Fishing Report
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.
April 30th, 2009
Welcome back anglers for another fishing season. You don't have to worry about any ice on the lakes as the ice went out two weeks ago. The water temperature is 47-50 degrees and that is a lot warmer than last year was. Last spring it was 43 degrees. If you're gong to fish the flowages, the water level is way down, so be real careful out there. We didn't get much snow this winter only about 72 inches. We did get 3 inches of rain in April. The forecast for this weekend is supposed to be 50 to 55 degrees on Saturday with no rain. No matter what the weather is, it is always great to get out and try our luck. So, the best of luck to you, and I will let you know how the opening weekend goes.
October 22nd, 2008
Hi Friends, As most of you know, I go out west to Colorado, elk hunting every October. Well, I was one lucky guy this year, as I bagged a very nice 6 X 6 bull. We had some pretty cold nights while there, with it getting down to 10 degrees. We had very little snow this year. I have shot legal bulls in the past, but I have never had the opportunity to bag such a magnificent animal as the one I shot. I want to thank my hunting partners, Al Johnson, John Kurth and Tom Raatz for their help in back-packing this animal out. It was one of the most exciting experiences of my life.
October 1st, 2008
This will be my last fishing report for this season. I want to thank all of my clients for their friendship and support. This weeks featured anglers are, Judy Smernoff and Rose Rivard. They are holding their nice stringer of fish. The walleyes are now all on the deeper rock humps & rocky shore line. Almost all of these fish have been in the 27 foot area. The water temperature is still at about 62 degrees. The weather is changing and we are supposed to get down to 28 degrees by Friday morning, so I expect the water to cool down considerably in the next 5 days. The new moon was on Sept 29 th. I expect the best walleye fishing to be just starting. For you northern anglers, we have been using 6" to 7" blacktail chubs and the fishing has been pretty good with them. For you musky anglers, in about a week those big suckers should be the ticket to success. Thanks again and I hope to see you all next year.
October 1st, 2008
Rose is pictured here with two of the nice northerns she caught.
September 24th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are John Bryan,Bob Bryan and Adam Gehrman. They are shown here holding their stringer of walleyes. Adam also caught and released a nice 20 inch small mouth bass. All of these fish were caught on jigs and minnows in about 25-35 feet of water. Most were found along the edge of the rock humps. The water temperature is still around the 63 degree mark. On Tuesday we were over 80 degrees with humid conditions and balmy warm winds. According to the weatherman we are in for a big cool down next week starting on Sunday. The fish were starting into their fall patterns but with the warm days they have kinda stalled. We have been catching fish right on the weed edtges as well as on the rocks.
September 24th, 2008
Pictured here is the beauty of a bass the Adam Gerhman caught and released.
September 17th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Larry Obremski and Deb, pictured here, with their nice walleye catch. The fish were all taken in 20 to 30 feet of water, off the rock humps. We were using a jig and minnow with a slow presentation. The water temperature is around 62 to 63 degrees and we are even seeing a litle color on the trees, as it is getting to be that time of the year. The full moon Was on Monday the 15 th ,so for all you evening anglers it should be a great time to get out and try your luck. We have been out fishing for northerns as well, and we were using 6 inch blacktail chubs and have found some good action.
September 10th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Dave Bartelt and his grandson Dave. The walleyes are starting into their fall patterns, as well as moving to the deeper rock humps. These walleyes pictured at right , were all caught with jigs and a minnows.Pictured below is the largest walleye of the day that Dave Sr. caught. We have had a very cool week, and the water temperature has dropped to about the 66 degree range. The 25 to 30 foot depth range seems to be the most productive. We have had a frost advisory for the last couple of nights. The local weathermen are predicting cool nights for the next five nights but beautiful fall days during the day. I expect the walleye fishing to get better and better, as the water temperature keeps cooling down.
September 10th, 2008
Pictured here is the 25 inch walleye that Dave Sr. caught and released. It was a beauty.
