Steve Suman
The forecast calls for highs in the mid-70s and lows in the mid-50s this week, but with varying chances for showers most days. This area entertained 33/32-degree lows and frost advisories this past Sunday and Monday mornings! Enjoy the mild temperatures while they are visiting!
“The fall season has arrived in the Quiet Lakes’ area,” says Greg at Happy Hooker. “We received a fair amount of rain and will see more this week. Fishing slowed, with fewer people fishing and the cold and wind pushing fish into a neutral/negative mood. Water temperatures dropping into low to mid-60s is a big change from a week ago.
“Musky fishing is tough with these conditions. Bucktails work around structure, but with vegetation dying-off, gliders, jerkbaits, rubber baits, and suckers are productive.
“Walleyes are on deep weed and rock edges and in fall feeding patterns. Fish minnows and suckers on those spots and adjust the depths as needed.
“Northern pike action is still good. Spinnerbaits, small bucktails, crankbaits, and small musky and large walleye suckers should put some pike in the net.
“Largemouth bass are active on topwaters, though fish push into weed and timber cover. Live bait, spinnerbaits, and suspending baits are producing around weeds, fallen trees, and sunken timber.
“Smallmouth bass are on spots similar to walleye. Focus on deep edges in 12-20 feet and fish baits deep. Jigs and minnows, crawlers, and plastics all work.
“Panfish reports are quiet. Crappie and perch will school in deeper water and take jigs and minnows. Bluegills will hold to weeds and cover, and take waxies, worms, and crawlers.
“Hunters are taking a few bear and waterfowl hunters are going after early goose and teal.”
Jarrett at Hayward Bait says musky fishing is definitely moving toward the fall period.
“Fish are more active in cooler water and anglers see many on bucktails, swimbaits, and suckers. Focus on shallow weed flats and drop-offs near shallow water. Pitch baits to pull fish from cover and to the boat to hit lures or a sucker off the back.
“Walleye fishing is improving with cooler water and anglers are trolling crankbaits and crawler harnesses for deeper fish. Some fish transition to shallow quickly and slip bobbers and jerkbaits will work. Activity peaks during low light, so focus on sunrise and sunset.
“Northern pike follow baitfish shallow for fall into early winter, and anglers are seeing fish in 5-20 feet. Spinnerbaits, spoons, swimbaits, and jigs/minnows work well. Harvesting pike for the table also benefits the fisheries!
“Largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing remains good on various presentations. Largemouth will grab any Texas or wacky rig near them, and neither species refuses Ned rigs. Smallmouth on rocky structures are hitting topwaters, but also drop-shot rigs. Fall transition offers many options for fish shallow and deep.
“Crappies roam basins or are on deep structure in fall, but some follow baitfish onto shallow cribs and weedlines. Vertical jigging for suspending fish is a go-to with minnows and plastics on jigs or small rattlebaits. On cribs, keep a distance and float baits tight to the crib until low light periods.”
Mike at Jenk’s says the Chippewa Flowage pool is down 2.5 feet and the water temperature is 58 degrees.
“Musky action is steady. The LCFRA Musky Hunt was primarily a surface bait and bucktail bite. Hunsytails and Uncle Al’s bucktails reeled in considerable action, and tailbaits and toppers did well on the surface. A few non-tournament anglers had some luck on musky suckers, and with water temperatures dropping, the sucker bite should start getting good! Most action reported was over the top or around shallower weed beds.
“Walleye fishing is surprisingly quiet, with a few catches here and there. Crawlers and minnows are about equal in effectiveness. With this cooler weather, keep plugging at weedlines and edges with crawlers and minnows, and pay close attention to your electronics. If you do not mark baitfish or other signs of life, time to try a new spot.
“Northern pike action is still strong, with Tinsel Tail spinners producing good numbers of fish.
“Largemouth bass are quiet overall. Smallmouth are hitting strong in and around shallow wood or rock piles, especially in the mornings. Chatter Flashes and Ned rigs are producing the best results.
“Crappie fishing on the cribs cooled a bit. Start looking in mid-depth to shallower weed beds that border deeper holes or basins. Crappie minnows are always the ticket for live bait, while one-inch Gulp! Minnows and imitation mayflies still lead the pack for artificials.”
This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses the DNR 2025 walleye population estimates.
“Estimating the number of fish in a lake is an important part of fish management. Such estimates allow us to set responsible harvest levels, make stocking recommendations, and provide anglers and harvesters good advice on where there might be opportunities.
“However, estimates of the total number of any species of fish are time and labor intensive. As a result, we usually only estimate the abundance of important species such as walleye and muskellunge, and even then, only generate estimates on a small number of area lakes each year.
“In 2025, we estimated the total abundance of walleye in four Sawyer County lakes. The U.S. Forest Service Fish Team led the efforts for Lower Clam Lake, resulting in an estimate of 423 adult walleye. In this context, adult means all fish greater than 15 inches and fish less than 15 inches if they are participating in spawning.
“It can be easier to understand these estimates when we put them in a per-acre context.
“The Lower Clam estimate in 2025 translates to a quite solid 2.1 adult walleye per acre. We hope for 1.5 adults or more for stocked populations and expect to see closer to 3.0 adults per acre in population supported by natural reproduction.
