Chequamegon Bay & Hayward, Wisconsin Ice Fishing Report 1-5-15

Happy New Year everyone!!!  2015 has brought some frigid conditions.  New ice is forming on Chequamegon Bay, and the trout bite is starting to pick up.  Aron Kastern  started the week fishing with Larry and Alex Anderson from Iowa.  They began the trip targeting trout on the bay and were marking a lot of fish in 10′ of water.  Apparently those trout ate too many Christmas cookies and weren’t in the biting mood.  After losing a big trout on a tip up, the gang decided to see how the perch were biting.  It didn’t take long for the perch to show up, and the boys caught plenty of 8″ – 11″ fish on tip ups with shiners and jigging spoons tipped with crappie minnows over weeds in 9′ of water.  Along with the perch, a fat 33″ pike was landed by Brad Joanis who was helping out with the trip.  Aron reported 10″ – 12″ of ice on the Ashland side of the bay with very little snow cover.  Enjoy those perch Larry and Alex!     Josh Teigen was also after trout on the bay with Bruce and Cheryl.  He reported a slow start on day one of a two day trip with only a couple undersized fish to show for their efforts.  The second leg of the trip was a different story however as they found active fish in 9′ – 40′ of water.  Their catch included browns up to 20″, a 22″ laker, and a 20″ whitefish.  Hey, I’m not surprised with the results…  When the fishing gets tough, Josh will figure it out!  Most fish were caught on jigging spoons tipped with a minnow head, but they caught a few on tip ups as well.  There was no real depth pattern established, and they covered as much water as possible to find biters.  Josh reported 5″ – 7″ of ice on the Washburn side of the bay with very little snow cover.  Way to hang in there Bruce and Cheryl, and congratulations on a nice catch! Later in the week, Aron fished with Paul Lukas and his son Dylan from Oconto, WI.  Aron’s cousin CJ Compton was along for support as well.  They found a nice mixed bag of trout in 30′ to 60′ of water that included browns up to 22″ and splake to 20″.  Spoons tipped with shiner heads and full minnows were the flavor of choice as they worked the entire water column from a foot off bottom to a foot below the ice.  Be sure to cover all depths when fishing trout on the bay, and stay alert for cruising fish.  They can come through at random depths throughout the day, and it pays to be ready!  Aron reported 4″ – 5″ of ice northeast of Washburn with ideal walking conditions.  Ice cleats for your boots are a good idea with little snow cover making for a slick surface.  Cold temps will continue to make ice toward Bayfield, but Aron suggested waiting a bit yet before venturing in that direction.  Excellent work men!!! Bundle up and have a great week everyone!!!  Brrrrr…