Hayward, Wisconsin Fishing Report 7-12-13
Good friends Greg and Geralyn Miller arrived on Wednesday for Geralyn’s annual birthday celebration on the water, and the Walleye Queen was on top of her game once again. Due to the mayfly hatch on some of the lakes we fish, we switched to another body of water without such a prominent hatch. The move paid off. Despite unfavorable conditions, north winds blowing out a low pressure system, we were able to put a healthy mixed bag day together. Water temps dropped to 72 degrees, and we caught crappies in 5′ of water along with walleyes and smallies in 9′ of water along weed edges. Plastics below slip bobbers took care of the crappies, and leeches below slip bobbers were the ticket for the eyes and bass. Crappie sizes ranged up to 11″, walleyes up to 19″, and smallmouth up to 21.5″. That was one of the largest smallmouth we’ve had in the boat this year. What a brute! Be sure to check out Greg’s new show on the Outdoor Channel, The Hunt With Greg and Jake. It airs on Thursday nights at 7:30 p.m. central. You can also follow them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/thehuntmillertv. It’s never to early to start dreaming of big bucks! Happy birthday Geralyn!
On Thursday morning, my old pal Shawn Lund and I decided to try our luck for muskies. I’m not sure what it means, but our trip was almost an exact repeat of my musky trip earlier in the week. We saw one fish in the low 40’s follow in a Cowgirl, and landed a big pike. Both fish were hanging on deep weed edges on a sunny and hot morning with high skies. Water temps warmed to 73 degrees by noon. Both of these fish were triggered by speed. As the water warms, don’t forget that speed it the key for toothy critters. Oil up those reels, and have ice packs ready when you get home!
I spent Thursday evening with Steve Larson who was visiting us from Mississippi. Steve took a break from his business trip to catch a bunch of smallmouth and largemouth on an incredible summer night. Light south winds, pleasant temps, and a beautiful sunset made for an extremely enjoyable outing. Smallies were caught on 15′ rock humps with drop shot rigs along with jig and leech combinations. Largemouth were caught along weed edges in 10′ of water on wacky worms. At the end of our trip, we also caught a few smallies on top waters along rocky shore lines. Water temps warmed back to 76 degrees by the end of the day, and we’re definitely in transition to summer patterns. Basically, fish can be caught in a variety of ways, in a variety of locations right now. If things aren’t happening for you, change tactics and move until you find willing biters. Steve and I had the good fortune of watching mother nature at her best as a smallmouth had pushed a school of small fry up to the surface in 25′ of water and terrorized them for a few minutes. Very cool!
