Fishing Report
July 28th, 2010
Hi folks, this week\'s featured anglers are Bob Meicher and Charles Poches. At right, they are holding their stringer of a mixed bag of fish. We had a great day on the water. We are still on the summer pattern, of a jig and crawler, right in and on the edge of the weed lines. The water temperature is around the 75 degree mark. We are still getting our fair share of rain which is still welcomed. We have been in a severe drought up here in the northwoods, for some time now. Small mouth bass fishing has been just fantastic in the last week or two. Northern fishing has still been tough. We are supposed to be in the 70s for this weekend with some rain on Friday night into Saturday morning.
July 21st, 2010
This weeks featured anglers are Dave Bartelt and his Grandson, Dave. Pictured on the right is Dave Sr. We had a great day on the water, with Dave Sr. catching and releasing this beautiful 22 inch small mouth bass. We were using a jig and crawler, fishing the deeper weed lines. Crawlers still seem to be the bait of choice, however, leeches have been working also.
July 21st, 2010
Pictured here are the two Daves. Dave III is holding his 22 inch walleye, which he realeased.I am surprized it it is not illegal to have this much fun. For you northern fisherman the fishing has been kinda tough. Musky fishng has been on and off , as we have had scattered thunderstorms, about every other day. The water temperature is around the 75 degree mark. We are supposed to be in the mid to upper 70 s through this weekend. There is a chance of rain on Thursday and Friday.
July 14th, 2010
This weeks featured angler,is my good friend, John Phillips. He is holding his nice catch of walleyes.These fish were caught on a jig and crawler. The deeper weed edges, have been the best producers, around the 15 foot depth range. We are supposed to be in the low 80\\\\\\\'s right through the weekend with some strong storms on Wednesday afternoon and evening. The water temperature is around the 75 degree mark. The muskys have been real active and you see them up on the surface , what I call sunning themselves everyday.
July 7th, 2010
This week, pictured on the right, is Judy Smernoff. We had some pretty fair days fishing despite the heat. Crawlers as well as leeches are both are working. The water temperature is around the 73 degree mark and rising. These fish were all caught right at the weed lines.
July 7th, 2010
Here is the second picture for the week. This is Rose Rivard, Judys fishing partner. We had a good walleye day....as you can see.We have been hitting the water very early and getting the best results then.It has been real warm and humid all week and is supposed to be in the high 70s right through until Sunday with rain Thursday and Sunday. For you pan fish anglers, the gills have been real hot. They have been suspended in 15-20 feet of water about 6 feet down.
June 30th, 2010
This weeks anglers are Oscar and Mary Rode, shown here with their very nice mixed bag of fish. All these walleyes were caught on a jig and crawlers. Crawlers out performed anything else we used. The water temperature is around the 70 degree mark. Our weather has been on a roller coaster, 80 s for 3 days and then 60 s for three days. The weathermen are telling us of possible frost warnings for this morning, but I do not think it got quite that low......I had 39. For this upcoming 4th of July weekend it is supposed to be in the 80s. We have gotten considerable amount of rain in June and that is a welcome sight. Have a great fourth of July and remember to pull off all weeds before you pull out of the boat landings. Do your part to help control aquatic species.
June 23rd, 2010
This weeks featured angler is Chuck White. He is holding his nice catch of walleyes and jumbo perch. We were fishing with a jig tipped with redtail chubs, and we were using crawlers as well. It didn not seem to matter which bait you used, a redtail, or a crawler. They both worked. The lake fly hatch is about over, on most lakes, and the walleyes are hitting again. The water temperature is around the 68 degree mark and with the warmer days coming up, the water temperature will be back on the rise again. Northern action has backed off considerabley, but the muskys are active.
June 16th, 2010
This weeks featured anglers are the Oxford Outlaws. Starting with Don Van Swol, on the left and their leader Don Mularkey in the middle, and the kid of the gang, Gary Lynn. We didn not have real good luck on the walleyes, but the northerns were hitting. We were using a jig and redtail chubs. The walleyes are starting to go for some crawlers so I would take both out to see what works best. Part of the reason that walleye fishing has been tough, is we are getting a lake fly hatches on the lakes now. Musky fishing has picked up greatly as there has been some real nice fish boated in the last week. Beleive it or not, we have gotten some rain, over 3 inches for June, with more coming on Friday.