September 3rd, 2008
This weeks featured anglers, are Dick Denman and Gary Lynn, with there nice stringer of walleye.The walleyes were up to 25 inches in size, alaso caught were a couple of bass and northerns. This last weekend we were in the 80's everyday, but today we are only supposed to get to a high of 65. From now thru Tuesday we are to be in the 60's each day. The water temperature is still 70 degrees but between now and next Tuesday it is going to start dropping. Redtails have still been working better for us than anything else. If you fish on the flowages, the water is way down, about like it was last year at this time. The fish pictured this week were all taken on the weedlines. I have been trying the deeper rocks with no luck. However with this cooling trend, I expect this to change.
August 27th, 2008
This week the featured anglers are Annette and Brian Findlay. Brian caught a and released a 21 inch small mouth bass, and he also caught a 39 inch northern. They had a great stringer of walleyes as well. They caught all these fish on redtail chubs. The water temperature is about 70 degrees and Monday morning we hit record low tempertures. It is supposed to be great weather for this up coming labor day weekend. The new moon is this coming Saturday, so it should be some great fishing as well. In the last week redtails have worked a lot better than crawlers everyday. The fish are not in the fall patterns yet, but I don't think it will be long before that happens.
August 20th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are my very good friends, Rob Polen and his dad, Harry. We had a great three days on the water, with small mouth bass up to 20 inches and northern up to 30 inches, along with walleyes up to 21 inches. It was a mixed bag and all were taken just off the break lines, on jigs with red-tail chubs.The water temperature is still around the 72 degree mark. We used crawlers each day, but they just weren't working like they were 2 weeks ago. That's why it is very important not to be one dimensional. One day crawlers are working and the next day redtails are the preferred bait. If you noticed I haven't talked about leeches as they haven't worked for me, pretty much all year. Keep your options open out there, and you will find that you will be more productive.
August 13th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Erin Colgan and her dad, Phillip. They had a nice stringer of northerns. These fish were all taken on a jig and redtail chubs. These fish were located just off the weed line. We have had a lot of bright and sunny days but our nights have been cooling down nicely. The water temperature is around the 72 degree mark. With the full moon coming up on the 16 th, for all you night anglers, it should be a great time to get out and try your luck. We are supposed to have steady weather patterns for the next 5 days, so I expect the fishing should be real good. For you anglers that are fishing on the flowages be very carefull out there, as the water has dropped about 2 feet. Take some extra prcautions and keep an eye out for those stumps and rocks.
August 6th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers, are my good friends,Kyler Phillips and his grandfather, John Phillips. As you can see John is handing down his expertise walleye fishing to his grandson Kyler.These fish were caught right up in the weeds. All these fish were caught on a jig and crawlers too. The water temperature is 76 degrees as a result of our recent hot, bright, and sunny days. We also have been catching many undersize walleyes. This is great for the future. It makes it hard to fish,though, as you are pulling weeds in on every cast, but you have to go where the fish are. The muskys have been real active in the last two weeks, as well as the panfish . They can be caught on most any weed edge. Northerns and bass have backed off a little, but still can make some good catches.
July 31st, 2008
This weeks featured anglers,are Bob and Luke Harrison. They had a mixed bag of northerns,walleyes and small mouth bass. Walleye fishing has still been a real challenge,as we are catching walleyes,but most are under size fish.Crawlers,as well as redtail chubs,have been working for the walleyes. Some days they prefer crawlers and the next day redtails Work better. Northerns and bass fishing has been pretty good and pan fish has been great. The water temperature is still around the 72 degree mark. We are supposed to get a big warm up this comming weekend, maybe even hit 90 degrees. It will be the first 90 of the summer if that happens.
July 23rd, 2008
This weeks featured angler is Judy Smernoff. She is pictured holding the days catch. Sorry that I haven't posted any reports but time just gets away from me sometimes. We are finally getting a little more stable weather and that relates to better fishing. The walleye fishing has been fair at best, but is getting better with-out these storms coming in everyday. We are using mainly crawlers for the walleyes now. The water temperature is 72 degrees, depending on the size of the lake, the deeper weed edges have been the best. Musky fishing has been real good. A lot of guys have been reporting some real good action. If you're a pan fisherman, the bluegills and perch are biting everywhere.