“Our next estimate comes from Smith Lake, where we found 1.1 per acre, a bit of a disappointment, but perhaps not surprising, since the stocking history on Smith is a little spotty. Future estimates might show better results when more stocked year classes are present.
“Sissabagama Lake was a pleasant surprise, with the 3.3 per acre estimate beating the previous two estimates by a healthy margin. More conservative harvest regulations have likely helped increase walleye abundance in Sissabagama.
“Our final estimate came from Windfall Lake near Exeland. In the past, Windfall has been a big walleye producer, but we were not sure what to expect in 2025. The estimate for Windfall Lake was a very solid 4.2 per acre, a bounce back from a period of lower abundance not long ago. The LCO Conservation Department deserves credit for this development, since they have been the primary source of stocked fish in Windfall Lake in recent years.
“All of these estimates will be useful for our management of these lakes.”
Saturday, September 13, is opening day of deer (archery/crossbow), ruffed grouse (Zone A), fall turkey, cottontail rabbit (North Zone), and squirrel seasons.
Tuesday, September 16, is opening day of the regular Northern Zone goose season.
Lake sturgeon hook-and-line season opened September 6.
The DNR reminds hunters to avoid placing deer stands in or near ash trees. Emerald ash borer infestations are rapidly expanding across the state and infested trees can drop large branches unexpectedly. Hunters on the ground should be especially cautious on windy days.
For more information, visit Tree Stand Safety on the DNR website.
Hunters eligible for the fall Gun Deer Hunt for Hunters with Disabilities have until September 15 to sign up with a sponsor. For more information, visit Hunters with Disabilities deer hunt.
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
Water temperatures dropped quickly into the mid-60s over the weekend, affecting angler interest and motivating fish transitioning. Visit your favorite bait shop for current information on fish movements, bite windows, and bait preferences.
Musky:
Musky fishing is steady and improving with the cooling water. Fish are on and around structure, shallow weed beds, shallow weed flats, and drop-offs adjacent to shallow water. Suckers, swimbaits, bucktails, gliders, jerkbaits, rubber baits, and an assortment of tailbaits and topwater baits are all productive.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is improving as the water cools, with low light conditions best. Use electronics to check deep weed and rock edges, weedlines, and for areas holding baitfish. Some fish are moving shallower. Use walleye suckers, minnows, crawlers, slip bobbers, jerkbaits, and trolled crankbaits and crawler harnesses.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is slower, but still good. Fish are in and on weeds, weed beds, weedlines, and weed edges in 4-20 feet, and near baitfish and panfish concentrations. Northern and walleye suckers, jigs and minnows, bucktails, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, swimbaits, and crankbaits are all effective.
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing is fair to good, with fish in and on shallow to deep weeds, weedlines, weed edges, wood, fallen trees, sunken timber, stumps, and brush. Productive baits include minnows, crawlers, Texas, wacky, and Ned rigs, plastics, spinners, spinnerbaits, suspending baits, swimbaits, minnowbaits, and topwaters.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good to very good, especially in early morning. Fish are scattered from shallow to deep, in 10-20 feet on weedlines, weed edges, wood, and rock. Productive baits include sucker minnows and plastics on jigs, crawlers, drop-shot and Ned rigs, Chatter Flashes, and topwaters.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is fair to good on shallow to mid-depth weed beds, weedlines, basins, and near baitfish. The late afternoon into evening bite is particularly good on cribs. Crappie minnows, worms, crawlers, imitation mayflies, one-inch Gulp! Minnows, plastics, and small rattlebaits work well.
Bluegill/Perch:
Bluegill and perch anglers are doing well once they locate the fish. Look for them around weeds and cover in depths from shallow to deep. Best baits include waxies, worms, crawler chunks, small minnows, and plastics.
Upcoming Events
Sept. 13: Seasons open: Deer (archery/crossbow); Grouse (Zone A); Fall turkey; Cottontail rabbit (North Zone); Squirrel.
Sept. 13: Chequamegon MTB Festival, Hayward to Cable, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. (612-518-8234).
Sept. 13: Hayward Lions Oktoberfest, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Sawyer County Fairgrounds.
Sept. 16: Regular goose season opens in Northern Zone.
Sept. 20: Woodcock seasons opens.
Sept. 20-21: Youth duck hunt.
Sept. 20: Hayward Fall Festival on Main Street, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (715-634-8662).
Sept. 22: Fall Equinox.
Sept. 25-27: Annual Treeland Premiere Musky Fly Fishing Championship. Full. (715-462-3874).
Sept. 26-27: 23rd Annual Cable Area Fall Fest (715-798-3833).
Sept. 27: Duck season opens in Northern Zone.
Sept. 16: Regular goose season opens.
Sept. 20: Seasons open: Woodcock; Youth duck hunt.
Sept. 20: Hayward Fall Festival on Main Street, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (715-634-8662).
Sept. 22: Fall Equinox.
Sept. 25-27: Annual Treeland Premiere Musky Fly Fishing Championship. Full. (715-462-3874).
Sept. 26-27: 23rd Annual Cable Area Fall Fest (715-798-3833).
Oct. 3-5: Hayward Chapter-Muskies, Inc. ‑ Fall Tournament (715-634-2921; 558-2835).
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.