June 13th, 2010
We have a future angler, as an addition to our family, Odin Hawke. He is the son of our daughter ,Katie and her husband, Michael Hawke. He was born Wednesday June 9 th. Grandma and Grandpa are happier than a walleye in a minnow tank.
June 9th, 2010
This week the featured anglers are a father and son team, Dave Findlay and his son Brian. The are pictured here with their stringer of walleyes. We were using a jig and redtail chubs. Our weather has cooled down some, and we have actually gotten some much needed rain. Yesterday (Tuesday) we got 1.35 inches. The water temperature is around 67 degrees now and this weekend we are supposed to be in the low 70s with more rain.
June 2nd, 2010
This weeks featured anglers are Judy Smernoff and Rose Rivard. They are pictured here with their good stringer of walleyes. We were using fathead minnows on a jig. We were still fishing right in the new cabbage weeds. We have had real hot weather up here in the northwoods and the water temperature reflects that. The water temperature is around the 70 degree mark. We have finally cooled down today, and we are going to be in the high 60s for the next 4 days, with some rain mixed in. Musky anglers found it hard going for the opener of musky fishing, but with the cooler days coming, it should pick up for this weekend. For you pan fisherman, the gills are on the beds.
May 26th, 2010
This weeks featured anglers are Katherine Gilbertson, and Joel Bornitzke. They are pictured here with their nice stringer of fish. The walleyes ,as well as the northern were caught in the new green weed growth. We were using a jig and fathead minnows. What a strange spring we have been having with tempertures in the 90s on Monday. The water tempreature is hovering around the 70 degree mark. This weekend is opening day for musky fishing and I would bet all you musky anglers could not wait to get out there. I would suggest to throw small bucktails and crank baits. Even with the warmer water this year, I would down-size on your lures, to be successful. Good luck and we will see you on the water.
May 18th, 2010
At the Tadpole Classic this year John Phillips caught the biggest fish, John Kurth caught the biggest walleye and yours truly caught the most walleye. Mother nature gave us a beautiful day for the tournament and I would like to think Tommy was watching us, as we mourned and celebrated his life. We were priveleged to know him. We love you man!
May 18th, 2010
My good friend, Tadpole Tommy Zinda lost his battle with cancer last Wednesday, May 12,2010. He will be greatly missed by all of us. Six years ago we started the Tadpole Classic fishing tournament. It is a get together of friends and relatives of Tommy and his guides. We have a relaxed day on the water, in friendly competition, where we fish and then clean our catch, and have a big fish fry.
May 5th, 2010
Pictured here are my good friends, Dave Bartelt and Mike Heppe. We had a pretty fair day, as you can see. The water temperature is in the high 50\'s. Last year the water temperature on opening day was 47 degrees. We were using a jig and minnow. The walleye bite,as well as the northern bite was very very light. Our weather for this up coming weekend is rain Friday and Friday night, with possible snow showers late Friday into Saturday morning.
May 5th, 2010
Well anglers, for the season opener, mother nature didn\'t coperate very much. We had 35 to 40 mile per hour winds. It made it a real challenge out there. We didn\'t do very well but did manage to catch a few northerns, at least enough to have a shore lunch. We didn\'t catch a single walleye. With the wind the way it was we decided to have a shore lunch in the best place possible.......my garage. Everyone I talked to had a very hard time catching Mr. walleye on Saturday.
April 28th, 2010
Welcome back anglers for another opening weekend of fishing. We are supposed to be in the high sixties with maybe some rain for Saturday. We could use some soaking rains as it is very dry up here. For you flowage anglers, the water levels are about the same as last fall and some landings are unusable. The Willow and the Rainbow both have a 2 walleye limit this year, so check the landings for the legal limits. The ice went out very early this year,about the last week in March, so this years opener is going to be a lot different than normal years. I got a feeling that walleye fishing will be a real challenge this year. Good luck anglers and I will let you know how we do in my next posting.
