Fish Reports
Below are the latest fishing reports for the Eagle River Area:
July 22, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas CountyFISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley Midsummer conditions prevail as we head into the end of July. Water temps are much cooler than last year at this time last year, but water levels are starting to decline with the lack of rain in the northern part of the state. Thunder storms don’t really help the water levels – we need a “soaker” or two for several days to keep these levels up. Weed growth is excellent, with weeds right to the top on many lakes. Walleye fishing is good during the daytime, but better in the evenings and at night. Most successful anglers are fishing from supper time until dark. During this period of the day almost any live bait will work. Leeches and fathead minnow are the favorites of our guides. If you are going to fish the weeds, be sure to find the deepest weeds you can at this time of year. There are suspended walleyes during the daytime especially on the big deeper lakes. These fish Are tough to locate and tougher to catch – but the row trollers have been getting some on deep running crankbaits. On the Chain, the fish are over the mud in deep water (mostly) until the evening. You can catch these fish be using jigs and leeches in the holes during the daytime. Bass fishing remains good, with largemouth in their summer habitat in the weeds and shallow cover. These fish are very catchable on plastics and on spinnerbaits. Surface baits work well in the evenings. many guys prefer crawlers for live bait, but it is hard to keep the ‘gills and perch off those crawlers. Smallmouth are on the rocks, with the smaller of these fish in the shallower rocks and the larger down deeper on the same rock piles. Leeches are by far the best live bait for them, but crawlers will work. For artificials, try brown or orange crank baits, tube jigs, or Mepps #2 spinners with red blades. Northerns are in the weeds, and being caught daily on bigger chubs and on spinners. Many of these fish are caught accidentally by musky anglers fishing on the deeper weed edges. Northerns feed better during high light periods, so mid day is best for these fish. Musky fishing is good, but better at night at this time of year. We find that if there is good action during the daytime, the night fishing is not good. Conversely, if daytime action is bad they are feeding after dark. Your best chance at a trophy is definitely after dark during the summer. All bait types work equally well at this time of year. If you are fishing weeds, find the deepest ones with quick access to deeper water for the biggest fish. Panfish action remains good, with bluegills being the most active right now. You’ll find these ‘gills in relatively shallow water in trees, weeds and under piers. Waxies or worms work well for these fish. Crappies have moved deeper, with most fish being caught from the deep brushpiles stacked on most lakes. Slip bobbers with minnows work best for these fish. For the hot midsummer time the fishing is pretty good. Good luck and good fishn’
George Langley |
July 22, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas CountyBACK ON THE WATER ... FULL MOON MUSKIES! Ok this has been a good FULL MOON for muskies in general. Let me turn back the clock to Thursday (Friday was the Full Moon) Thursday: Moon Rise and Sun Set fell at the exact same time this night, always a good time to fish. 8:41pm the moon rose and the sun set. In the hour before and the hour after action was very good as we had 6 muskies torpedo surface baits. Watching thes BIG fish come up on top of the water and chase baits is an amazing site. Three fish in the hour before and three fish in the hour after. With two massive strikes near the boat but lost the fish. Friday: Moon Rise 9:10pm Sunset still 8:41. Fishing in two boats we had 5 fish again this night none of them on top water. A slight cold front came through and fish came on subsurface, mostly bucktails. One fish caught a 37-1/2 and it came on a Bull Dawg over the weeds. Saturday: Fished the Musky Nutz Outing a few fish seen in the sunny morning but clouds came in for the afternoon with a major feed period and a 47-1/2 inch fish was caught. Monday Night: Once again as you know Monday night is league night and the tail end of the 3 days before and the 3 days after. A major feed started right at the start of fishing. 19 muskies caught and was a record for the league. OH BY THE WAY: Many fish were caught in the weeds but some fish were deep. For the last three weeks there has been an excellent deep water pattern. Thermalclines very distinct this year at 22 to 24 feet. If you have an O2 or Temp probe you can find them and if you have a good graph you can see them also. LOOK FOR THE BAIT FISH!! LOOKING FOR THE NEXT LUNAR ACTION THE NEW MOON COMES AUGUST 1ST IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THE LUNAR ESOX WORKSHOP CHECK OUT THIS SPECIAL ON MY WEBSITE: http://www.haverodwilltravel.com/pages/fishing-seminars-amp-workshops.php Learn the secrets of the LUNAR ESOX in a special workshop!!!
