Hayward Lakes Outdoor Report 9-16-24

Steve Suman

The forecast calls for another beautiful week, with highs in the mid-80s and lows in the 50s. Slight chances of rain appear toward the end of the week and weekend, along with a cooling trend.

September 22 is the Autumnal Equinox and first day of fall.

“A warm week ahead for the Quiet Lakes’ area,” says Greg at Happy Hooker. “With temperatures around 80 degrees, almost zero chances of precipitation, and the water temperatures around 70 degrees, fishing is good for most species.

“Musky anglers are seeing fish on faster bucktails and topwaters, which should continue with warm weather and fish around shallow weed beds. Suicks, Bull Dawgs, and gliders such as Warlocks are good throwbacks for raised fish.

“Walleyes are elusive. At this time of year, they should be on deep rocks or hard to soft bottom transitions. Try walleye suckers and minnows on jigs in 12-20 feet, or troll deep crankbaits or bottom bouncers with crawler harnesses.

“Northern pike are active in and around the weeds, with spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and even smaller baits such as crappie minnows all catching fish.

“Largemouth bass topwater baits such as buzzbaits, Whopper Ploppers, and frogs should be good with the warm water temperatures. Try spinnerbaits and skirted jigs for suspending fish.

“Smallmouth bass reports are thin, but look for fish mixed with walleyes on deep rocks and transitions.

“Crappie fishing is great, with anglers finding them throughout the water column, depending on the lake. Shallow weed beds are good on lakes with a typical weed bite; on lakes with a deep basin, fish are schooling deep. Most catches are on crappie minnows and fatheads on jigs.

“Bluegills and perch are in shallower weed beds and hitting crawlers and leaf worms.

“In addition, there are some reports of hunters harvesting a few nice bear in the past couple weeks.”

Jarrett at Hayward Bait says musky fishing is improving as water temperatures fall due to the cooler evenings.

“Most anglers use big plastics such as Medussas and Bull Dawgs, bucktails, topwaters, and with cooling temperatures, musky suckers. Live bait and smaller baits should perform well with high 70s/low 80s daytime temperatures. Target weedlines, points, and humps that offer cover to muskies as well as other fish.

“Walleye fishing is slow, which is normal for this time of year. Most anglers are trolling to entice reaction bites from lethargic fish. Other anglers work walleye suckers and fathead on slip bobbers or crawlers on jigs. Focus on weed edges on deeper flats and lake basins this time of year, before fish move shallow with cooler water.

“Northern pike fishing is solid, with anglers catching fish over weed beds on live bait, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits. Changes to harvest limits on many lakes this past spring encouraged more anglers to harvest pike for the table. With a little finesse to remove extra bones, the fantastic white meat will bring family smiles at dinnertime.

“Largemouth and smallmouth bass have started moving shallow, chasing food along shorelines and weed flats. Many anglers are catching fish on live bait, Senkos, spinnerbaits, and topwaters pitched to docks, woodpiles, cribs, and areas offering cover for the bass, bluegills, and small minnows.

“Crappie fishing is good between basins, weed flats, cribs, and for roaming fish. Plastics on 1/32oz to 1/16oz jigs reeled back slowly are very effective. For fish on structure, position the boat over the structure and vertical jig.”

This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses smallmouth bass catch and release statistics in Grindstone Lake.

“Smallmouth bass are a popular draw for Hayward area anglers. Hayward’s big, clear lakes, such as LCO, Round, and Grindstone, all support fantastic smallmouth fisheries with good action and trophy size. On these lakes and other area waters, a large majority of anglers voluntarily practice catch and release smallmouth fishing.

“If you wonder how many times anglers catch and release a smallmouth during a year, some data from Grindstone Lake helps answer this question.

“First, we need an estimate of how many smallmouth bass are in Grindstone. In 2018, our crew conducted a mark-recapture survey that estimated there were 2,871 adult smallmouth of the size anglers would target. We also conducted a creel survey that generated an estimate of how many smallmouth anglers caught. The creel survey uses angler interviews and counts of how many people are fishing to generate estimated total fish catches throughout the year.

“In 2018, we estimated that 10,541 anglers caught smallmouth in Grindstone. You do not have to be a math whiz to see the estimate for the number caught is higher than the estimated number of smallmouth in the lake! Both of those estimates have some statistical uncertainty, but we can make some conclusions.

“On average, anglers likely caught an individual adult smallmouth more than three times that year. Though that is an average, it is likely anglers never caught some fish and caught others quite a few times.

“Overall, this is a testament to the benefits of catch and release as a concept. It also places a lot of responsibility on the angler, since poor catch-and-release practices that might result in a fish dying after release could have a huge impact on the population.

“Anglers who intend to release fish they catch should minimize fighting time, handling, and air exposure. That means having the right tools to unhook fish quickly. Depth of capture should also be a factor for anglers, since fish caught at greater depths often experience higher mortality.

“Educated, responsible anglers on a lake such as Grindstone that has fantastic habitat is a good recipe for a fun smallmouth bass fishery!”

Wisconsin’s regular goose season opened September 16 in the North, South, and Mississippi River zones. Both the Northern Zone duck season and woodcock season open September 21.

Musky anglers: September 23 is the early registration deadline for the Hayward Chapter-Muskies Inc. 46th annual fall musky tournament. The registration will increase from $100 to $120. Save $20 and buy a new lure! For more information, call (715) 634-2921 or (715) 558-2835.

The Clam Lake Elk Festival is this Saturday September 21, starting at 9 a.m. The event includes a DNR elk education presentation, elk walking tour, an antler hunt for kids, and live music. All events and vendor set-ups are free. Elk Country ATV Club will provide flip-flop chicken, hot dogs, potato salad, baked beans, and chips. Forest Riders Snowmobile Club will host a meat raffle from 3-5 p.m. at Ransoms Place.

For more information, visit Clam Lake Elk Festival or call (715) 310-4857.

The Hayward Fall Festival is this Saturday, September 21, starting at 9 a.m., on Main Street in downtown Hayward. The all-day event includes a Scarecrow Contest, sidewalk sales, farmers market, beer and brat tent, food trucks, arts and crafts booths, live music, and for kids, a free puzzle giveaway, mini pumpkin decorating, face painting and balloon twists, and much more. Organizers will announce the winner of the Scarecrow Contest at 3 p.m.

For more information, visit the Chamber of Commerce Fall Festival website or call (715) 634-8662.

ATV/UTV TRAIL REPORT

All ATV and 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.

Unless otherwise posted, all county roads outside the LCO Reservation in Sawyer County are legal for ATV/UTV use. Check the Trail Treker app for changes. The ATV/UTV trails in Sawyer County Forest (715-634-4846), Chequamegon National Forest (715-634-4821), and Flambeau State Forest (715-332-5271) are open. Check the HLVCB ATV/UTV trail conditions report and Sawyer County Snowmobile & ATV Alliance for trail and road updates.