Steve Suman
Following a 90-degree Musky Fest weekend, temperatures return to highs in the 70s and nighttime lows in the 50s more for most of this week. Some rain chances are in forecast for nearly every day, so make plans, but have a Plan B!
“Fishing in the Quiet Lakes’ area picked up for a few species,” says Greg at Happy Hooker, “with others not cooperating. Thunderstorms might have fish in limbo, and this week could be wet as well.
“Musky fishing is tough and fish favor smaller baits. Fish weed beds and shallower rock flats with bucktails, minnowbaits, crankbaits, and rubber baits.
“Walleye fishing is tough, with fish in deep weeds or on rock transitions. Leeches should be excellent with the warm weather. Leeches jigged vertically off the boat or on slip bobbers with the bait near bottom should produce.
“Northern pike action is consistent and they hammer most baits including live baits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and inline spinners. Shallow weedy bays and weed beds are the key, with bass and walleye size baits what pike want now.
“Largemouth bass are active in shallow weeds, reeds, lily pads, and fallen timber. Plastic worms and topwater frogs should get good with the hot weather. Cast towards shorelines, getting baits deep into weeds.
“Smallmouth bass are on deeper rocks off main lake points and reefs in 10-20 feet. Leeches, minnows, and plastics on jigs all work.
“Crappie fishing improved over the past week and anglers report success with crappie minnows under bobbers. Some fish are suspending over basins and others in weeds in 4-10 feet, depending on the lake.
“Bluegill and perch anglers have success off docks and shorelines with downed timber or sparse weeds. Crawlers, leaf worms, and plastics on small jigs are great choices.”
Jarrett at Hayward Bait says fishing is solid.
“Musky action is fairly shallow and consistent. Anglers report success with smaller bucktails and swimbaits out to 10 feet. Shallow bays and structure with panfish are good contact points.
“Walleye anglers are camping on weedlines, with minnows and leeches producing success, as are swimbaits and slow moving stickbaits over weeds. Target weeds in 10-15 feet, or structure such as cribs and wood fish can use as cover.
“Northern pike action is good to excellent. Fish are in shallow areas with panfish, and hitting spinnerbaits, spoons, and swimbaits. Bigger pike head deeper as the water warms, while smaller fish remain shallow, chasing baitfish.
“Largemouth and smallmouth bass are fussy and on shallower flats. Wacky rigs, swimbaits, chatterbaits, and jerkbaits are working well.
“Crappies should be moving to mid-depth weeds. Use minnows under slip bobbers on large flats where fish roam slowly. For active fish, try plastics on jigs, small crankbaits, and jerkbaits. Think bigger baits!
“Bluegills are on beds and the big males guarding them are important for maintaining a healthy size population. Return those big fish to their beds so we can continue to see big fish.”
Mike at Jenk’s says the Chippewa Flowage is a half-foot down and the water temperature 77 degrees.
“Musky fishing is good, but warming water temperatures pushed fish deeper. During the day, fish deeper basins such as in front of Sisko’s and east of Hay Creek Narrows. Trolling during daylight hours is good, but if surface temperatures top 80 degrees, stop fishing. Pulling fish from deep, cool water to the surface can be fatal to fish. Target other species until temperatures cool. In the evening after the water cools, work bucktails on shallow areas on deep drop-offs.
“Walleye fishing is hit or miss with the warm temperatures, likely pushing fish to 20 feet or deeper during the day. Night fishing is best on leeches and crawlers, with fish on deeper weeds and edges in 8-14 feet. Try trolling Flicker Shads, Flicker Minnows, and Reef Runners during the day. A cool-down this week could bring walleyes a little shallower.
“Northern pike are hitting Tinsel Tails and Chatterbaits on weeds and weed edges, but generally smaller fish.
“Smallmouth bass are hitting Ned rigs on stumps and rocks. If you find no action on shallow wood, fish crawlers or wacky worms on deeper cribs.
“Crappies are active on the bogs at night. During the day, deep weeds, brush, and cribs can produce, but bogs are best. Fish all depths under bogs until you pinpoint fish locations. Minnows are the live bait of choice. For artificials, one-inch Gulp! Minnows, Garland mayflies, and Mini-Mites are effective.”
This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses the Chippewa Flowage walleye regulations.
“The Chippewa Flowage is one of our most popular and productive walleye fisheries. We keep a very close eye on the population, with annual surveys and considerable data collection. The current walleye harvest regulation is a major topic of conversation among anglers, and we hear many comments on what people think about it.
“The current regulation is a 15-inch minimum length limit, a protected slot limit of 20-24-inches, and daily bag limit of three fish, with only one greater than 24 inches. We implemented this regulation in 2015 after a five-year stretch with no minimum length limit and walleye reproduction faltering.
“How the current regulation serves the fishery is a fair question, and for that, we turn to the data.
“Our best recent look at the Flowage walleye population was in 2022 when we estimated 72,837 adult walleye. We estimated angler harvest at 5,766 and tribal harvest another 2,931, for a combined 8,697. This means a harvest of about 12 percent of the walleye population, a reasonable and sustainable number providing reproduction continues.