Fred Brogle |
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July 13, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley Another week - another cold front. Wow. We are definitely not getting our share of global warming up here in the north woods. We seem to have had nothing but wind and cool weather since opening day. This has kept the water temperatures down to a much below normal level - why they were only 70 degrees on Butternut last Thursday! Weed growth is good now despite the cold weather, with many weed beds right to the surface. Water levels have fallen a little on most lakes. Walleye fishing is good, with the best bite in the evening. All live bait is working - minnow, leeches and worms. Your best chance for these fish is fishing weed beds (the deep edge) from supper time until well after dark. Daytime fishing means fishing deeper for these fish now that the mayfly hatch is over. A part of the population of the bigger walleyes are suspending during the daytime and can be found using electronics. Crankbaits or slip bobbers set to the levels found on your electronics will work in catching these bigger fish, but it is tough fishing with size, but not numbers as your reward. Bass action remains very good despite repeated cold fronts. The smallies are definitely using rock bars daily and feeding heavily on crayfish on these bars. The smaller fish are shallow and the bigger fish off the edges in 10 - 12'. Tube jigs, crayfish plastics and red colored crankbaits are all working well at this point. Red head jigs with jumbo leeches are also working quite well. Largemouth are in their summer cover, which means fishing weedless plastics or surface baits for these fish. Shallow weed or brush hold these fish quite well. Evenings are also best for these fish, as there have been a lot of hatches in the evenings to get these fish moving. Musky action has been quite good, with better size and good numbers now being caught. There are definite summer type patterns showing up, with fish being caught either after dark or suspended during the daytime. All types of bait is working now, including surface baits. If you are fishing the Chain, try some deep running rubber such as bulldawgs during the daytime. Bucktails over the weeds or on the deep edges have also been producing both in the evenings and early mornings. Northerns have been using the weed areas to feed actively on a daily basis. You can catch these fish equally well with flashy artificials such as Daredevils, Silver Minnows, Mepps and minnow imitation crankbaits. Large chubs work well with slip bobbers. Panfish action is good, with bluegill action remaining the best. These fish remain in the shallow weeds and will hit about anything small enough. Crappies still are in the weeds, but somewhat deeper than the 'gills. Look for brush piles for both types of fish also. We've got a good week ahead if we can just get these water temps to somewhere near normal for this time of year. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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July 11, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County BACK ON THE WATER "WITH KIDS" Ok yesterday was the annual Guides for Kids Day in Eagle River and I have been participating in this for the last 5 years. Ironically I had two families come in for a short stay and they wanted a guide trip with their father and sons. In the morning I took out Bob and his son Tyler and he just want to catch some bass. For the evening I took out Rick and his two young sons Nolan & Dawson., so I basically still fished with Kids today. Shown in the top picture is Tyler with one of his nice Bass that he wanted to catch from the morning outing. In the Afternoon is was more fun as brothers had a contest; Nolan caught a few nice bass and some crappies while Dawson got into some nice perch... Rich their father got the bigger fish with some nice bass and northern pike.