April 28th, 2010
October 22nd, 2009
These last five postings for this date will be my last postings of the season. I will resume my fishing reports in the spring. Pictured here are Rose Rivard and Judy Smernoff. They are dressed for the fall days on the water. They are pictured with their catch of the day.
October 22nd, 2009
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your support and hope to see you next sping.Usually one of my my last postings tells of my elk hunting trip to Colorado. This year our group didn't draw licenses, so they came up here, and we went fishing instead. Pictured here is Tom Raatz, myself, John Kurth and Al Johnson. Right now the water temperature is 46 degrees and going down. The walleyes have been in 35 to 50 feet of water.
October 22nd, 2009
Al Johnson and Tom Raatz are pictured here trying to fish and keep warm on a snowy day in the northwoods. Kinda like being on the mountain in Colorado....huh ..guys?
October 22nd, 2009
My good friend John Phillips and I had this nice bag of walleyes on a snowy October day.
October 22nd, 2009
John Phillips is pictured here as we get ready to go fishing. It was 20 degrees this morning with snow to boot.
October 14th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers a Joel Bornitzke and Kathryn Gilbertson. We had a real good day on the water. The walleyes they caught were on flathead minnows and a jig. The northerns were caught on 6 inch blacktail chubs.Kathryn caught her first legal musky. It was a beautiful musky.It is pictured below. The weather up here has turned very cold. The water temerature on the big lakes has dropped to 48 degrees. The walleyes now can be found in the deeper water. It is supposed to stay cool right through Saturday , so I expect the fishing to be pretty good if you can stand the cold. At the end of the weekend a warm up into the 50's is coming.
October 14th, 2009
The forty-five inch musky that Kathryn caught and released, was caught on a 1/16 th ounce jig and a flathead minnow. She did a great job of playing the fish.
September 30th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are the Swanson family, Katie,Dave, and Matt. We had a great day fishing for northerns. We were using large blacktail chubs. The water temperature then was 68 degrees . The water temperature today, is 60 degrees, so the fall weather finally got here last Sunday. We had 23 degrees for a low for this morning. We are supposed to get to 28 degrees tonight and remain cool right through the weekend. The temperat;ure of the water is going to continue to drop everyday so the fall fishing patterns are going to be the most productive. It might not be the best weather this weekend for us anglers, but I feel it will be good for the fishing.
September 23rd, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Mike Heppe and Dave Bartelt. They are shown here with their stringer of walleyes. The water temperature is at 68 degrees, which is still higher, than most of the last few years at this time. We caught half of these fish on the weed edges and the other half in 25 to 30 feet of water off the rock humps. We are using all minnows now. The fish are not in the fall patterns yet, but are starting to move to the deeper water. As the water temperature starts to go down ,the fish will move into deeper water. Keep this in mind as you are out there, and you will be more successful.
September 16th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are my good friends, Rob and Harry Polen. We were targeting northerns and as you can see we had a great day on the water. We were using large blacktail chubs, fishing in 8-10 feet of water, right in the weed beds. The water temperature has come up to 72 degrees. With all the 80 degree days that we have been getting, the new moon is coming on the 18 th, and we are supposed to get back down to more seasonal type temperatures, for this weekend. So it should be a great weekend coming up. With mother nature beginning showing her colors, it is absolutly beautiful out there.
September 9th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Ryan Burns and Jon VanSchoyck. The walleyes were caught here on crawlers,however Saturday and Sunday while fishing with other clients, the walleyes we caught then were on minnows.We are at that transition time,so I would carry both minnows and crawlers.The water temperature has actually come up a couple of degrees.It is at 68 right now. We have a chance of a little rain tonight and rain everyday right through the weekend. We have had about 9 days in a row of bright and sunny days with no wind. The next five days,the chance of rain and cloudy days should make fishing a whole lot better coming up for this weekend.
