Chequamegon Bay & Hayward, Wisconsin Fishing Report 5-31-15

Well that will teach me for complaining about the weather…  Our up and down conditions have continued and even gotten more extreme if that’s possible, but that hasn’t stopped us from having some stellar days with even better people.  Our Arkansas run continued this weekend as Dave Brown and I spent two days with Bobby Wren (Bella Vista, AR), Paul Dongieux (Oxford, MS), Jack McHaney (Rogers, AR), and Lewis Yarborough (Rogers, AR).  Bobby has been a regular customer for years, and Paul was with him as well last year.  Jack and Lewis were newcomers to the gang, and we broke them in right!  Bobby and Paul spent Friday with me on Chequamegon Bay, and these old friends put a serious hurting on the smallies.  Our morning was a bit inconsistent with a hot start, but the bite tapered off before lunch.  The p.m. shift was another story however.  Paul and Bobby taught em a lesson as they caught one after another up to 20″ on plastics in 3′ – 5′ of water.  Water temps were 60 – 64 degrees, as we had overcast conditions with periodic rain throughout the day.  These two guys are a hoot to have in the boat, and I laughed so hard I was crying at times.  Literally…  Great job and a great day fellas.

 

 

 

 

 

We joined back up with Dave on Saturday in the Hayward Lakes Area, and Bobby and Paul were back in the saddle with me.  A major cold front was moving in with strong east winds and falling temperatures.  Exactly what you don’t want for spring smallmouth fishing.  We made the best of it however and worked our butts off to put a good day together with fish up to 20″.  Many fish had pushed off the spawning nests, and they weren’t in an overly cooperative mood as water temps ranged from 57 – 61 degrees.  We worked jigs and plastics in 2′ – 8′ of water, and I was proud of the boys for sticking with it even when it seemed impossible.  When it was all said and done, these guys had put some impressive fish in the boat over two days, and I’ll be laughing about their stories long after they’ve gone home.  Big thanks to Bobby for bringing another great crew, and thanks to Dave Brown as well for scheduling and coordinating the trip.  Looking forward to next year boys!!!

 

 

 

 

Michel Cramer Bornemann from St. Paul, MN returned on Sunday to chase some Hayward smallmouth bass.  Michel has fished the St. Louis River and Chequamegon Bay with me, but this was his first Hayward experience.  I think he was impressed!  Freezing temperatures overnight and strong east winds met us at the landing, and we found some stubborn fish.  I’m not sure I remember a year quite like this.  Our inland bass have been trying to spawn for three weeks, but water temps and weather conditions just won’t let them get it done.  Once again, the morning proved to be a bit of a struggle with dropping water temps that ranged from 57 – 58 degrees.  Wind conditions limited the areas we could fish effectively, and the fish were less than cooperative although we were able to put a few good ones in the boat.  We considered moving to another lake in the p.m., but a hot tip from Terry Peterson sent us right back to where we were.  Terry to the rescue!!!  In the afternoon, we were able to find some calm water and active smallmouth to go along with it.  Michel did an outstanding job and put some great looking fish in the net up to 21″.  We used jigs and plastics in 3′ – 8′ of water and ended with a bruiser 19″ fish on our last cast.  It was the perfect ending to an enjoyable day with a really good guy.  Your Pop did one heck of a job today Nico.  That’s going to be a hard performance to beat!!!