Fred Brogle |
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July 7, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley With the boating traffic of summer, many of our fish are moving deeper during the daytime. If you are fishing some of the more heavily used lakes, such as the lakes on the Eagle River Chain, you should consider fishing deep during the day. Our water temps have now warmed into the 70's on most lakes in the area. A thermocline is starting to develop on the deeper clear lakes. The weed growth is good at this point - right to the surface on many lakes. We would like a nice gentle "soaker" of a rainstorm - the kind where it rains for two days, but not too hard. Lakes are starting to recede a little, and some fresh rain is needed to keep those levels up better than last year. Walleye fishing is OK, with the mayfly hatch still happening on many of the prime walleye lakes. This radically changes their feeding patterns as they move to the mudflats to gorge on those larvae. For anglers, this means a move to leeches or crawlers as far as live bait goes. Especially in the evenings this can be an effective type of fishing - just look for the hatching and then move to that area with small leeches or part of a night crawler. Some deeper water walleye are also being caught on jigs and minnows during the daytime on some of the deep clear lakes. We have reports of catches in water as deep as 30' on fathead minnows. The best fishing, however, has definitely been in the evening. Musky action has improved, with some big fish being caught now as the females have recovered from the spawn and are starting to move. We have good reports of action from both weed areas and in deeper water daily. They have definitely started to suspend on many lakes. The row trollers have become much more productive in the last week, which means big fish in deeper water are active. Surface baits are starting to be quite effective, which is a normal summer pattern. The bucktails that are producing are starting to get larger. All in all, a normal summer is developing from a musky fishing standpoint - after a much delayed, late spring. Bass action has been good. The smallmouth are on the rocks for the summer. They can be found feeding in areas as diverse as 4' in the wind on top of the rock bars and 15' deep off the edges of the rock bars on bright days. They feed heavily on crayfish, so any crayfish imitation will work well. We've had good action on everything from red bladed #2 Mepps to red crankbaits. Largemouth are in the weeds and shallow wood. Look for heavy cover and warm water for these fish. Surface baits are working well now, but plastics also work. Panfish action has been good, with the bluegill spawn still happening on the colder water lakes. This is extremely late this year. This means great 'gill action, especially in the evening. Waxworms are the best bait for these fish. Perch are in the deeper weeds. Generally, the deeper the weeds the bigger the perch. You will also find good crappie action in the thick deeper weeds. These fish will also locate around brushpiles. Minnow are best for the crappie. Fish in the early morning and evenings at this time of year for best results. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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July 3, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County BACK ON THE WATER -- ANOTHER WEEK TO TELL! OK late again but many things going right now. Once again you have the Monday Musky league Report and this week not any better. Monday Night 90 anglers out with a big choice of waters... 8 bodies of water 450 man hours and 2 legal muskies. I was out on a scout mission on Tuesday with two other guys and our first time musky fishing this lake. 1 fish sighted. Today I took my nephew out for Muskies and we did raise 2, got a couple of Bass and some nice crappies and those darn rock bass but it made it fun for him. Continued plague of unstable weather with more cold fronts, last night temps hit the mid 40's... I think I will start my Fall pattern soon if this keeps up. Looks to be stable for next week. Here is Keaton with a nice Largemouth!
Fred Brogle |
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June 30, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley Can we ever go a week this year without a cold front?? Our weekly one went through and made things miserable over last weekend, and slowed down some fishing patterns that were developing. What can we say? Global warming it's definitely not. We have had to contend with high winds almost daily also, making some types of fishing even more difficult. Weed development is good now, with a lot of the cabbage right to the top. It is just the deeper weeds that are a little slow this year. We find a lot of fish using these weeds at this time of year, especially bass and panfish. Water temps have risen despite the cold fronts and it is now pretty comfortable out there. Look for water temps in the 68 - 73 degree range throughout the area. Walleye action has changed immensely, as we now have that mayfly hatch going on. This has a profound effect on the walleye fishing, with many (if not most) of the walleyes moving to soft bottom areas to gorge on these larvae. Look for the insect husks on the water, or look for a brown fly that looks like a moth - these are the mayfly hatching. The walleye eat these larvae as they are swimming to the surface. During this hatch the best baits are sections of nightcrawlers or small leeches. You can find these soft bottom areas in depths of 5' to 20' on some lakes. Evening fishing will be best for walleye, with very early morning the next best. This will be true for the rest of the summer now. Additionally, cloudy days will be in general better than sunny days. Bass fishing has been close