By George Langley
NORTHERN WISCONSIN – Well, we are now in serious late fall, with very cold conditions which have finally triggered a drop in water temps. We are finally seeing upper to mid 40s. While we’d rather see these temps colder, they’re better than the 50s we’ve had all fall. For the walleye and musky fishermen, this is great.
We also got some decent rain, which helped water levels a bit – especially on the flowages. Turnover is finished on all but the biggest lakes as of this writing. The next week of cold temps should bring some fantastic fishing, especially on those smaller lakes that turned earlier.
Hunters are also very happy with most of the leaves off the trees and the deer now seriously in the rut period. We’ve seen a few nice bucks taken in the last week. We have also talked to some bird hunters who have said that the hunting has been decent. Many of us wish that there were two Octobers, as there is just so much to do outdoors at this time of year.
Walleye fishing has been good with a good number of fish being reported. Jigs and larger minnows are definitely the best bait. As usual at this time of the year, they are in the holes on the Chain. If you’re not seeing them in those holes, check around the edges.
On the bigger, deeper lakes, they are on the drop offs by the weeds. Look for harder bottom areas and use large fatheads or redtail chubs. Don’t be afraid to fish pretty deep if the wind allows.
We still have a few perch and crappie anglers out there, but as the temps get colder, we really don’t see too many panfish anglers. Action has been a bit slow, but both perch and crappies are hitting on small minnows.
Musky action has been in the decent range, and with this drop in water temps, the action should be good this week. The sucker bite is just ok, but it’s worth taking. After turnover like this, the fish can be anywhere in the water column. Larger baits are now working well, with jerk baits fished over the deeper weed edges working quite well. Slower retrieves are more effective at this point, as the fish move slower with the colder water temps.
It’ll be a great week to be musky fishing with this cold weather. Get out that winter gear and enjoy the quiet of late fall on the water. And if you’re not heading out, this is a great time to get ready for the hard water season.
Good luck and good fishin’!