Summer of fall fishing: Chicago fishing

Hey Dale, As for area lakes, bite shutdown over the weekend with the passing front. Should get better with a consistent weather pattern the next few days. TTYL – Ken Husker O’Malley Huskeroutdoors Waterworks fishing team

(Head): Walleyes and big muskies hitting. Some nice bucks taken by bow hunters; all in and amidst the lakes and the Wisconsin River in Wisconsin’s Marathon and Lincoln Counties (near Mosinee and Wausau). What an outstanding week it has been. Big muskies, lots of walleyes and a few nice bucks. All taken right here in central Wisconsin. This past week we have soon an abundance of walleyes on our trips. Most of the fish have been in the 14 to 16 inch range but we have picked up a few nice fish in the mid to upper 20’s. The best action is taking place in 10 to 14 feet of water working sharp drop-offs and break lines with lead head jigs tipped with fathead minnows. The key to consistency this past week has been color. The interesting thing about color is not that is a particular color but a combination of colors. We are seeing better action on jigs that have two colors on them or jigs that are two toned instead of single colored jigs. Green and orange are still some of the best colors to use, but when combined together in a green/orange two tone jig they are outstanding! The musky bite this past week has really come alive and big fish are on the prowl. A lot of the action is now centered on running live bait but we are seeing quite a bit of action on Suick’s, Reef Hawgs and Bulldawg’s. Most of the fish have been in 6 to 10 feet of water associated with rocks and gravel, yes gravel. At this time of the year gravel soaks up the suns heat and if you know of any areas that have some depth and a gravel bottom look for those areas to hold fish. I know it doesn’t sound right but give it a try, it works! HUNTING REPORT: Deer hunting is coming into full swing, and with the best part of bow hunting coming on strong, hunters are seeing the signs of what the fall rut is all about. Ripped up trees and torn up areas of ground where big bucks are making their scrapes are all indications of the rut. A few big bucks have been taken already.

A SOUTHERN PART OF EVERGREEN LAKE – AROUND DEER ISLAND and ALL OF SIX-MILE CREEK BAY IS CLOSED TO GAS MOTORS from Oct. 15th through JAN. 1st to allow resting areas for migratory waterfowl. YOU ARE ALLOWED TO STILL RUN A TROLLING MOTOR IN THESE AREAS ONLY.-

SPRING LAKE (South & North) –* THIS AREA WILL BE CLOSED TO BOAT FISHING in Hunting Area ON OCT. 17th with Last Day to Boat Fish being Oct. 16th – with BANK FISHING ALLOWED ONLY AFTER 1pm–AREAS THAT REMAIN OPEN TO BOATS ARE NORTH OF MAPLE ISLAND with ramp at north end at the Sky Ranch Road launch and IN PIKE HOLE with carry in boats –

SANGCHRIS LAKE –* THE WEST and EAST ARMS OF LAKE and Small AREA NEAR DAM ARE CLOSED DURING WATERFOWL SEASON to boat traffic effective Oct. 14th (last day to boat fish will be Oct. 13th) through Jan. 31, 2016 (during this time fishing boat traffic is permitted in the center hot arm only). ANDERSON LAKE – – – THIS AREA IS CLOSED TO BOAT FISHING in Main Lake from Oct. 16th through Dec. 22nd during waterfowl season with bank fishing Only allowed. BANNER MARSH – ** THIS AREA WILL CLOSE TO BOAT FISHING Oct. 14th (last day to boat fish will be Oct. 13th) –AND BANK FISHING ONLY ALLOWED AFTER 1PM but NO FISHING ALLOWED in EAST POINT ACCESS AREA, which is CLOSED TO ALL FISHING to provide a GOOSE REFUGE AREA during season till Feb. 1st – – PRAIRIE LAKE in Jim Edgar/ Panther Creek State F&W Area – – Lake is CLOSED to Fishing from Nov. 1st – Jan. 15th until After 12:01 PM on Wednesdays and Saturday. CLINTON LAKE – REMEMBER an easterly area of Clinton Lake between the DeWitt (CH14) and the 48 bridges is CLOSED FROM OCT. 10th through MARCH 31st to protect fish and wildlife… NEWTON LAKE – As written in the fishing regs booklet : ** The cold arm of Newton Lake shall be Closed daily from one-half hour before sunrise until 1:00 pm to all fishing and boat traffic except for legal waterfowl hunters during waterfowl season commencing with regular duck season through the close of the Canada goose and regular duck season. * For here – Regular South Waterfowl Season: Nov. 14 – Jan. 31