to spectacular. Both smallmouth and largemouth have been feeding with aggression after their spawns. You can even find a few smallie beds left on the deepest, coldest lakes. Most of the smallies, however, have moved to the slightly deeper rocks, feeding heavily on crayfish. Any crayfish imitation lure works very well in this pattern. We suggest some of the Crayfish Power Baits or just some orange or red tube jigs. Look for rocks from 5' to 15', depending on the wind and sunlight. Largemouth have been hitting well also, with spinner baits and plastics working quite well now. Also, in the evenings don't forget surface baits. Weeds and wood hold these fish all summer long. Northern action has been good. The best fishing has been in deep weeds. Either live chubs fished on slip bobbers or # 3 or 4 Mepps work well at this time of year. Musky action ahs been hard to pattern. The fish have started hitting well several times, only to be slowed by a cold front. Best action has been during warm fronts in the afternoons. The best baits have been Rizzo Wiz's and other small bucktails, with twitch baits working at times also. The larger females have started to move to the weeds, so if we get some warmer weather it'll be a good week for these fish. Panfish action has been good, with bluegills still spawning on many lakes. Both bluegills and crappies are in the weeds and brushpiles still, and hitting well if you don't anchor too near to the 'piles. Light lines and small baits work best. As always, this weeks fishing depends on the weather. Predicted warmer weather will bring great fishing for all species this week. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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June 29, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County BACK ON THE WATER -- A MIXED BAG Out on the water today with my guests and it certainly could have been better. A three generation of an 8 year boy, his father and grandfather. Very cool temps with a drizzle in the air, winds at 20 mph from the North gusting to 30 certainly made conditions tough. HIgh pressure moving in again with another cold front. Had to find a lot of sheltered water which adds to the task of producing fish. Fortunately we got scattered fish from several spots as young Jacob was the overall winner of species an size catching some perch, rock bass, and a few walleyes. Jocob, his father and grandfather here for a week stay on the chain so I stayed here with them and added a "fishing spot" tour to the list. Trying to stay warm all had a good time as we continued to fish shallow weed lines. This week however has shown movement of more marked fish in the deeper water droplines. Adding to the difficulty right now is the Mayfly Hactch... A few days ago the massive hatch occurred on the Twins and now here on the Chain. Mayfly hatch will vary from lake water to lake water but what I find to be the trigger is Thunder Storms which we had earlier this week. I believe it if the electro conductivity of lightning to the ground that causes them to come out of the mud bottom shelters. First lake to hatch will be the first to fish in a week or so lakes that have not hatched yet are the one to fish righ now. Since I can not be on all the lakes at once, it would be my bet this year that many of the lakes are hatching right now with all that thunder we had. Monday League tomorrow should be tough again with these conditions, however many option lakes to fish this week so one of these lake should be a producer. WE NEED SOME STABLE WEATHER!!!
Fred Brogle |
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June 26, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County BACK ON THE WATER!!! RESEARCH FISHING From all the other reports you have been reading there certainly is a rollercoaster of fishing right now. Good days and bad days... hit and miss. All of this is based on a past series of cool and unstable weather. Many lakes still holding mid 60's which is about 10 degrees lower than this time of year. Cool water temps are not a complaint when it comes to Walleye as these fish are still holding to a shallow water pattern (weedlines and rock bars). When it comes to muskies that is another issue. Muskies are not showing musch signs of aggression however they are holding in shallow waters as well. Warmer water and stable weather will bring these fish to higher activty rather quickly now. Give you some examples. MONDAY: Many of you readers have heard of the Eagle River Monday Night Musky League. In statistics here is how it pans out. 90 top musky anglers fish every Monday night from 4 to 9 pm. That converts to 450 man hours of musky fishing, this Monday only 2 legal fish were caught. Fishing locations this week were the Eagle River Chain and the Sugar Camp Chain. With the PMTT here this weekend many angleres opted to fish the Sugar Camp Chain. Ironically the two fish were caught on the Eagle River Chain and none caught in Sugar Camp. The muskies that have been caught for the most part in the last few weeks have come in 5 feet or less with weeds. WEDNESDAY: I went out to prefish for some smallmouth on a very clear lake. Considering my early statements of clearwater lakes 4 weeks behind I found many beds and no fish on them. I tried fishing deeper dropoffs nearby but could not get a bite. With the sun shining now mid day I thought I would try one of my good rock bars and started to catch several walleyes in 9 to 12 feet of water. The ran from 16 to 20 inches... go figure. Anyway forecast of very warm weather for the next 5 days should put these temps back to normal times however, the upper atmoshere shows signs of great instability. With this as a forecast I will spend the next few days with the home projects... grass, cleanup, etc. I expect Monday to bring a new change for the good.
