Hayward Lakes Outdoor Report 11-24-25

Steve Suman

The forecast predicts major changes starting mid-week when single-digit lows and mid-20s highs arrive, with chances for snow ‑ just in time for Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday, give thanks, and have safe travels!

Travelers can check current road conditions at 511wi.gov for Wisconsin and 511mn.org for Minnesota.

“Open water fishing is about done in the Quiet Lakes’ area,” says Greg at Happy Hooker. “Lakes should start making ice towards the weekend, with temperatures below freezing during the day and some single-digit nighttime lows.

“Last Wednesday, we fished the Spider chain, but could not launch on Little Spider. The landing was solid ice, about an inch thick all the way to the main lake. We managed to launch the boat off Clear Lake launch, but broke ice to reach a spot we thought might have fish. We could only fish a very small section, as half the lake was covered. Some smaller Lost Land Lake bays have a good amount of ice as well. The big lakes such as Round, Lac Courte Oreilles, and Grindstone, are probably still accessible.

“Anglers should now focus on the fast-approaching hardwater season. It is the time to re-spool line on reels and tip-ups, and sort through tackle to make sure jigs and spoons are in stock.

“First ice is some of the best fishing of the season, although it can be dangerous. If you choose to go, be safe and check the ice every few steps. It can change rapidly until it sets up for the season. This is especially true around any moving water, shallow rocky areas holding heat from the sun, and deep areas that take longer to get cold.”

Jarrett at Hayward Bait says now is the time for musky anglers to troll and jig big rubber baits.

“Slow trolling big baits such as Mattlocks and Headlocks over big patches of weeds and structure, and jigging baits while on structure work great. With cooling water, fish are less active and prefer expending energy on one meal that lasts them a few days.

“Walleye anglers are pulling tip-ups out of storage. Early ice can be one of the best bites of the season ‑ but can be dangerous. Use shallow sets with shiners and walleye suckers, and keep your distance. Sunrise and sunset are peak times.

“Northern pike move to back bays with healthy weeds. Tip-ups on weeds, wood, and drop-offs can be deadly in early season. Pike under ice see best on sunny days, so do not let the sunlight discourage you!

“Crappies roam deep basins, the last to experience ice-up. On smaller lakes that ice up sooner, work deep weedlines. Crappie minnows, fatheads, and plastics on jigs, small rattle baits, and Jigging Raps all work.

“Bluegills flock shallow at early ice, to the last remaining weeds harboring bug life. Small pockets of vegetation can hold giant schools of fish, as can shallow cribs, weeds, wood, and other structure. Waxies on small jigs do the trick. For anglers after bigger bluegills, crappie minnows and small spoons discourage smaller fish.”

This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses Chippewa Flowage musky growth rates.

“Most musky anglers look for big fish, and for fish to get big, they must grow. That is a simple concept, but tracking fish growth is actually complicated.

“One way to track growth is to capture a bunch of fish, measure them, and estimate their age. This offers a sense of how long it takes fish to get to different lengths. This method has considerable uncertainty, however, since estimating fish age is challenging, even for a pro such as Scott Braden, our local fisheries technician.

“There is a more precise way to measure musky growth, at least for stocked fish. From 2013 to 2019, almost every musky stocked into Chippewa Flowage received a Passive Integrated Transponder (PIT) tag to identify stocked fish vs. natural fish. This provides a great picture of stocked musky growth rates, as we know the exact age of each tagged fish.

“When we capture fish 1 or 2 or 10 years down the road, we know their age and how much they grew in that time. In the last few years, we captured nearly 200 tagged muskies in the Chip, offering a nice picture of growth rates.

“A fall stocked 1-year-old Chip musky averages about 15 inches long, and since its ‘birthday’ is in spring, it has not had much time to grow. At 2 years old, the average length is 18 inches. After that, growth picks up a bit, possibly because the fish start to eat larger food items.

“A 3-year-old musky is 24 inches long, and at age 4 is almost 30 inches. At this point, things start to get more interesting. Around age-5, muskies are becoming sexually mature and males and females diverge in growth. At age-6, the split is fully evident, with females averaging 37 inches and males 34 inches. At age-7, the gap widens, with females at 38.5 inches and males still 34 inches. The males continue to grow, but these are the averages for fish captured to date. The tagging program is somewhat new, and for now, this is about as far out as we can track growth.

“As these fish have more years in the lake, we have opportunities to capture them at age-8-10 and beyond, filling in the upper end of the growth curve, and offering a better idea of their trophy potential.

