Hayward, Wisconsin Fishing Report 6-12-14

I absolutely can’t get enough this time of year!  You name it…, and it’s happening.  Love it!  Tuesday put me back on the water with Greg Miller and Nate Winters from Road Weary Productions for another day of filming, and we nailed some awesome footage.  Flat water and high skies got us off to a slow start, but man did we finish with a bang.  There was a killer topwater bite going on for smallies, and Greg worked them over with a Rebel Pop R on the top of gravel flats in 5′ of water.  I was also able to add a few to the total on a jerkbait.  Our top end fish was 18″, and they were extremely aggressive as there appreared to be a bug hatch happening that triggered a frenzy.  After we had enough smallmouth footage to satisfy Nate, we focused on walleyes and took care of that in short order.  We caught fish up to 25″ on slip bobbers and leeches in 12′ of water over newly emerging weeds.  Greg continued to “Big Time” me throughout the day as each of his fish had to be “just a bit” bigger than mine…  Hey, at least no one went in the water!  We had beautiful weather with sunny skies, light winds, and water temps holding at 67 degrees.  Big thanks to Nate and Greg for all of your hard work and an incredible day!

With two days scheduled to film and everything in the can after day #1, we were free Wednesday to fish without an agenda.  Geralyn Miller (The Walleye Queen) joined Greg, and she lived up to her name…  Again!  It was another outstanding day to be on the water with warm temps, light winds, and high skies.  We focused on walleyes in the morning and landed many nice fish up to 22″ on slip bobbers and leeches as well as jigs and minnows in 12′ to 16′ of water.  In the afternoon, we turned our attention to panfish.  Bluegills were the original thought, but a strong crappie bite in 6′ of water on jigs with plastics changed our mind.  We boated some absolute slabs up to 13.5″ on an afternoon that taught us a good lesson.  Never get so locked into one thing that you aren’t able to change if needed.  Water temps started at 67 and ended at 70 degrees by the end of the day.  The Walleye Queen exceeded all expectations, and the crappies are hopeful she doesn’t change her specialty…  We wrapped our successful trip with pizzas and good times at Angler’s Haven.  Perfect!  Thanks guys for another amazing day!

The only problem with a nice stretch of great weather is that you know it has to end.  Scheels All Sports in Eau Claire, WI gave my old friend Jeff Miller and his partner Scott Wilhelm a day away from the office to spend some time chasing smallies.  They arrived just in time for a nasty low pressure system that brought gusty winds, cool temps, and rain throughout the day.  Of course!!!  Hey…  If I’m going to be on the water in nasty weather, these are the guys I want to be with.  We pushed through some impossible conditions to put one heck of a day together landing fish up to 19″  on everything from jigs and plastics, to jerkbaits, to hair jigs, to flies in 5′ -9′ of water as fish continue to transition from the spawn.  Scott was determined to land a smallie on his fly rod, and he put on one heck of a show in conditions that most would’ve avoided.  Jeff has been a regular in my boat over the years, and Scott was a nice addition to our annual trip.  Water temperatures dropped from 67 to 65 degrees throughout the day.  Even though the conditions we faced were incredibly tough, these guys made it happen by being persistent and flexible with presentations throughout the day.  Their positive attitude and sense of humor kept us laughing and enjoying the day together as we worked through every obstacle that was thrown at us.  Way to go fellas.  You were outstanding today, and I can’t wait to do it again!

Have a great weekend everyone!