Chequamegon Bay & Hayward, Wisconsin Fishing Report 7-13-14
Thursday morning was spent with Nate Winters from Road Weary Productions trying to get some early summer smallmouth footage. What a morning we had!!! By the time it was all said and done, we had boated several smallies up to 20″ on four different techniques. I wish every day could be that smooth!!! We started out fishing topwaters in 2′ – 10′ of water and our first fish of the day followed the script perfectly. After a failed attempt at my bait, Nate burned the camera on my next cast as the fish made a second attempt. This time we hooked up for a short time before the fish spit the bait by the boat. It was all on camera, and very cool. After letting the fish rest for a bit, I fire another cast at it. On cue, she smashed it and ended up in our net. What an awesome way to start our day, and it only got better. After topwaters were covered, we moved to drop shotting plastic worms and landed a stout fish in 12′ of water. Then we moved to a wacky worm and nailed a great fish along a weedline in 5′ of water. We wrapped up the morning fishing slip bobbers with sucker minnows over a 15′ rock pile and somehow ended up putting a double in the boat as both bobbers went down at the same time. With Nate on the camera the whole time I’m not exactly sure how we were able to pull it off, but I’m excited to see the footage. Water temps 
held at 70 degrees on a warm and sunny day that proved you can catch smallies just about anywhere on the lake at this time of year. Thanks for all of your hard work Nate and an incredibly fun morning. I had a blast!
Friday was spent celebrating Geralyn (Wallye Queen) Miller’s birthday along with her husband Greg from Bloomer, WI on our annual trip. Once again, the walleyes didn’t stand a chance… Even when they don’t want to bite, she catches them! A substantial rain system moved through the area in the morning, and we had a late start with windy conditions to deal with. No problem for The Queen! We fished slip bobbers and leeches along with jigs and minnows in 14′ – 18′ of water and caught some very nice fish up to 22″ along with a few bonus largemouth up to 19″. Due to the weather we were a bit limited in the areas we could fish, but patience along with the presence of The Queen paid off once again. What started out as a crummy looking day ended up being very productive, and we were fortunate to get some nice fish in the boat despite the conditions. Considering my company, I shouldn’t have been surprised. What can I say??? Some people just have it! Water temperatures held steady at 70 degrees throughout the day on another successful birthday outing for Geralyn. Pizza and beer at Angler’s Haven made for a perfect ending to an outstanding day, and I’m already looking forward 
to my next visit from walleye royalty! Don’t forget to tune into The Hunt With Greg and Jake on The Outdoor Channel Thursday nights at 730 CST. When the Millers aren’t wearing out the walleyes, they’re putting together some incredible hunting footage. You won’t be disappointed!!!
Saturday was one for the books… Nate Gove from Crystal, MN and his buddy Bill Roth from Eden Prairie brought along Nate’s son Nick for a day on Chequamegon Bay. We were targeting smallmouth bass, but ended up with some bonus fish that made this one day we’ll never forget. We found plenty of cooperative bass up to 20″ in 5′ – 10′ of water using plastic worms and swim baits. Things definitely got interesting in the afternoon however as Nick landed a beautiful 40″ pike on a swim bait. Since that was his personal best pike, he decided to stick with the swim bait and ended up hooking the bottom of the lake. At least we thought it was the bottom of the lake… 55 minutes and lots of anxious moments later, Nick landed the largest fish that’s ever been in our boat. The 54″ sturgeon was an incredible 
specimen that darn near wore me out, and I wasn’t the one fighting it! Nick did an outstanding job, and it was a total team effort as this fish towed us over a quarter mile before we could land it. With three guys barking orders at him as he ran from the front of the boat to the back of the boat numerous times, Nick kept his composure and put that dude in the net. What a battle, what a fish, and what a day!!! Water temps ranged from 65 – 70 degrees on a perfect day with light winds and warm temps. Thanks to Nick, Nate, and Bill for another great trip and incredible memories!
New customers Bill and Kay Rogers from Van Buren, AK spent the day with me on Sunday fishing smallmouth on Chequamegon Bay. After the day we had Saturday I was optimistic about our chances, but the fish had other ideas… A change in weather seemed to have changed the mood, and we struggled throughout the day to put any kind of pattern together. We worked extremely hard to catch fish up to 19″, and every one we boated was well earned. Plastic worms, swim baits, and slip bobbers with minnows in 4′ – 10′ of water produced all of our fish as high winds made for difficult conditions. Bill did an excellent job of hanging in there, and Kay was an outstanding partner as we made the 
best of it while putting some nice fish in the net. Water temps ranged from 65 – 70 degrees. Thanks to Bill and Kay for sharing the day with me. You guys are great company, and I’m looking forward to our next adventure. With less wind of course…