Fishing report 04 November 2023

Good morning, chilly nights are trying to make ice but we aren’t quite there yet. Water temps are right around the mid 40s on most lakes and with high air temps in the upper 30s and 40s it will be a few weeks before we see ice yet. Rain is in the forecast Sunday, Monday and Wednesday which will also keep us ice free for a bit. We did manage to get about 2-1/2″ of snow last week which was just enough to make a mess and hamper everyone’s fall cleanup plans! 
 
Musky–The musky bite has continued to be good, almost exclusively on a live bait bite right now. The fishing pressure has been down, but the anglers going out are catching fish on all sizes of suckers they are putting out. Depending on the body of water, some fish are deeper and some are still up in shallow water. Look for still green weeds and fish those deep edges if you find them.
 
Northern pike–Not hearing a whole lot on a pike bite, but one angler got a nice pike deep while walleye fishing. I am not sure that it is very common to see pike holding in deep water but they are opportunistic so if there is forage there, pike will also be there. Walleye suckers and small musky suckers would be great baits to entice pike right now both around weed lines and deeper points/mid lake structure.
 
Walleye–I am getting reports all over the board with walleye right now. Some anglers are still finding them in deep holes on bigger/deeper lakes and some anglers say they have moved out of the deep holes on other lakes. It sounds like the bite has been tough with most anglers only seeing one or two fish here and there. Live bait seems to be the best way to catch walleye right now. Anglers may have to use other resources to get a better location on where the walleye are on lakes they fish.
 
LMB–Nothing to report on largemouth right now.
 
SMB–Nothing to report on smallies right now either.
 
Crappie–Not getting much on a crappie bite right now either. It sounds like crappie have moved out of the basins and up into shallower water as well with the walleye. First ice usually sees fish up in shallow water so crappie may be transitioning into those areas now.
 
Bluegill/Perch–Panfish will also be in these areas for first ice, so they will probably still be in these areas now. Simple jig and a minnow will work to fish.
 
We are fully in that awkward transition time where there are fewer anglers, fish scattered and everyone anticipating that good first ice bite! Sorry for the report lacking a bit, but it will be this way for the next couple of weeks. In other news, the woods are buzzing right now and we seem to be getting into the rut pretty heavy. Lots of doe moving and I finally got to see a nice buck while in the stand. He was a little far for an ethical shot, but it was cool to see him in person! Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.
 
Greg

Fishing report 28 October 2023

Good morning, late fall weather has arrived and looks to stay with temps dipping below freezing at night and not getting above 40 from what I am seeing in the 15 day forecast.  It does not appear there will be very much precipitation, but what we do get looks to be the “S” word.  We won’t say it for now as I know nobody wants to talk about that!!! The fishing continues to be good, lakes are still hovering around that 50 degree mark, although they will start to drop pretty quickly with lows below freezing.  

Musky–The musky bite has been good with most fish coming on suckers.  It should get even better as the water drops below 50 and those fish are looking for bigger meals more frequently.  It sounds like fish are still relatively shallow and relating mostly to deep weed edges or breaks off of points.  Trolling crank baits is another great option if the weather is not conducive to casting.
Northern pike–I am not hearing much on a pike specific bite, and honestly haven’t had too many anglers telling me that pike are taking their musky suckers so smaller baits may still be the way to go to target pike.  Small bucktails, spinnerbaits and smaller live bait such as walleye suckers in and around weeds should put some fish in the net.

Walleye–A few anglers in this week were telling me they were finding walleye stacked up in deep holes.  On the lake they were fishing, it was the deepest hole in the lake.  That is all relative from lake to lake, but a good start would be in the 20-25 FOW range.  Jigging bigger minnows or walleye suckers seemed to work for them, but blade baits or baits like jigging raps would work to get down fast and catch fish.

LMB–No report on a largemouth bite.

SMB–No report on a smallmouth bite.

Crappie–Crappie are also being found in deep holes and schooling up out in the basins.  Crappie minnows fished through the schools with jigs are catching piles of crappie.  It sounds like anglers had to weed through small fish to get to some nicer ones, but they were on a good bite.  Look for fish in 15-20 FOW or in a deeper basin as your lake relates to depth.

Bluegill/Perch–No real report on a panfish bite, but they should still be relating to shallower weeds with some oxygen left in them.  They are normally in these areas for first ice so they should not be too far away from those spots now.  Look for fish in 5-8 FOW and use jigs or hooks under a bobber with waxies, plastics, or even crappie minnows for bigger perch.  Baits like Northland’s mimic minnow can be great this time of year for aggressive fish.

Archery season is also in full swing and we should be getting into the rut here in the next couple of weeks.  I have only heard of one nice 8 point buck being harvested so far this archery season.  I have a couple of nice bucks I have seen around my area over the last month or so and I am hoping one of them slips up enough during the next few weeks so I get a chance to let an arrow fly downrange at them.  

Have a great weekend and we will talk soon!

Greg