Good Morning everyone…. Here is what I have as far as fishing is concerned The Bass fishing, when the wind allows it has been going quite good for some really giant sized Smallies especially when you can find a schooling pod of fish. We have had some really good reports from all different areas up and down the Door County peninsula. Some of those areas include…the Snake Island and Larson’s Reef area, Sherwood Point, Monument Shoals along with the vast structure to the north including the world famous Washington Island. Generally the key to successful Fall fishing is to search the deeper shoreline drops, deeper structure and deeper channel cuts with your electronics and locate schooling Bass. Then basically set up on them and throw a wide variety of baits like tubes, blade baits, drop shot plastics and of course dragging suckers is a very effective way to boat some big ones. Also, when you have a wind-blown point or shoreline throw some white or chartreuse spinner blades on those breaks to entice feeding bass. The night Walleye bite has been going quite good when you can get out there. Basically, concentrate your efforts around all of those rocky shore line drop-offs and slow troll suspending crank baits like Husky Jerks and Smithwick Rogues. Areas to fish include…Henderson’s Point, Sherwood Point, the top of Larson’s Reef and the shoreline to the north of the Old Stone Quarry. Perch fishing has been holding pretty strong in recent weeks. Sawyer Harbor, the Flats, Little Sturgeon, Riley’s Bay and Chaudoir’s Dock are all good areas to try. Fathead minnows have been the best live bait for the Perch Thanks; Lance LaVine Howie’s Tackle 1309 Green Bay Rd Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235 Ph: 920-746-9916

Minocqua Area Fishing Report 11/2/2015 Cool and wet! While the threat of an early snow was on last week’s forecast, few people saw the little snow we did get as it melted before dawn. Water temps have dropped this past week, low surface temps at 45 degrees to as high as 52 degrees. Could actually climb a little as forecast for low 60’s scheduled for Mon thru Wed. of this week. Musky: Good – Very Good. Most reports from angler’s still working suckers have been very good. Most of fish from 40-48 this past week. Multi fish trips with enough action on slow working gliders and jointed cranks to keep casting a viable option. Walleyes: Good – fair. Action slowing a bit as waters cools. Shallow bite on jigs w / chubs- muds getting slower as shallows cool. Deep water all about being able to hover over fish during windows of activity. Larger chubs and suckers on Lindy style rigs best. Crappies: Fair. Fewer anglers still out. Slow fishing med. Fat heads on slips around deep wood. Not easy with some windy days, but with good boat control on the light to moderate days decent catches of nice slabs (11-14) still available. Most Smallmouth bass and Northern Pike have been incidental catches. Same with Yellow Perch. No reports on Largemouth Bass or Bluegill. Weather not bad when not windy. Still plenty of time to try and boat that big Musky of the year or add a Walleye or two to the freezer. Kurt Justice Kurt’s Island Sport Shop

(Head): Walleye and perch action good, with musky, northern and smallmouth fair to good; all in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area. Water temps in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area are in the low 50s. Our sources tell us that on windy, chilly days the number of anglers on the water drops considerably. WALLEYE: The walleye are tight to bottom over deep flats in 20-30 feet of water. Your best chance for maximum action is to find depressions or holes in these flats. That’s where you’re going to catch fish. If you miss these depressions, your chances for success drop markedly. Use a jig and up to four inch redtail chub (best choice), or an XL fathead. All day bite, and the action is good. PERCH: The perch in the Eagle River area are right there with the walleyes in the deep flats and are tight to bottom in 20-30 feet of water. Use a smaller fathead (medium size) or a crawler on a jig. All day bite and the action is good. MUSKY: Fish deep weed edges in 12-15 feet of water. Use a sucker, ranging in size from 14-18 inches. You can also successfully toss a large jerkbait while dragging suckers. Always do a figure 8 as your bait nears the boat. All day bite and the action is fair to good. NORTHERN: The northern in the Eagle River area are still in the deep weeds in 8-12 feet of water. Use a number 4 or 5 Mepps or a spoon. All day action and the bite is fair to good. SMALLMOUTH: Still hanging in the rocks in 10-15 feet of water. Jig and a minnow working best, but plastics will also get hit, albeit slower than with live bait. All day action, and the bite is fair to good. FLY FISHING: With untold numbers of rushing streams, brooks and rivers, Eagle River provides wonderful opportunities for fly anglers of every ilk. And for the adventure of a lifetime go for gamefish with a fly rod on one of the Eagle River area’s hundreds of lakes. Eagle River guide guru, and 35 year avid fly angler for musky, George Langley, tells us that it’s a memorable experience for fly anglers, but realistically you must be able to double-haul cast and attain distances of 70-90 feet on your cast.

Hey Dale, With baseball over, I was able to get out and spend the day at Shabbona last week for some Muskie action. Water temps were in the 52-54 degree range. Water clarity was about a foot. I focused mainly on drop offs, dam area, and no motor zone where abundant bait fish were present. Crankbaits, twin 10 buck tails, and various jerk baits were used casting and trolling. Managed 2 follows to the boat ( both upper 30′s), but just couldn’t deal the deal with a figure 8 on the twin 10′s. Falls colors are past their peak, but still enjoyed the scenery. Attached are a few pics. TTYL – Ken Husker O’Malley Huskeroutdoors Waterworks fishing team