting to de-list wolves in portions of Great Lakes states, courts are blocking the de-listing attempts.
Fishing Reports
Muskies:
Musky action is improving, though “iffy,” and best action is in late afternoon and early evening. Look for deep weeds and weed lines, mid-lake bars and bar edges, breaks, points, and structure, in depths ranging from shallow down to about 18 feet. Current baits of choice include bucktails, spinners, spinner, surface, jerk, twitch, buzz, and glide baits, plastics, and suckers.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing can be good, but fish are scattered, hard to find, and are so far showing no solid summer pattern – other than being difficult. Best action is in the low-light early morning hours and in late evening into after dark. Depths vary from 4-30 feet (or deeper) depending on the lake you are fishing and the time of day. Fish shallower water on stained lakes and in the low-light hours. Work deeper water during the daytime and on the clear lakes. Look for shallow bays, weeds and weed beds, rock, mid-lake humps, shelves, and structure. Top live bait choices include leeches, crawlers, and minnows on spinner rigs, harnesses, bottom bouncers, jigs, and slip-bobbers. Best artificials are crankbaits, stickbaits, and Beetle Spins.
Northern:
Fishing for northern pike is excellent in many local waters, and hungry pike will strike a wide assortment of lures and live bait. Top choices are bucktails, weedless plastics, spinners and spinnerbaits, spoons, stick and crank baits, chatter, buzz, and topwater baits, and northern suckers. Fish weeds and weed edges, piers, points, lily pads, and panfish areas in 8-15 feet of water. For trophy pike, fish larger baits in deeper water.
Largemouth Bass:
There is no shortage of largemouth bass in most area lakes and they are providing excellent action. Fish around any weed/weed edges, brush, cribs, trees, slop, docks, and lily pads in water down to about 15 feet (depending on the lake) with spinner, crank, and buzz baits, surface baits such as poppers and frogs, plastic and scented worms, leeches and crawlers.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is inconsistent. Best success is on rock bars and points, hard bottoms, deep woody structure, transition areas, and mid-lake humps in 6-25 feet of water. Favorite artificials include plastics, spinners, tubes, crank, spinner, and topwater baits. Leeches, minnows, and crawlers are the top live bait choices.
Crappie:
Crappies are good in number but action is also inconsistent. Weeds, weed edges, wood, cribs, stumps, and bogs will all hold fish, and some fish are suspending near cover. Depths range from 4-25 feet. Jigs and plain hooks tipped with crappie minnows, waxies, worms, leeches, crawlers, and plastics under slip bobbers, and small spinners/spinnerbaits and topwaters are all catching crappies.
Bluegill:
Bluegill action is very good around cover in a variety of depths ranging from 3-20 feet of water. Cribs, weeds and weed lines, wood, brush, stumps, lily pads, and near docks are all great locations. Waxies, worms, crawler chunks, leaf worms, leeches, and plastics are all effective baits. Fish them on small jigs or plain hooks, with or without bobbers, or try working them on jigging spoons.
Perch:
Anglers are catching some perch in deep cover and along deep weed edges near the bottom in 10-15 feet of water. Work small jigs tipped with plastics and crappie minnows, waxies, or leaf worms.
Upcoming Events
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
Summer is here in all it’s glory (so to speak) and the July 4th weekend saw a mix of sun, heat, humidity, and even some rain showers. Overall, it was a very good weekend for celebrating our nation’s independence.
Local DNR fisheries biologist Frank Pratt reports Family Fishing Fun Days during Musky Festival was again a great success.
“We had 150-200 participants, all offering rave reviews, and I worked with kids in making 161 spinners and 19 streamer flies,” says Pratt. “Our conservative estimate is every sunfish in Shues Pond was caught and re-caught numerous times.
“Special thanks are in order for the DNR staff of Russ Warwick, Dave Neuswanger, and Joe Krahn, Hayward, public works coordinator John McCue, who filled Shues Pond to full pool just prior to Musky Festival, and to the National Park Service for their always popular ‘fish painting.’”
