Hayward, Wisconsin Fishing Report 5-22-13

The crew from Fayetteville, Arkansas arrived to fish with Terry, Dave, and I just in time to experience more of the wonderful winter that refuses to leave!  Memorial Day is five days away, and fishing conditions resemble what should be opening weekend in Northern Wisconsin.  It was COLD!  Good friends Doc and Creed Holladay were in my boat, and they were able to put two very impressive days together despite adverse weather conditions that included strong northeast winds and air temperatures that struggled to reach 50.  Water temperatures on the lakes we fished ranged anywhere from 46 to 52 degrees, and we experienced sun, clouds, wind, rain, etc…  The smallies are definitely in pre-spawn mode.  Once the weather evens out (if it ever does!), I would expect to see some nesting on smaller lakes and warmer bodies of water.  Suspending Rapalas produced consistently for bass over the past two days, and we also landed a bonus 28″ walleye and 32″ pike.  The extremely cold conditions had fish in a finicky mood.  Frequent adjustments of colors, sizes, models, and retrieves of baits were needed to stay on top of active fish.  All of the fish we caught were holding in eight feet of water or less, and many of them were beautiful females that appeared ready to spawn.  Windswept shorlines and reefs adjacent to spawning areas held active fish, and we ran into packs of aggressive feeders as we kept moving throughout the day.  Warm weather is in the forecast for next week, and I’m looking forward to peeling off the rain gear and long underwear!

Thanks to Creed, Doc, Patrick, Tom, Bill, and Bill for another great trip.  The Razorbacks hat you brought me is greatly appreciated, and I promise to wear it when the bite gets tough…  Even though you stole our coach!