Fred Brogle |
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June 24, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley What would a week be like without a cold front going through. We've yet to have one this spring, and last week was no exception. The cool weather over the weekend slowed fishing down somewhat - but warm weather this week should have to opposite effect. This warmer weather will finally push those water temps up into the high 60's, and maybe even 70 on some lakes. Weed growth is going well finally, with the cabbage weeds right to the surface on many lakes in shallower water. These weeds hold a lot of fish at this time of year. You have noticed a lot more activity on the water as it has finally warmed - we'll see a lot of water skiers and personal watercraft activity out there for the rest of the summer. Walleye fishing is good right now, with the fish really spread out on many lakes. On the deeper lakes guys are catching them in water as deep as 35' while others are catching them in the weeds in 10' on the same lakes. The mayfly hatch will concentrate these fish a little over soft bottom areas when it happens. Until then - look for evenings in the weeds and daytime in deeper water on the clear lakes. On the Chain, the fish have been in the weeds for the most part. Our guides have been having good daily catches as far as numbers go, but not seeing a lot of bigger fish on the Chain. Weedless jigs work best. Bass fishing is ever so slowly assuming a summer pattern now, as the water temps rise and we get away from the spawning activity. This means that the smallmouth have moved into 8 - 12' of water in the rocks. Crankbaits, tube jigs or crayfish imitation plastics will work best for the rest of the summer. Look for deep boulders if the lake has them. Largemouth are now in cover like weeds, trees, piers and brushpiles. They will hit spinnerbaits best at this time of year, but will also hit stick baits, worms and surface baits as it gets warmer. Northerns have been working the weeds with their usual aggression. Many musky fishermen have reported catching them with spinners while musky fishing. The best artificial for these northerns at this time of year is the good old Mepps #3 in line spinners. For live bait use 5" chubs with slip bobbers set right over the weeds. Let's be honest here - the spring musky fishing just hasn't been great. We badly need this rise in water temps to get the larger fish moving, and every time it starts to get good we get a cold front. Consistent warm weather and the consequent slow rise in water temps would mean a lot to musky fishermen. Panfish fishing has been good, with crappies and bluegill leading the way. You'll find crappies in the weeds and in brushpiles throughout the area. Minnows are best for these fish, but pink & white tube jigs work well also. Bluegills are in the weeds everywhere. They are also still spawning on many lakes, so on those lake they're right on the shorelines. Worms, poppers, waxies and tiny twister tails work for these fish. Perch are also in the deeper weeds. They too will be eating these mayfly when they hatch, just like the walleye. you can get some nice perch on fathead minnows at this point. Should be a great week as it warms up a little more each day. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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June 16, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley Slightly warmer water temps are making the finish of the bass spawn within sight. It certainly seems to be a reluctant summer from a temperature standpoint. This late warming has reduced weed growth on many lakes, with the musky cabbage and the coontail weed growth abnormally low on many lakes. We now have water temps in the 60's on most lakes, where they are often up into the 70's by this point. We've had just enough rain to keep the lakes relatively high compared to last year, but many lakes are still quite low. All our fishing conditions reflect this late developing spring, with many fish acting like it's still in May. There have been a number of hatches, which have made the lakes more "active" with surface feeding fish in the evenings. Walleye fishing has been pretty good. The weeds are just getting high enough to consistently attract these fish, and consequently the "weed bite" has been pretty consistent. This pattern has been especially good on the darker water, more fertile lakes. These fish can be fished with slip bobbers or with jigs. Both minnows and leeches are working well at this point, with minnows still having a slight edge. Just look for weeds on the Chain and fish the visible weeds, or look for the deeper weeds on the clear lakes with your electronics. All spawning is long since done for the walleye, and most females have gone through the recovery process, so some bigger fish are being caught. Some fish have been