Steve Suman
The forecast for this week looks good for the first half, but some changes are on the way starting Wednesday night. Highs in the 50s will move to the 40s (and cooler) and possible rain showers. There are chances of the “s” word Saturday (hint: not sunshine), and colder temperatures through the weekend (but with sunshine!) Prepare to dress for the conditions!
Look south for the South Taurids Meteor Shower Nov. 4-5, from 1-3 a.m., with 10-20 bright and very slow meteors per hour.
The full Beaver Moon is Wednesday, Nov. 5, and clear skies should provide excellent viewing.
Veterans Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11 (as always) to honor veterans for their service to this country.
“Quiet Lakes’ area weather is still very mild for this time of year,” says Greg at Happy Hooker, “and holding water temperatures around 50 degrees on most lakes. In addition, water levels are way down, making angling a little tough for this time of year.
“Musky fishing is okay, with most fish hitting the net for anglers fishing suckers. Dive and rise jerkbaits, pull/pause rubber baits, and trolled crankbaits are also good choices. Look for muskies on deep weed and rocky edges, points, and reefs adjacent to deeper basins.
“Walleye fishing is good. Anglers are doing well with crankbaits and walleye suckers under slip bobbers on deep edges in 10-20 feet, depending on where the deep edge is on the lake.
“Northern pike should still relate to green weeds and edges in 5-15 feet. Live bait and cast baits are fair game for pike now, as they aggressively feed for winter.
“Smallmouth bass should be on deep rocks off points and reefs in 12-20 feet, with suckers, minnows, and plastics on jigs good choices.
“Crappies are schooled in deep basins in more than 15 feet, and slip bobbers and tight-lined jigging is the best way to get down to them. Bluegills are still relating to weeds holding oxygen, while perch are schooling in deeper water, but no reports on the bite.”
This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses ‘our year of really big sturgeon.’
“The rivers and connected lakes of northwest Wisconsin are home to some prehistoric monster fish that many anglers never witness. Lake sturgeon, an ancient native species, has thrived in the Chippewa and St. Croix River basins.
“The DNR fish teams in this part of the state conduct sturgeon surveys periodically to check on the health of these unique fish. The standard method for capturing adult sturgeon is gill nets fished for very short periods. We remove the fish from the net quickly to measure, weigh, tag, and release.
“We target deeper holes in some of the lakes that lie along our major rivers. The Hayward Fish Team worked with the Park Falls Fish Team to do more sturgeon surveys than usual in 2025. The fish did not disappoint.
“For background, a ‘legal-size’ sturgeon is 60 inches, and an angler with a harvest tag can harvest only one during the September season. This year, we saw many 60-inch and larger sturgeon. In fact, we saw quite a few sturgeon greater than 70 inches, and one fish around 70 inches topped out our 110-pound scale. The largest fish we captured was 74 inches long and we did not attempt to weigh it, settling for a professional estimate of around 150 lbs.
“We have since acquired a bigger scale and can weigh these fish if we capture them again.
“You might wonder how a fish gets that big, and the answer is a combination of good habitat and time. Lakes and rivers in our area are excellent habitat for sturgeon, provided we protect these areas.
“While sturgeon themselves are huge, they get that way by primarily eating tiny insects from the lakebed. Some of the soft-bottomed flowages in our area are perfect for growing those insects. However, even with good habitat and food, it takes many decades for a fish to achieve the status of being a 6-footer.
“We are fortunate that our area can boast some of the biggest freshwater fish anywhere in North America.”
Fall season turkey hunters continue to enjoy success statewide. Current harvest totals for all seven zones are 1,613 birds as of October 28. Locally, Zone 6 has registered 188 birds and Zone 7 registered 99 birds. Bonus tags remain available for zones 1-4. The season closes statewide November 21 in all zones, but reopens in zones 1-5 from November 22 through January 4. Visit “turkey hunting” on the DNR website for shooting hours and other information.
The Northern Forest Zone now consists of a number of individual DMUs, with some units in Sawyer County and extending into other counties. The 2025 weekly deer harvest numbers are available by referencing the 2025 deer management units map (or DMU map) and deer harvest summary.
Hunting and Trapping season updates include the November 1 trapping season opener for Beaver (Northwest Zone); Otter (North Zone); and Raccoon hunting and trapping for non-residents. Woodcock season closes Nov. 3, and the first period elk hunting season closes Nov. 16.
Hunters of all game species that stipulate legal hunting hours should note the one-hour shift in time with the Nov. 2 end of Daylight Saving Time.
Hayward Chapter-Muskies, Inc. welcomes the public to attend its club meeting Tuesday, November 11, starting at 7 p.m., at Flat Creek Lodge in Hayward. This is a general meeting to review the 2025 tournament, make plans for upcoming projects, and elect officers for 2026. Admission is free and anyone interested in becoming a new member of Muskies, Inc. can purchase a half-price membership at the meeting.
For more information, call Mike Persson (715) 634-4543.