“It is worth noting that the above figures are averages, but individual fish growth varies widely. We have observed 6-year-old female muskies make it to 41 inches, as well as some the same age, but still just 33.5 inches.

“All of these findings are useful towards managing these fascinating and long-lived trophy fish.”

The DMUs in the Northern Forest Management zones were converted to habitat-based units, now by number, rather than county-based units. Review the map of the new DMUs so you know in which DMU you are hunting, and view a breakdown of the season structure by county and DMU. Some units in Sawyer County extend into other counties. The 2025 weekly DMU deer harvest numbers for these units, as of November 18, are available by referencing the DMU map and deer harvest summary. In a number of units, bonus antlerless licenses remain available.

Wisconsin’s Deer Donation Program, which began in 2000, helps stock food pantries and supports residents in need. Hunters have now donated more than 4 million pounds of ground venison, providing nutritious, hearty meals.

Donating is easy and free. Hunters donate the entire deer free of charge and retain the head and antlers if desired. The processor will ask you to complete a log sheet indicating your intent to donate the deer. Charitable organizations will distribute the processed venison to feed those in need.

Hunters and non-hunters can support the Deer Donation Program through monetary donations in-person at  license sales locations or online through  Go Wild.

For more information, visit “Deer Donation Program.”

Fall turkey season closed November 21 in all zones statewide, but reopened in zones 1-5 November 22 through January 4. Many bonus tags remain available for zones 1-4. As of November 12, the current harvest total for all seven zones is 2,557 birds. Locally, Zone 6 has registered 302 birds and Zone 7 registered 147 birds.

For more information, visit “turkey hunting” on the DNR website.

Crex Meadows Wildlife Area will hold a deer processing class at their facility Saturday, December 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Instructors will cover all aspects of deer processing, including hanging, aging, caping, skinning, CWD testing, and hands-on processing and packaging meat for home use and storage. Crex will provide all necessary equipment and participants will receive venison to take home.

This class requires registration to reserve your spot. The fee is $10 to attend.

For more information, email Gregg@raisedatfulldraw.com, visit Crex, or call (715) 463-2739.

ATV/UTV Trail Report

All ATV/UTV operators born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, who are at least 12 years old for ATV and at least 16 years old for UTV, must complete an ATV/UTV safety certification course to operate legally on public ATV/UTV trails and areas in Wisconsin. The DNR requires trail passes for non-residents and Wisconsin residents must display a registration sticker. Riders must run headlights at all times when operating. Visit the DNR ATV website for rules and regulations.

Check for trail openings, closures, and more atHLVCB ATV/UTV trail conditions report. Contacts for forest ATV/UTV trails are as follows: Sawyer County Forest (715-634-4846), Chequamegon National Forest (715-634-4821), and Flambeau State Forest (715-332-5271).

Sawyer County snowmobile and ATV trail maps are available from Hayward Lakes Visitor & Convention Bureau.

Fishing Report

LOW temperatures start mid-week, along with measurable snow, and remaining open water will have iffy access. Ice fishing season is beginning a bit later than usual, but do not push the season. If you go, do not go alone, and be prepared with all possibly necessary emergency equipment. Be safe!

Musky:

Musky fishing is good ‑ this is trophy time ‑ and fish are hitting big baits worked, jigged, and trolled over weeds and structure holding panfish. Anglers may not target musky through the ice or from an ice platform at any time.

Walleye:

Walleye fishing is good on mid-depth to shallow weeds and near panfish and baitfish. Best success is in early morning and late evening with walleye suckers and shiners on tip-ups. Chippewa Flowage walleye season closes Nov. 30 (regs).

Northern Pike:

Northern pike action is good to very good on weeds and/or in shallow bays, wood, and drop-offs near deeper water, and around baitfish and panfish concentrations. Northern suckers, walleye sucker, and fatheads do the job.

Smallmouth Bass:

Smallmouth fishing remains good on rock points and other hard bottom areas, mid-depth weeds and weed edges, and locations holding walleye. Sucker minnows and plastics on jigs, drop-shot and Ned rigs, and swimbaits are productive.

Crappie:

Crappie fishing is good to very good in deep basins and weedlines. Crappie minnows, fatheads, Gulp! baits, and plastics on small jigs and plain hooks, and small Jigging Raps and rattlebaits are all effective.

Bluegill:

Bluegill fishing is good for anglers fishing for them around shallow weeds, wood, cribs, and other structure. Waxies and plastics on small jigs work well. Try small minnows and spoons for bigger bluegills and for deterring bait robbers.