caught quite deep also, but we feel that these are recovering females who will soon move into the weeds. Bass fishing has been close to spectacular. The smallies are now finishing the spawn on most lakes, but you can still see a few beds on the colder water lakes. Many beds seem to have been kind of washed away by the heavy winds and wave action of the last week. Hopefully, we'll still see some beds on the colder water lakes for a short while. Largemouth have also gone through their spawn, and while some are still on the shore most have started to move into their usual cover in the weeds or brush. Some really nice fishing for these fish has been had in the last week or so, with a number of fish in the 5# range (big for Northern Wisconsin) being caught. Musky fishing is still a little slower than normal for this time of year, but we get the feeling it's ready to explode any day now. The larger females are recovering and have started to move into the weeds, especially on the warmer water smaller lakes. You can still see a few big females on the shoreline on some of the large deep lakes, which is an indication of how late everything is this spring. As usual, smaller, slow moving baits are working well, with bucktails and twitch baits working best. We've seen some duckling hatches, so surface baits are starting to produce on some lakes. Northerns are feeding with their usual aggressiveness in the weeds on all lakes. Both live bait - chubs - and artificials like Mepps or Daredevils are working well for these fish. Bass anglers report northern catches as they fish the weeds for bass also. Panfish action is good, with the bluegills now bedding in most of the area. They are quite catchable when they do this - just try some worms or waxies with ultralight tackle. Many reports of crappies still having spawn in them are coming in. At this point we feel these are probably fish that will not spawn this year because of the cold fronts. Many are hanging around the shorelines still, however. All in all, it'll be a good week for walleye and bluegills, and we can hope on the musky that they start feeding heavily. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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June 8, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley We have significantly warming water temps finally, and the fish are responding to these warmer temps. The bass are now in full spawning mode, and even the last fish - bluegills - are starting to engage in this process. Temperature vary, of course, from big deep lakes to the smaller shallow lakes. These smaller lakes are now getting up to and even through the mid 60's. Very late, this year, for these temps. Even though we got some rain through the weekend, we could have used a down south type "soaker". Weeds are coming up on all the lakes, finally, with some nice cabbage growth on some of our musky lakes. We'll now start to see some more traffic on our lakes, with skiers and boaters enjoying the warmer weather and water. Walleye fishing has been pretty good in the weeds. They'll locate in and use these weeds a lot now, and there will be some bigger females feeding in them. The recovery process from spawning is nearly complete for the female walleye, and for many of the musky also. This means, in general, better action for bigger fish. The best bait for walleye is still just the plain old jig & minnow combination. Even though some anglers have reported action on leeches, fathead minnows are best. You can also slip bobber these fish in the weeds, especially on calm days. Bass action is great. The smallies are spawning on almost all lakes, with the fish being well through the process on smaller lakes and just starting on some of the colder lakes. This is a great time of the year for action with these fish. Fly fishing for these smallies is at its peak, and others can use stickbaits, spinnerbaits and Gulp leeches for best results. The largemouth are also on their spawning beds. They usually pick much softer bottoms to spawn on than the smallies. Look around old bulrushes, trees in the water ans very shallow weeds for their beds. Musky action has been slow in starting. With our colder water temps this year, the fish got a late spawn on many lakes and are just now recovering from that spawn. You might even see a few late spawners on some of the colder water lakes. The males have started, which means that the action has been mostly on smaller fish, with these fish hitting twitch baits and smaller spinners in the weeds. A few female musky have been caught, but most of them have yet to move back into the weeds to feed yet. Panfish action has been very good, with crappies and bluegills hitting daily. Both of these fish remain in shallow water. In the northern part of the reading area, you'll just find the 'gills moving up in the next week or so. Action in shallow weeds and in brushpiles is very good for both fish, especially in the evenings. Minnows work best for the crappies, and worms for the 'gills. It should be a great week for all types of fish with the warming water now. In general, where you find weeds you will find the whole food column of fish. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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June 6, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County BACK ON THE WATER (late entries) Well I have been out fishing and working many lakes watching for that change when these colder waters catch up to the season. Still behind a week to two weeks on shallow darker waters. Weed growth seems to be slow but the walleyes continue to hold a shallow weed pattern. Smallmouth on beds in the darker waters. Clearwaters are still way behind as the temps are getting into the 60's. Walleyes of the rocks temporarily and should return. Smallies are just coming on the rock beds and we are getting recent activity here. Muskies a different story as some lakes are hot and some are cold. A week ago I was on a shallow dark lake where we saw 17 muskies had four hits and boated 1. Fishing pattern no matter where you are at is slow presentation of small baits. Fish are hitting small twitch baits such as FL-18, Shallow Raiders, Husky Jerks. Fishied Monday night league and caught an undersize on a Buckertail. Warm weather this weekend should get things back to the patterns of the time. 80's today and tomorrow with strong winds should do the trick. I have several photos over the last week but that stich (panorama program) just won't work. Looks Like I will be going back to a slide show for the future. Anyway one of my guests this week was Kim, the customer service girl from FRABILE. She caught a huge Northern and when I got the fish in the net it jumped back out. Her comment was "was that a Frabile?" it was not. Nice Northern at about 30 inches. Shed did however get a few walleyes and here is one of them. By the way speaking of Northerns it seems like everyone is catching them this spring and GOOD sizes as well sevral caught in the Monday night league all in the upper 20's and one at 34 inches.
Fred Brogle |
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June 2, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley Summer is sneaking up on us, no matter what the weather does. We've had some "cool" fronts, but are hopefully done with the "cold" fronts for the summer. We've also had more rain than last year by far, but it is too soon to say that we're out of that drought type conditions. Lake levels are better than last year, though. For those of you that have been out on the water, you've noticed that the water surface was dirty. That is the cottonwood bloom, which makes a mess of things every year. Also, there has been the usual pine pollen, making many of us sneeze and making the lakes look a little green. Both of these blooms are nearing an end, which will be a welcome happening for all of us. Weeds are coming up well now, and the fish are starting to use them with consistency. In general the fishing has been pretty darned good in the last week or so. Walleye fishing will be good to great this week, as the fish have been moving into the weeds in good numbers and feeding with much more aggression after resting from their spawn. Most successful walleye anglers have been fishing the weeds from 4' to 12' in depth, depending on the weed growth. Jigs and minnows have worked best. Try some weedless jigs with fathead minnows, or some slip bobbers in the weeds. The fish are post spawn even on the bigger lakes now, and some of the bigger females have started to feed on many lakes areawide. Bass action is good to great, and will be absolutely the best of the year for the next two weeks or so. Smallies are on their hard bottomed beds and the largemouth are also spawning. This is a very satisfying and productive time of the year for bass anglers. Just remember that it is catch and release only with barbless hooks (just pinch the barbs down on your bass lures). Spinnerbaits, Gulp leeches and stickbaits are working well for both types of bass along the shorelines. Musky action has been slow, with most of the females still spawning or recovering from the spawn. There has been some action, especially on the smaller lakes. Small spinners such as Rizzo Wiz's or Mepps have worked well for these cold water fish, and the action for bigger ones will pick up as the water warms. Northern action has been good to very good, with the fish cruising the weeds daily and feeding. Live chubs have been the best bait for these fish, with spinners such as Mepps #3's working well also. Panfish action has been good, especially with crappies as they continue their spawning process. Minnows have been good for them, with small jigs such as Cubbies and small Twister Tails working well also. The bluegills have been starting to hit along shorelines also. They will spawn in the next two weeks also. All in all, a great week is on tap. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