July 2nd, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Grag Garrison and Ethan Garrison and Brian Bonovetz. We fished the first day for walleyes and the next day for muskys. The walleyes were caught on jigs and minnows as well as the northerns. Take a gander at the nice musky pictured below. It was a beauty. We still have had a lot of different weather fronts come in and that makes the fishing tough on some days. This up-coming 4 th of July weekend is supposed to have some very beautiful weather. The new moon, is on the 3 rd,so I expect the fishing to improve a lot. The water temperature is about 72 degrees, and warmer on smaller lakes. There are going to be a lot of folks out there on the water this weekend. So I would get on the water early to have the best luck. Have a happy 4 th of July.
July 2nd, 2008
Greg caught and released this musky on a eight inch "Hawg Wobbler".It was a nice 40 inch tiger .
June 26th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers Are Dave and Brian Hillmer, pictured here with their catch. Brian caught and released a beautiful musky . These fish were caught on jigs and minnows but we have had a lot warmer weather this week and crawlers are starting to work better than minnows. We have had a lot of weather fronts come through almost everyday and the walleye fishing has been pretty tough some days. The water temperature is about 70 degrees now, and on the rise. I'm starting to see a few lake flies on the water so the big lake fly hatch is not far away. The walleyes are starting to move out to a little deeper water to 14 to 16 foot depth. For you bass fisherman they are hot right now. Fish right in the shallow water in new weed growth, and in the lilly pads and you can have a ball.
June 26th, 2008
This is Brian Hillmers musky. It was a beautiful fish.
June 18th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are the Oxford Outlaws. Dick Denman, Don Mularkey, and Gary Lynn are shown here with their nice catch. The walleye fishing has been real good this last week. These fish were all taken with jigs and minnows but the crawlers and leeches are starting to work as well. The water temperature is still 63 to 65 degrees. The northern fishing has started to slow down and panfish are still hot. Muskty fishing has picked up greatly as we boated two this last week. They are starting to take medium size baits and are getting more aggressive. We are supposed to get a little warmer each day for the next 5 days and that should make the fishing just that much better.
June 11th, 2008
This weeks featured angler is Tom Rausch. We did pretty good that day, but since then, we have struggled each day for walleyes. We have been getting rain, a few storms, sunshine, and rain again all in the same day. With these fronts coming through almost everyday, it has made walleye fishing a big challenge. The predicted weather is the same stuff, right Through Monday of next week. The water temperature on most lakes is up to 65 degrees, and I'm still using a jig and minnows, but on some lakes the crawlers are starting to work. There is some good news however, the northern fishing has been good. If you're a pan fisherman , perch, and bluegills are going on most lakes and anglers are still catching crappies.
June 4th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Judy Smernoff and Rose Rivard. You can see by the picture they had a productive day on the water. We have had some very good days on the water this last week despite the cool temperatures. The water temperature is still only 59 degrees and the weather people are predicting a little warmer for the next five days and nights. The new moon was on the 3 rd of June and the fishing is just getting better each day. The bait of choice is still minnows. Crawlers and leeches Have not been working well yet.Small mouth bass have been real hot and should remain that way for another week or so. The crappie fishing is still very good but it is getting close to the end of the spawn. Musky fishing has still been real slow. With the water temperatures not in the 60's yet, those big guys just haven't turned on yet.
May 28th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Brian Findlay and his dad Dave.I am looking forwared to fishing with Brian and his wife Annette later in the summer. Congratulations go out to them, as they are expecting their first child late this year. The walleye fishing has been really challenging this last week. We had near freezing temperatures every night. The water temperature hasn't come up any. It is still about 55 degrees. We are about a month behind as far as weed growth is concerned. We are still fishing with a jig tipped with flathead minnows. I have fished with leeches and crawlers but without much luck. The northern fishing has been real good and the bass are starting to move in to start their spawn. The musky opener was not the best, as most of the anglers I talked to, just had some follows. We are supposed to get some rain on Friday but Saturday and Sunday are predicted to be in the low 70's.