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.
As of October 2, there are reports of a sinkhole on Trail 111 east of Hay Creek Bridge, with a bypass at Blockhouse Road. Many operators report machines almost stuck or rolled. Do not attempt to go through. The US Forest Service received notification. Check HLVCB Trail conditions for updates.
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.
The Sawyer County Snowmobile & ATV Alliance is selling raffle tickets for its 2025 fundraiser. Prizes include 20 firearms and 22 other prizes. Tickets cost $20 each, only 2,500 available, with the drawing Saturday, Nov. 15, at Flambeau Forest Inn in Winter. Winners need not be present.
For more information, visit Sawyer County Snowmobile & ATV Alliance.
Fishing Report
Anglers (probably the majority) who have placed their boats in storage are missing some very good late fall fishing conditions for big fish. Moderate water temperatures and low water levels on most lakes affect success, but it is a beautiful time to be on the water. The conditions are also affecting fish movements to some degree, so (as always) check with your favorite bait shop for the most current information regarding fish locations, bite windows, and bait preferences and presentations. Hit it hard this week, as “the times they are a-changin.’”
Musky:
Musky action is fair to good, with fish spread from shallow to mid-depth weeds, weedlines, rock edges, points, and humps near deep basins, and panfish concentrations. Suckers on quick-strike rigs are hot at this time, as expected, but anglers are also catching fish on bucktails, jerkbaits, rubber baits, gliders, stickbaits, and trolled baits.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is fair to good and improving, with best success in late afternoon into after dark on shallow weeds and weed flats. Daytime activity is primarily in 20 feet and deeper in basins and on humps, points, and brush. Walleye suckers on jigs and/or slip bobbers, minnowbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits, and plastics work best.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is good to very good as the fish plump up for winter. Focus on depths to 15 feet on green weeds, weed edges, weedlines, and wherever you find concentrations of baitfish and panfish. Northern suckers, walleye suckers, minnows, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, stickbaits, swimbaits, jerkbaits, crankbaits, and plastics all do the trick.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing remains fair to good for the few anglers now targeting the transitioning fish. Try shallow to mid-depth weeds, brush, cribs, and along any shorelines holding baitfish and panfish. Minnows on jigs and/or under slip bobbers, swimbaits, spinners, spinnerbaits, stickbaits, and plastics can all produce action.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good to very good for fish on their fall feed. Find them on mid-depth to deeper rocks, points, humps, and hard bottom transitions. Best offerings include sucker minnows and plastics on jigs, Ned and drop-shot rigs, crankbaits, swimbaits, and stickbaits.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good to very good once you locate the schools. Check basins as deep as 25 feet for suspending schools ‑ try to stick with them ‑ as well as weeds, weed edges, cribs, and other structure. Productive baits include crappie minnows, fatheads, plastics, and Gulp! baits on jigs fished with/without slip bobbers, and small Jigging Raps and spoons.
Bluegill:
Bluegill fishing is fair to good for anglers still pursuing and locating them. Fish in and on the edges of still green weeds if you can find them, as well as on cribs and brush. Waxies, worms, crawler chunks, and plastics on small jigs and teardrops under bobbers work well, and try small minnows for bigger fish.
Upcoming Events
Nov. 1: Trapping seasons opened: Beaver (Northwest Zone); Otter (North Zone); Raccoon hunt/trap (non-resident).
Nov. 2: Daylight Saving Time ended (turn back your clocks one hour if you have not already done so!)
Nov. 3: Woodcock season closes.
Nov. 4-5: South Taurids Meteor Shower, south, 1-3 a.m., 10-20/hr., bright and very slow.
Nov. 5: Full Beaver Moon.
Nov. 11: Veterans Day.
Nov. 11: Hayward Chapter-Muskies, Inc. meeting, 7 p.m., review tournament, elect officers, Flat Creek 715-634-4543).
Nov. 12-14: North Taurids Meteor Shower, south, 12-2 a.m., 10-20 per hour, slow fireballs.
Nov. 16: Elk season, first period, closes.
Nov. 16-17: Leonids Meteor Shower, southeast, 4-5 a.m., 10-15 per hour, very swift.
Nov. 21: Fall turkey season closes statewide.
Nov. 22: Crow season opens.
Nov. 22-30: Wisconsin’s traditional nine-day gun deer season.
Nov. 22-Jan. 4: Fall turkey season open in zones 1-5.
Nov. 25: Duck season closes in Northern Zone.
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving Day.
Nov. 28-Dec. 20: Christmas in Hayward 2025 (715-699-2706).
Nov. 29: Mourning dove season closes.
Nov. 30: Walleye season closes on Chippewa Flowage.
Dec. 4: Full Cold Moon.
Dec. 1-10: Muzzleloader deer season.
Dec. 10: Application deadline for spring turkey, fall bear permits.
For more information on area events and activities, visit the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau and Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce websites, view the Calendar of Events, or call (715) 634-8662 or (715) 634-4801.