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May 26, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County BACK ON THE WATER- CLEAR WATER BITE Well this weekend was setup well in advance; as I had a father, his two sons, and cousin, wish to learn more about their lake. I spent two days with them, (Saturday & Sunday) and showed them spots that they never new exsisted. On this lake in their summer home for over 5 years some have never caught a keeper walleye on their lake... but we changed that for them, despite poor weather conditions. Walleyes still going over 15 inches up to 19, while some nice northerns where caught and one perch at 12-1/2 made the two days a lot of fun and rewarding. Here are a few pics from the two mornings. Still having problems with the "photo Stitch". Lake Info: Deep clear water lakes are about 4 weeks behind in their patterns; shallow darker lakes are catching up, and maybe a week or two behind. Cold weather late, and late ice out main factors. Expect low water on many spring feed or seapage lakes. Creek and river feed lakes at normal or above from recent rain and spring runoff. The four weeks of being behind on these clear lakes has my smallmouth fishing yet to come. I have had no good smallmouth fishing on my rock bars that normally hold these fish at this time. I am looking at peak fishing for the smallmouth here the first two weeks of June if weather continues to warm. If they hold until the season opener chances of taking home a trophy in the 20 to 23 inch range looks very good, keep the fingers crossed. Timing is everything right now!!!! Walleye however are still holding here as even now all walleye spawn appears over, (the last full moon took care of that. Current condtions should keep these fish on the rock bars longer this year.
Fred Brogle |
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May 26, 2008 - Vilas County Lakes, Vilas County FISHING WITH THE GUIDES by George Langley Well, we needed the rain. We'll see the trees really get green in the next week or so. You'll notice that many lakes are on the cloudy side now - that is pollen, and will clear up shortly. That thunderous storm system did help the lake levels on many lakes also, so the landings are in better shape area wide. Water temps are also going up despite the cool nights. We are in for some great fishing, as there is the balance of the spawn left for bass, crappies and bluegills. The shorelines will be very active for the next several weeks. Musky are finishing their spawn, and mostly males were caught over the opening weekend. Walleye fishing is good, but on many lakes the females are in the recovery process and have been somewhat inactive. The result of that is mostly smaller fish caught. As the weeds emerge the fish will move into these weed areas for the purpose of feeding, and we'll start to see some nice patterns out there. Jigs and minnows are still the best bait, but some anglers have reported good action on leeches. There is, at this point, a good concentration of smaller males in the holes on the Chain. Bass action is good, and getting better. These fish are just now moving up to the shorelines to spawn on the larger lakes, and will be there well into June this year. The smallies will always choose the harder bottom areas for their beds, and the largemouth will look more towards mud or shoreline cover like downed trees. Try some of the new Gulp leeches for great results on both of these fish. Spinnerbaits and stickbaits will also work well. Northern action has been very good, with these fish up in the weeds and in the spawning areas chasing crappies and bluegills around. These fish will generally hit anything that moves, but will do particularly well on Mepps #3 spinners at this time of year. Large chubs fished in the weeds will also do well. Musky action was a mixed bag over the weekend. The smaller lakes contain some fish that have finished their spawn and in some cases the big females have even moved to deeper water. Mostly it was the males that got active, however, and so mostly fish in the 35" and under range were caught. Smaller baits worked best, and will for the next week or so. Try some Rizze Wiz's, Mepps #5 or Baby Buchertails for best results. Also, some small twitch baits like #13 Rapalas will be quite effective in the shallow weeds. Panfish are hitting well, especially the crappies. They are on the shorelines spawning now, so they will be hitting very strongly for the next several weeks now. The bluegills are staging for their spawn and can now be found near all shorelines with cover. Perch are in the weeds. All in all - a great week of fishing is expected. Good luck and good fishn'
George Langley |
