Fishing Report: And so it begins, the fall transition

For the Tomahawk Leader

NORTHERN WISCONSIN – Many of us look forward to fall fishing more than any other time of year, and it will be an interesting transition for the next several weeks as water temperatures fall.

You will notice the beginning of fall colors around here as the roadside ferns turn brown, and the maples start their changes. Water temps will now be on the decline, which is exactly what we want. We hope for a consistent drop into the 60s and then 50s, and we really hope for a lack of any hard warm fronts. From this point forward, warming temps will kill the fishing for the duration of those fronts.

Walleye fishing has been good on the Chain, with good numbers of fish being caught on a daily basis. Basically, they have stayed on those deeper weed edges and are hitting better during the daytime than they were in August. Jigs and minnows are, as usual, the best bait for them. On the deeper lakes, we have seen some improvement in the daytime fishing, but the evening and night fishing is still better. Half crawlers have been good on these lakes on the weed edges in the 12’ range.

Panfish action remains good, with bluegills continuing to hit well in the mid-range weeds. Waxies or worms are working. Crappies continue to be schooled up, and if you can find them, they will provide great action on minnows. Look for them in deeper brush piles and deep weed edges. Perch have moved somewhat deeper lately, and leeches or minnows are best for these guys.

Bass action continues to be very good, with a lot of smallmouth and largemouth being caught mixed together on lakes that contain both types of fish. Plastics fished right on the bottom have been effective, but a half crawler on a jig at the weed edges can work too.

As always, the northern remain hungry. Look for them in the weeds and throw anything flashy and they will hit. Try a spinner bait right over the top of the weed beds for some good action. They are also hitting well on pike-sized suckers.

Musky action has been decent and will improve with the dropping water temps. These fish will be more active in the weeds this month during the daytime than they have been all summer. There is a great combination of good numbers and a chance of a trophy during the fall fishing. Larger bucktails have still been the most effective, but it’s worth trying surface baits, too, if for nothing else but the chance of seeing a hit right on top of the water. With the drop in water temperatures coming, we’re right on the cusp of sucker season.

Welcome to the start of what we hope is going to be some great fall fishing, with some of the most beautiful views of the year about to pop. There’s nothing like a day on the water during a crisp fall day, with the colors blazing on the shores.

Good luck and good fishin'!