Hayward, Wisconsin Fishing Report 5-11-14

Finally…  I think I said that last year too!  Open water, warm temps, and great fishing.  What’s not to like?

Josh Teigen and I had on opportunity on Friday afternoon to get on the water and knock off a little rust while checking out the crappie situation.  Although we dealt with rain, wind, and falling temps after a front had moved through, it turned out to be a productive outing.  We found some really nice slabs in 6′ to 7′ of water while fishing a variety of presentations that included plastics and minnows suspended under bobbers, and swimming small plastics through the weeds.  Water temps. ranged from 42 degrees on the main lake to 46 degrees in the bay we fished.  The bite started off very strong and then kind of faded as air temperatures plummeted by 20 degrees while we were fishing.  Some nice eaters up to 12″ along with a 13 1/2 ” whopper landed by Josh reminded both of us how much we love being back on the water.  Crappie fishing is one of the simple pleasures I never get tired of, and it was a great way to kick off our season in Wisconsin.  By the way, I was also marking a lot of fish in anywhere from 9′ to 15′ of water that have yet to push shallow.  We should have lots of good crappie fishing in the weeks to come.

Saturday’s plans included helping Jake Miller from The Hunt With Greg And Jake and his buddies celebrate his bachelor party at Angler’s Haven in Hayward.  Well Greg and I weren’t going to miss a chance to get on the water to do a little walleye fishing, and boy I’m glad we did.  What a trip in all respects!  Three casts into the morning, Greg stuck an incredible 30″ female on a crankbait.  He didn’t even let me get my bait tied on.  What a guy!  It was an awesome walleye that must have just spawned out and was looking to fill her tummy back up.  It was Greg’s personal best, and that’s saying something because I know this guy has boated more than a few marble eyes in his day.  After a few pictures, we released her and ended up putting together quiet a morning.  The wind laid flat and the sun was high, so the crankbait bite didn’t last long.  We quickly switched to jigs and minnows and ended up with a nice mixed bag that included several more walleyes up to 23″, smallmouth up to 15″, and a 26″ pike.  Everything was caught in 9′ to 12′ of water, and it’s obvious that the walleyes are still spawning with water temps right at 42 degrees on the lake we fished.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and we couldn’t help but feel that all of us northlanders somehow deserved it.  It’s been a long time coming.  Congratulations to Greg on largest walleye ever caught!  Well folks…  With a 30″ right off the bat, the bar is set high.  We’ve got some work to do!  Thanks to Jordan and Kelsey at Angler’s Haven for hosting a great party and especially to all of Jake’s buddies for pulling off one heck of a great time.  Best wishes Jake!

We certainly hope all of you wonderful moms out there had a great Mother’s Day.  Thank You for all you do.  You make the world a better place!