chequamegon bay Chequamegon Bay, Apostle Islands Area Fishing Reports

[Drew Matheus]

Hello all, I am a guide up here on Chequamegon Bay and in the Apostle Islands. I will be doing a report here every week on the fishing here to keep people up to date on what is going on. I know after the passing of Mr. Hudson things have gone downhill here for updates and reports for this area. I will do my best to keep everyone updated and answer questions anyone has on the area be it fishing related or not. I look forward to talking and sharing information with everyone about this great fishery!

Chequamegon Bay Fishing Report 5/28/2015

Fishing has remained good this week for Bass and Walleye in the Bay. The Bass have moved back in shallow and I have seen some fish back on their beds. Wacky rigs, Berkley Gulp!, and other soft plastics have been the go to for many anglers. The water clarity is great and sight fishing is a great way to target these fish. Top water is another great option for lure choice. Look to fish in 2ft or less and keep moving till you find a “hot stretch”.

Walleyes continue to be caught at the head of the bay and off of second landing. Look a bit deeper than last week now with the warming water. 8-12ft is a good place to start, pulling crank baits or harnesses. Change up trolling speeds, colors, and depths until you find where the fish like and what they want that day. One thing to remember when trolling for walleyes is that the trophy fish usually are caught in deeper water 15-25ft on big, deep diving stick baits. They are out there chasing bait, find the bait and you will find some nice sized eyes along with them. A popular spot to target big walleyes is in and around the shipping channel, from the hot pond to the lighthouse.  Some Anglers have been casting the mouth of fish creek as well as the hot pond from shore with great success on a mixed bag of pike, walleye, and bass. As always with walleye on the bay, low light periods are key to getting in on a good bite out there.

Water temps in the Islands are rising and the fish have moved a bit deeper. Look in depths of 20-80 ft for the trout and salmon near shore. I like to run a mix of flatlines and dipsys to find where in the water these fish are roaming. Spoons, Flies, and stick baits are all great for trolling trout and salmon, This time of year I prefer the spoons and flies behind dipsys.

Capt. Drew Matheus

Reel Shot Adventures

715-209-5843

[Ogaa_Persuit]

Great News! Looking forward to your reports!

[JBMasterAngler]

Will be looking forward to them as well. Had to scratch a summer trip up there this year, but hopefully will get up there this the winter. Will be nice to hear what's going on up there in the meantime.

[Drew Matheus]

Thanks guys, Ill do my best to keep you posted.

I have been out the past 3 days for smallies on the east side of the bay with good success. Yesterday was the slowest day for us but today it rebounded and was great fishing. I have found fish anywhere from 2-6ft. Today I was finding fish on wood, while the past two days I found them in very shallow relating to grass. Wacky rigged senko's where the top performers every day with Gulp! 4" minnow and the Rapala X-Rap close behind.

I will be out scouting walleyes in the morning, I think we will find some! Ill let you guys know how that goes. I know a lot of guys catching them in shallow in the head of the bay and kakogen area still. using crawler harnesses or Mr. Twisters on a jig head. Also people are getting into some bigger fish trolling stick baits out a bit deeper. My kicker will be on next week so I will be able to get out deep and fish Lake Trout, stayed tuned for those reports. If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer. You can also call or text me anytime 715-209-5843. 

 

 

 

Edited June 5, 2015 by Drew Matheus

[LoonASea]

I will be watching for your reports and they wont go unappreciated 

[Drew Matheus]

Well the walleye fishing wasn't great but it wasn't bad either. We ended up catching 6 in about 2 hours, all relatively small. we had 4 over the legal size limit. We fished on the east side of the bait targeting shallow water. 4-6ft. This cold front made them bite very light and we had to slow down our troll to about .7-.9 miles per hour. If you worked at it a bit you could easily get a limit of eaters for each angler. All fish came off green blades, we tried a number of other colors with nothing to show. Again if you are looking for big fish get out deeper and troll stick baits around weed beds. My favorite stick baits are Berkley Flicker Minnows and Deep Down Husky Jerks, all personal preference there. But for steady action on eater sized fish with a couple big ones mixed in, target the shallows this time of year. Many other boats were out with us as well some were catching fish some were not. Just remember to keep changing and trying new things (speeds, colors, depths, etc.) until you find what they like. Not many people fishing the head of the bay/pig iron area anymore for whatever reason. The fish are still there but they are probably just sliding deeper as the spring moves along. I have not personally fished that area for quite awhile now.

I know some of you are wondering about the Lake Trout action. Although the limit was lowered there is still great opportunity for trophy fish out in the islands. And if you get 3-4 guys together you can still get a meal out of your trip. I think in the long run we will be happy that they restricted the limit a bit. I will get a report posted for you on the laker bite next weekend as well as a up to date report on the fishing in the bay.

Till next time, Fish On!

Capt. Drew Matheus

[tunrevir]

Awesome to have someone over that way reporting Drew!  Look forward to your reports!

Tunrevir~

[Jarrid Houston]

Awesome Drew,  Glad someone is helping boost some looks into the forums in your area.  I guide over by Superior and only make it to C bay and the Apostles for some ice trips.  So its nice to have a guy keeping his finger on the pulse over there.  Look forward to meeting you some day man.  Take care,

JH

Edited June 10, 2015 by Jarrid Houston

[Jarrid Houston]

Love your area

[Drew Matheus]

Thanks Jarrid! We will have to get out fishing sometime.

