Disclaimer: This week’s report from Phil is mostly hunting stuff. Check the final paragraph for your fishing report!
It has been another fantastic week for outdoor activities in the central Wisconsin area. We didn’t have much time for fishing this past week with the start of the 2016 bear season under way as we have been very busy in the woods baiting and prepping for the hunt. This year our prepping and scouting payed off big time with 3 nice bears taken right away on opening day. We did however find a little time to get out fishing and it was pretty good. The water temperatures have gone back up a bit and they are now in the lower 70’s but that will change after next week with the major cold front moving in.
Our bear hunters had a great opening day taking 3 nice bears all over baits. That in itself comes as a surprise as about halfway through the afternoon the winds switched from southwesterly to northeast creating an unexpected and unwanted wind direction. Wind direction is a major factor when positioning the stands and placing the hunters in relation to the bait. Despite that several of our hunters were still successful. All of the bears that were taken were from hunters in stands that were in very close proximity to standing corn fields. At this time of the year corn can be a magnet for bears. One particular hunter had several different bears come in before he chose to shoot the one that he finally ended up taking.
For you fishing guys the bite has been pretty good. We have had a few guys out and we have been picking up some walleyes, perch and crappies. Most of the activity has been in about 8 to 12 feet of water related to contour breaks. Here is the key: If you can find the fastest sloping contour that reaches the deepest available water, start fishing there. This is where the majority of the fish have been holding. Most of the fish have been right on the edge of these fast sloping break lines. And when we drag our bait over the edge from shallow to deep… Wham, they just hammer it! We have been throwing jig and minnow and jig and crawler combinations baits along with Rapala Husky Jerks over the edges of these break lines to target the fish holding on these points.
Have a great week,
Phil Schweik
Hooksetters Guide Service
Phone: 715-693-5843