“However, we can also estimate what harvest might look like under other regulations.
“In 2022, we estimated anglers caught 31,901 walleyes. With no minimum length limit, we can assume the harvest of a large percentage of those fish. If anglers harvested even half of them, and tribal harvesters harvested the same number, we estimate that would account for 26 percent of the population. This harvest level creates much more risk for the population’s sustainability.
“Another idea from anglers is to lower the minimum length limit by one inch. The appeal is intuitive, but gains for anglers would be short-lived, as the number of newly harvestable fish would likely decline quickly. The lasting effect would be a population of smaller fish and likely lesser yields (pounds harvested) for anglers, who would take similar numbers, but smaller fish.
“Anglers should understand some important truths about regulations.
“First, for a regulation to work, it has to ‘hurt,’ meaning it has to force people to release some fish they would otherwise keep. This is especially true for a popular species such as walleye. A regulation so loose it does not change harvest patterns will not benefit or protect the fishery.
“No regulation lasts forever, and since 1984 the Chippewa Flowage has had four different walleye regulations. It will undoubtedly change again as the population inevitably changes.”
The Hayward Civic Club’s 4th of July Celebration is Friday, July 4, from 5-11 p.m., behind Hayward Intermediate School on 5th St. The event offers music, food, and fun, with a Hayward Hawks baseball game at 7 p.m. and fireworks at dusk. For more information, call (715) 634-2760.
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
Fishing is fair to good, depending on the lake and species, with thunderstorms and hot weather affecting fish movements. Check with your favorite bait shop personnel for the most current information!
Musky:
Musky action reports range from fair too good. Find fish on shallow weed beds, rock flats, shallow bays with panfish, drop-offs, and deep basins. Fish shallower at night and deeper during the day. Smaller baits work best, including bucktails, minnowbaits, swimbaits, crankbaits, and rubber baits, with trolling during the day an option.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is challenging, with best success in late evening into dark. During the day, troll stickbaits, swimbaits, and Flicker baits on deeper weeds, wood, rock, cribs, and transitions out to 22 feet and deeper. In low light hours, fish weedlines, weed edges, and shorelines out to 12 feet with leeches, crawlers, and minnows on jigs/and or slip bobbers.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action remains very good to excellent, particularly for smaller pike. Target shallow weeds, weedy bays, and any areas with panfish concentrations. Sucker minnows, and small to mid-size spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, swimbaits, crankbaits, and chatterbaits are working. Go bigger and deeper for trophy pike.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass are active in/on/over shallow flats, reeds, weeds, weed edges, lily pads, wood, and brush. Live bait, wacky rigs, spinners, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, chatterbaits, jerkbaits, plastic worms work well, and action is picking up on frogs other topwater baits
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good for fish on shallow to mid-depth flats, stumps, and rocks, and deeper cribs, mid-lake rocks and points. Sucker minnows, leeches, crawlers, and plastics on jigs; Ned rigs, wacky worms, swimbaits, jerkbaits, chatterbaits, and spinnerbaits are all effective offerings.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good for fish spread from shallow to deep weeds, cribs, and brush, on large flats, bogs at night, and suspending over basins. Baits of choice include crappie minnows, plastics, Mini-Mites, and Gulp! baits on small jigs and/or under slip bobbers, Garland mayflies, and small crankbaits and jerkbaits.
Bluegill:
Bluegills are spawning and fishing is good to very good on shorelines, brush, weeds, and off docks. Waxies, leaf worms, crawler chunks, small minnows, and plastics on small jigs, teardrops, and plain hooks, fished with/without slip bobbers. The fish are vulnerable ‑ show restraint with harvest!
Upcoming Events
June 21: Smallmouth bass harvest season opens in the Northern Bass Zone.
June 29: Hayward Bass Club – Round Lake Open, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., (405-227-1789).
July 4: July Jubilee in Winter at Doc Smith Park 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. (715-415-1966).
July 4: Independence Day! Hayward Civics Club fireworks, dusk (715-634-2760).
July 5: Boulder Lodge 8th Annual Cardboard Boat Race – Northwoods Humane Society fundraiser (715-462-3002).
July 10: Full Buck Moon.
July 10-12: Heart of the North Spooner Rodeo at Washburn County Fairground, 12-10 p.m. (715-635-9696).
July 17-19: Lumberjack World Championships ‑ schedule (715-634-2484).
July 17-20: 52nd Annual LCO Honor the Earth Pow Wow (715-634-8934).
July 18-20: Birchwood Lions 62nd Annual Bluegill Festival.
July 28-30: Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower, 1-3 a.m. CDT, look south, 15-25 per hour, long, slow paths.
Aug. 1-2: Jack Pine Savage Days in Spooner (715-635-2168).
Aug. 14-17: Sawyer County Fair at Sawyer County Fairgrounds, Highway B east of Hayward) (715-699-2022).
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.