May 21st, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Nancy and Matt Draus. The are proudly holding their nice catch. Nothing much has changed in the last week as our water temperature is 49 to 54 degrees. We have had a lot of wind everyday and the wind has been blowing mostly from the north. We have had 3 frosts this week and very cool temperatures have not made it very pleasant out there. There still isn't very much vegetation growth . There is some good news as we are supposed to get a little warmer each day and be in the 70's by Saturday and Sunday. This should make this a very good Memorial weekend to get out there and try your luck. I expect the fishing to just get better and better as we warm up. A jig tipped with a flathead minnow is still the prefetted bait. I have tried using leeches, but flatheads are still working the best.
May 14th, 2008
This weeks featured anglers are Mike Heppe, and Dave Bartelt, holding their catch. The water has warmed up a little . Most of the lakes are 49 to 53 degrees. We were fishing with jigs tipped with flathead minnows. The small male walleyes are still milken and we haven't caught a female yet. They are catching some crappies, but they are in that 10 foot range, as we haven't been warm enough yet to bring them in.We need mother nature to give us some warmer nights but none of that is in the forcast. If your a morthern angler that has started to pick up a little, however none of the fish have been real aggressive. The bite has been very suttle.
May 7th, 2008
It sure was a beautiful opening day for fishing, wasn't it? There was snow, sleet, rain, 25 mile an hour winds and a high temperature of 43 degrees. Mother nature wasn't very kind to us, but we still had a lot of fun. Pictured here, left to right is my son-in-law Greg Garrison,myself, my brother-in-law, John Kurth, my brother, Harlon, my step-dad, Al Johnson and my son Nick. Peeping out there in the middle is my grandson, Ethan Garrison. The walleye spawn is over but the small males are still milken. We didn't catch any females . They were all males.The water temperature on the bigger lakes was 40 degrees and the smaller lakes were 45 degrees. We were using nothing but jigs tipped with flathead minnows. With our late spring there is very little to no weed growth. So if you can find some new weed growth out there, that is a very good area to concentrate on.
May 1st, 2008
I know all you anglers are wondering if the ice is going to be out by this weekend. Well, I was out scouting Wednesday morning and pretty much all of our smaller lakes are open.Big Arbor Vitae lake has ice on it yet, but little Arbor Vitae lake is open and Minocqua Lake is about 25% open. So with the predicted weather we have coming, they might be open by Saturday. I think our bigger deeper lakes will still have ice on them and our smaller to mid size lakes will be open. It sounds like mother nature, however is not going to be so kind. Right now they are predicting 45 degrees and rain. I did have the boat in the water Wednesday and The water Temperature was 40 to 42 degrees. Last year on opening day we had water temperatures of 56 degrees. It sure felt good to be back on the water again, so even if the weather is not so good this weekend I know we will have fun getting after the walleyes again. So good luck.
April 24th, 2008
Hey Anglers...I know your're just as excited about the opener of fishing as I am. The first big question is: "Will the ice be gone?". I was out today looking at different lakes and on the north shore lines there is about 20 feet of open water. We are supposed to get rain for the next 6 days, so I feel, that most lakes will be open if not all of them, by next Saturday. Your next question is: "What about spearing and its effect this season?". It looks as if the spearing numbers are increasing this year, which will result in reductions on the daily bag limit for walleyes on 324 different lakes. You can check this out on the webb at: www.dnr.wi.gov (click on: Walleye bag limits for ceded territory lakes)for a list by county, for the lakes you like to fish on.I'm sure another question you are wondering is: "What are the new rules in regards to minnows and VHS?" These rules have been revised from the rules we have been under since last fall. You can check out the rules at:www.dnr.wi.gov( On the right of screen, click "VHS & You",then click "VHS prevention". Read the information under "Boaters and Anglers"It will clarify it for you to be in compliance. I will check lakes out next Wednesday and post what is happening.
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