September 2nd, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Tom Rausch and his grandson, Nick. Nick caught his first ever northern, a 24 1/2 incher and a couple of walleyes and a small mouth bass. He also caught numerous perch. Some days crawlers work for the walleyes then the next day they prefer minnows. The walleyes and perch were caught on a jig and minnow. The northerns and bass were caught on crankbaits. The water temperature is 66 degrees. We had a high of 52 degrees last Saturday and Monday through Wednesday we were in the high 30's for the lows.
September 2nd, 2009
(continued) For this coming weekend for Labor Day we are to stay in the 70's with lots of sunshine. The full moon is on Friday the 4 th of September. I expect the fishing to be a little on the tough side along with the full moon and bright sunny days. You couldn't ask for any better weather for the holiday weekend so get out there and enjoy the last holiday of the summer. Here is the picture of Nicholas, with the small mouth bass he caught while fishing with his grandpa. He released the bass.
August 26th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Chris and Bill Kuykendall. The walleyes are still preferring crawlers over anything else. The water temperature is 68 degrees. This up coming week-end the temperature for Saturday and Sunday is supposed to be in the 50's. So the water temperature is going to drop 2 0r 3 degrees in the next week. The fish have still been on the weed edges, but as the water temperature starts to fall, you might want to try some of the fall fishing patterns. I know that might sound kinda early, but September is only a week away. Where has the summer gone?
August 19th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are the Phillips family. I had the great pleasure of fishing with 3 generations of Phillips' starting with Kyler, John and Kevin . They sure had a great day, as you can see. All but 2 of these fish were caught on a jig and crawlers. Our water temperature is around the 72 degree mark. We are supposed to have a cool down coming up for the next 5 days, with a high on Friday of 62 degrees. Fishing has been pretty good most days and with the new moon coming on Thursday the 20 th, I expect it to stay good for the next week or so. Northern fishing has been a little on the tough side but musky fishing has been real good. There has been some real nice fish boated in the last week.
August 12th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Gary Lynn, Dick Denman and Art Ford. They are pictured here holding their catch of the day. For the walleyes , crawlers and redtails are both working the same, so take your pick. We have been in the 80's since Monday and we are supposed to be in the high 80's for tomorrow and 80 right through the weekend. The water temperature has come up a couple of degrees to the 70 degree mark. With this warm weather that the weathermen are predicting, I expect the water temperature to rise some more in the next few days. The fishing has been pretty decent, in spite of the bright and sunny days and calm winds.
August 6th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Joe Radomski and Norm Rypel. They are pictured here with their catch of the day. Crawlers still seem to be the bait of choice for the walleyes but when cleaning them I am starting to find quite a few of minnows in them. So that tells me, they could start feeding on minnows again soon. Crank baits are still working for the northerns, with a slower erratic retreave. The water temperature is 67 degrees and the full moon is tonight. We are supposed to get to the high 60's for Friday with some rain , but after that, we"ll be in the mid to high 70 s for the next 5 days.
July 29th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Ben and Bob Stout. The walleyes we caught were on a jig and crawler and the northerns were on husky jerk baits. The walleyes were on the weed edges and the northerns were right in the weeds. We were casting the husky jerk baits in 8 to 12 feet of water where the cabbage weeds were about a foot from the surface. The water temperature is about 66 degrees and we have been real cool for July. This weekend is supposed to be partly cloudy with some rain on Saturday with the temperature of 70 degrees each day.
July 23rd, 2009
This weeks anglers are Larry Obremski and Deb. Everything we caught was on a jig amd crawler. We have been fishing weed edges and weed edges on the center humps. The water temperature is about 65 degrees. Right now, with the new moon phase, fishing had been pretty good. The muskys have been real active, as some real nice fish have been boated in this last week. For you bass anglers, they have been hot. Northerns have been just so-so, but the crankbaits, and just the plain old daredevil, have worked the best for some good size fish.