If you have questions about the new law requiring people to remove aquatic plants and animals from their boats, trailers, and equipment before leaving boat landings and driving on public roads, visit the DNR website to view an online video showing the steps necessary to meet the requirements.
The DNR now offers alerts sent to e-mail or wireless service addresses notifying people of wolf attacks on pets or hunting dogs. To subscribe, visit the DNR home page, search for “dog depredation by wolves” and follow the instructions. Bear-dog training season opened July 1 and ends August 31.
Researchers detected 180 packs (two or more wolves each) in Wisconsin during the winter 2009-10 count, and their population estimate of 690-733 wolves at the close of winter is approximately a ten-percent increase from 2008-09. Wolves are listed as endangered in Wisconsin. Although the USFWS is attempting to de-list wolves in portions of Great Lakes states, courts are blocking the de-listing attempts.
Fishing Reports
Muskies:
Musky action is improving, though “iffy,” and best action is in late afternoon and early evening. Look for deep weeds and weed lines, mid-lake bars and bar edges, breaks, points, and structure, in depths ranging from shallow down to about 18 feet. Current baits of choice include bucktails, spinners, spinner, surface, jerk, twitch, buzz, and glide baits, plastics, and suckers.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing can be good, but fish are scattered, hard to find, and are so far showing no solid summer pattern – other than being difficult. Best action is in the low-light early morning hours and in late evening into after dark. Depths vary from 4-30 feet (or deeper) depending on the lake you are fishing and the time of day. Fish shallower water on stained lakes and in the low-light hours. Work deeper water during the daytime and on the clear lakes. Look for shallow bays, weeds and weed beds, rock, mid-lake humps, shelves, and structure. Top live bait choices include leeches, crawlers, and minnows on spinner rigs, harnesses, bottom bouncers, jigs, and slip-bobbers. Best artificials are crankbaits, stickbaits, and Beetle Spins.
Northern:
Fishing for northern pike is excellent in many local waters, and hungry pike will strike a wide assortment of lures and live bait. Top choices are bucktails, weedless plastics, spinners and spinnerbaits, spoons, stick and crank baits, chatter, buzz, and topwater baits, and northern suckers. Fish weeds and weed edges, piers, points, lily pads, and panfish areas in 8-15 feet of water. For trophy pike, fish larger baits in deeper water.
Largemouth Bass:
There is no shortage of largemouth bass in most area lakes and they are providing excellent action. Fish around any weed/weed edges, brush, cribs, trees, slop, docks, and lily pads in water down to about 15 feet (depending on the lake) with spinner, crank, and buzz baits, surface baits such as poppers and frogs, plastic and scented worms, leeches and crawlers.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth fishing is inconsistent. Best success is on rock bars and points, hard bottoms, deep woody structure, transition areas, and mid-lake humps in 6-25 feet of water. Favorite artificials include plastics, spinners, tubes, crank, spinner, and topwater baits. Leeches, minnows, and crawlers are the top live bait choices.
Crappie:
Crappies are good in number but action is also inconsistent. Weeds, weed edges, wood, cribs, stumps, and bogs will all hold fish, and some fish are suspending near cover. Depths range from 4-25 feet. Jigs and plain hooks tipped with crappie minnows, waxies, worms, leeches, crawlers, and plastics under slip bobbers, and small spinners/spinnerbaits and topwaters are all catching crappies.
Bluegill:
Bluegill action is very good around cover in a variety of depths ranging from 3-20 feet of water. Cribs, weeds and weed lines, wood, brush, stumps, lily pads, and near docks are all great locations. Waxies, worms, crawler chunks, leaf worms, leeches, and plastics are all effective baits. Fish them on small jigs or plain hooks, with or without bobbers, or try working them on jigging spoons.
Perch:
Anglers are catching some perch in deep cover and along deep weed edges near the bottom in 10-15 feet of water. Work small jigs tipped with plastics and crappie minnows, waxies, or leaf worms.
Upcoming Events
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.