Hayward, Wisconsin & Chequamegon Bay Fishing Report 10-15-15

By Jeff Evans | October 15, 2015 |

Steve Leach & Jon Schlussler

I included Chequamegon Bay in this week’s report only because it’s been unfishable. If you’ve been paying attention, 30 – 40 mph winds (even up to 60 mph) have been roaring across the bay since Monday. As a result we had to make some alternative plans, and the inland waters around Hayward have been very good to us. It sure has taken time, but a solid fall bite for all species is finally setting in. Better late than never! Jon Schlussler from St. Paul, MN returned for trip #3 of the year and brought back his good friend Steve Leach from North St. Paul, MN. These guys always bring some crazy weather along with them. The first time we fished together we were shoveling snow out of the boat! They also bring some crazy good fishing with them. We spent Monday chasing muskies with howling winds and a nasty front moving in. We had a slow start with very little action early until late morning when the switch flipped. Boy did it ever flip. Over the next several hours, Jon and Steve boated 5 muskies up to 38″ all on bucktails along with several other short hits and follows. We did have a sucker get grabbed a couple of times as well, but we couldn’t seal the deal on that for some reason. No matter… It was one of the best action packed musky days I can remember in a long time, and it was an absolute gas watching these two buddies get after it. Water temps ranged from 58 – 60 degrees, and you could feel the temperature dropping throughout the day. Jon… You may want to sleep with one eye open from now on unless you give Steve that lucky bucktail!!! You did it again fellas. What a fantastic day!!!

Bruce Bandow & Mike Alff

Bruce Bandow from Plover, WI and his friend Mike Alff from Stevens Pt., WI fished Chequamegon Bay with me last spring and booked a two day trip this fall with hopes of getting back after some big smallmouth. Well they got into some big smallmouth, but it wasn’t on the bay. Again big winds pushed us inland, and we struggled on Tuesday morning to put a pattern together. We caught a few fish in various depths around various structure but couldn’t really get it going. In the afternoon we decided to move into shallower water. Bingo! With the way things have been lately, I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised. We found a really impressive school of fish up to 21″ in 8′ – 10′ of water using minnows. A few walleyes up to 19″ were mixed in as well. Every fish we caught was completely stuffed full of crayfish, and they were coughing them up all the way into the net. Water temps ranged from 58 – 60 degrees on a cool day with stiff NW winds. It was an action packed afternoon with a couple of big fish doubles and a few chaotic moments as well. Just the kind of day I like! Bruce and Mike performed well, and I wasn’t surprised. These guys know how to catch fish! Not a bad start to their trip. We could only hope that day #2 would be even close to that good…

Although the walleye bite has been slow to get going this fall, Bruce and Mike wanted to give it a shot on Wednesday. If they’re going to bite, these are the guys that’ll make it happen. Happen it did… We started out quick with some nice fish on spot #1, and the action continued to get better throughout the day. The wind steadily picked up speed throughout the morning and was pretty brisk out of the northwest by noon. It seemed to kick the walleyes into gear however, and we got into a good run of fish right before lunch using minnows in 15′ – 30′ of water. The afternoon bite was just as good with winds continuing to build and turning out of the north. Water temps held around 57 – 58 degrees. Bruce and Mike worked them over once again, and those walleyes suffered the same fate as the smallies did the day before. When it was all said and done, they had landed 6 walleyes from 24″ – 27 1/2″ along with lots of fish in the 15″ – 19″ range. It was the best big walleye bite we’ve seen so far this year, and it’s always neat to see those big old girls in the net. There’s something so cool about big walleyes and catching multiple big fish in one day is always special. I couldn’t have shared it with two better guys who deserved every one they caught. Thanks for a really fun and memorable two days fellas, and congratulations on some incredible fish. That’s exactly what fall fishing is supposed to be. Man I love it!!!