July 15th, 2009
This weeks anglers ae Judy Smernoff and Rose Rivard with their nice stringer of walleyes. Our water temperature now is around the 68 degree mark. The walleye fishing has been pretty good as we have been putting together some good stringers of fish. Crawlers are the bait of choice right now for walleyes. Fish on the wind swept weed edges for the best results. With the moon in the last quarter right now I expect the fishing to remain pretty good for the next 10 days or so. We are still dry up here but we did get 1/2 inch of rain Tuesday night with almost record low temperatures for Monday and Tuesday mornings. The high for Friday is supposed to be 55 degrees ,so you can see, we are still on a weatherr roller coaster.
July 9th, 2009
Pictured here, are Dave and Brian Findlay with their catch of the day. These fish were caught on redtail chubs and a jig. They also used leeches and crawlers but redtails consistantly worked better. Since then though , crawlers are starting to work for walleyes. These fish were taken in around 8 feet of water in the cabbage weeds. With the full moon right now and these bright and sunny days the best bite time is real early in the morning. We have been on the water at 5:00 a.m. and the first 3 hours seems to be the best time. The water temperature is around the 68 degree mark. Mother nature just doesn't seem to want to give us stable weather, as we set new record low temperatures this week. Northerns have backed off this week and musky fishing has been a real challenge. For you bass fisherman they have been hot. Bluegill are about all done spawning but some good catches can still be had.
July 3rd, 2009
Pictured here are the Oxford Outlaws. On the left is Don Van Swol, then my uncle, Don Mularkey and another firend, Gary Lynn, with their catch of the day. There should be a law against how much fun these guys have when thay go fishing. We were fishing on the 95 degree day with no wind, but we still managed to have a fair day. The walleye were hanging real tight in to the heavier cabbage weeds and the bite was real lite. We were using redtail chubs on a jig. For us, they still seem to be working better than crawlers or leeches. The blue gills are hot and heavy on the beds right now. The water temperature was in the high 70's but two 50 degree days this week has brought the water temperature down to the high 60's. It looks like the weather is going to be perfect for this up coming 4 th of July week-end. So get out there and enjoy mother nature.
June 29th, 2009
In this picture, I am on the left, and my good friend John Phillips, is on the right. The nice stringer of walleyes we are holding, were caught using a jig and redtail chubs. We were fishing on the weed edges in about 8 to 10 feet of water. With the hot temperatures we have had the water temperatures are in the mid to high 70s. We have been trying crawlers for bait, but the redtails seem to be working the best for us. We've been picking up some real nice small mouth bass, as well, and some northerns too. The crappies are for the most part all done but the bluegills are on the beds and going strong. Musky fishing has been still real tough.
June 24th, 2009
This weeks anglers are Phil Colgan and his daughter, Erin. We were targeting northerns and had a real good day. We were casting husky jerk baits with real good success .We were running these over the weed beds, to 10 feet of water. Tuesday we hit record high temperatures up here into the low 90's.It is the first time we have been above 90 in two years. We are supposed to be in the high 80's right through the weekend. The water temperature has warmed up a lot, too.Most lakes are around the 74 degree mark and with this hot weather continuing , they will even get warmer. We did real well on the walleyes last week as well. The new moon was on the 22 nd so I expect the fishing will remain very good.
June 18th, 2009
This weeks angler is my friend of 40 years, Cliff Vohs. It sure was a pleasure fishing with Cliff again. We had to work for everything we got , but fishing has picked up. We were fishing with a jig and minnow. Well, it looks like summer is here as the 80 degree temperatures are coming. The water temperature is 68 degrees. The muskys are getting real active as well as the crappies. The blue gills are on the beds and the walleyes are getting more aggressive. Nothing but good news except for rain Thursday,Friday and then the 80's after that.
June 10th, 2009
This weeks featured anglers are Judy Smernoff and Rose Rivard. We were targeting northerns, and had a great day, as you can see. We were using 5 to 6 inch blacktail chubs. You know how northerns hit a lot harder than walleyes, well, the bite was about the same as a walleye, but very light. We still have been very cold, as we set more record low temperatures . The water temperature is still around the 58 degree mark. We are supposed to get a little warmer each day and maybe hit 70 degrees by Sunday. The night time temperatures are still going to be around 45 degrees. With the passing of the full moon which was on the 7 th of June, we will finally start to warm up a little. The walleye fishing has been tough and the crappies have been hitting one day and the next day, nothing . The musky fishing has been almosty non-exsistant with very few follows. If we do get a little warmer temperatures, the fishing should pick up for all kinds of fish.
June 3rd, 2009
This weeks featured angler is Tom Rausch. We were fishing with a jig and flatnead minnows. We had a very nice memorial weekend but since then we have been very cold. We have had 3 late night frosts and 2 days of record lows, for this time of year. The water temperature is still around 58 to 60 degrees. The walleye fishing has been really tough. Even the crappie have moved out of the spawning areas. We are supposed to be 70 degrees on Thursday but for the weekend back to the low 60's and 40 degrees at night. We need mother nature to give us a little heat. June 7 th is the full moon so I don't expect fishing to pick up much until we get past that.
May 27th, 2009
This weeks featured angler is my good friend, John Phillips. These fish were all taken on a jig and flathead minnows, in about eight feet of water. We had a great Memorial week-end weatherwise, and the fishing was great. Limits of crappies were taken on big, as well as, smaller lakes. The musky anglers however had a hard time. The muskys just weren't going.The water temperature is around the 60 degree mark and we have had cool nights, so the water hasn't warmed up much. The northwoods weathermen are predicting a little more stable weather for this up coming weekend. The fishing should just keep getting better and better.
May 27th, 2009
Take a look at this lunker. My brother, Harlon Breezer caught this 38 inch, 12 pound walleye on Lake Erie. Congratulations Harlon on this monster walleye.
May 21st, 2009
This weeks pictured anglers, are Micah James and Dennis Luikens from South Dakota. We did real well last week until Saturday, then we had high winds and snow in the morning and since then we have struggled everyday. I mean wind that had 40 mph gusts. We were fighting white caps everyday. We are using a jig with flathead minnows. For the walleye, if you can find some new weed growth in 8-12 foot of water, this is your best area to try. For you night anglers, try casting crank baits along the shore lines. The crappies are starting to go, and with the nice steady temperatures predicted for this memorial weekend, you should just kill them. For you musky anglers I would down size your baits. With our water temperatures around 58 degrees on all our lakes, smaller bucktails and crank baits will be your best bet.
May 13th, 2009
Pictured on the right, are Mike Heppe and Dave Bartelt. As you can see, there are no walleyes hanging there. With the cold nights and very windy days that we have been having, along with the cold fronts coming through about every other day, fishing has been tough. We have been catching about 10 walleyes a day but they have been all under size. We have been catching about half a dozen small mouth bass each day so for you bass fisherman, they've been going. The walleyes we have been catching have had a very light bite. The crappies are starting to go on the smaller to medium size lakes. The water temperature is around 52 degrees on our big deep lakes and about 54 on our smaller shallower lakes. As you can see, there is not that much difference because of our cool weather. We were using a jig and flathead minnows on this day.
May 6th, 2009
Well anglers, another fishing opener has come and gone. It sure felt nice to be back on the water again, even with the big winds we had here . The water temperature on the shallower lakes was 50 degrees and our bigger deep lakes had water tempreatures around 43 degrees. Most lakes have spawned out on the walleyes but our bigger cooler lakes are just finishing the spawn. Pictured at right is my brother-in-law John,myself,my step-dad Al and my brother Harlon and next to him is my son Nick.
May 6th, 2009
It was wonderful fishing with my family as everyone caught some fish. We had our traditional shore lunch. Pictured here is my brother, Harlon frying our catch. It just doesn't get any better than that. We have had 3 days of about 70 degrees so the water is warming up some. We are supposed to have a high of 50 degrees for Saturday. We were using just flat head minnows and jigs. The most productive areas were just off the spawn areas. All the walleyes we caught, were males and about half of them were still milken. The full moon is this Saturday so I think the best fishing will be in the evening.
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