 

Here is the Report...

Chequamegon Bay Fishing Report  Thursday, June 11

 

Finally some nice weather for us here on the bay! And with the nice weather there has been some great fishing action going on.

 

Smallmouth bass fishing continues to be world class in the Sandcut and Kakagen Area. Most of the fish I am finding are post-spawn now. I am catching fish in 3-6ft of water on just about every kind of bait. Wacky rigged senko’s (shown below) and other soft plastics are working the best. Work with a faster bait such as a crank or x-rap if you are unsure of where the fish are holding. Once you find them slow down and work the pod of fish. Another great option on calm days is to throw top-water baits, top-water works best in low light periods. The smallmouth fishing should stay good for a while yet in shallow, I’ll keep you updated.

 

Some walleyes are still being caught in the Kakagon Sloughs, mainly around the mouth. Not near the amount of fish being boated as last week. If you are on the hunt for walleyes you are going to have to start looking deeper in their summer haunts.  I have not been out walleye fishing much lately, when I go I will report what worked and what didn’t.

 

Trout and Salmon are being caught in 30-60ft of water mainly. Stickbaits, flies, and small spoons. Be sure to mix up your baits a lot and target all areas of the water column to find where the fish are sitting. Stickbaits have been the best for me along with spoons behind dipsys. Target points, turns, or other contours or structure that will hold fish.

 

Lake Trout fishing is starting to really heat up now. The lakers are now in their summer pattern and are very willing to bite. I like to target reefs, saddles, and shoreline breaks for Lake Trout. Our best luck has been on spin-n-glows with a dodger as well as naked spoons (no flasher or dodger).  I have been finding fish anywhere from 100-200 ft of water. As June goes this bite will keep getting better.

Good luck out there,

 

Capt. Drew Matheus

 

 

Edited June 11, 2015 by Drew Matheus

[rascal23]

Drew, 

Nice to see someone step in for Jim. I've been up there quite a few times for the smallies, both late spring and fall, as well as winter for lakers. Thinking about coming up next week. What I've been wanting to figure out is the early/mid summer pattern. I assume they spread out in the bay and relate to the various weed beds. Any tips on narrowing down the search?  Next week we would spend the majority in the cut and slough, but if we venture offshore a bit what depths would you suggest. Too early for the rockpile and breakwall?  Thanks for stepping up and filling the info void. I love coming up there and everybody I've had contact with have been super.

 

rascal

[Drew Matheus]

Rascal 23, Stick to the shallows next week, If it is slow jump out to the first breaks and you will find a bunch of fish. I normally catch fish in the shallows until early July, Oak point between Sandcut and Kakagon will hold a lot of late spawners as well as the length of long island. It is not to early for the breakwall and rockpile, I just heard someone did well off the breakwall. As for summer patterns these fish relate to small bottom structure and edges. Look anywhere from 8-15ft the majority of the time. Find a small drop with some wood or rock on it and you will find fish, weedbeds hold them as well. It is a whole new game when they move deep but if you work at it you will find areas that hold fish year after year. For next week and the rest of the month I would stick to shallows and first breaks though...

Capt. Drew Matheus

[rascal23]

Thanks for the tips, Drew. Depending on what the wind does, we'll probably be up Tues,Wed. Looking forward to getting back on the bay. It,s been a few years since we fished the cut and slough area. Been fishing the Ashland area the last few fall periods though, with good success and I'm sure we'll get back in Oct.    BTW, nice ice laker video. We'll be back for that as well. 

Thanks again, 

Ethan

[Drew Matheus]

Thanks Rascal23, That was a great weekend when we made that video! There are some monsters roaming out in those islands...

[Drew Matheus]

Hey guys, hope everyone had a great week!

I have been mostly lake trout fishing the past week and doing pretty well, yesterday was slow with less than 10 fish in the boat but other than that things have been going well. I am finding fish in 100-150 feet trolling spin n glows and spoons. I have tried my go to Brad's super bait but it isn't doing the trick just yet. Like normal years the fish have been slamming baits in the morning, then things really slow down after about noon. In the afternoon it seems they usually have 1 feeding period but it the time fluctuates, usually between 2-4. 

Bass fishing has still be great from what I hear. I was out monday evening and did very well again. Wacky rigged plastics are the way to go! These fish will be caught shallow as well in deeper summer patterns for a few weeks yet. As I said above; Breaks, Rocks, Logs, and Weeds are all good places to look in the summer months for smallies.

I was out last night trolling for walleye and ended up with 2 in about a hour, the rest of the time I was driving around looking for fish and fish holding structure (mainly weeds). I trolled in 18ft of water between the lighthouse and long island on the edge of some weeds I found using my locater. I have also heard the rock pile has pumped out some nice fish the past two nights. 

Drew

[rascal23]

Well we got on the bay about 4:00 Mon. afternoon - wind was blowing pretty good out of the NW. Kept us on the Kakagon side - along with everybody else, it seemed. Hit spots without boats on them and scratched up 1/2 doz.+ on 5 or so baits. Probably too shallow most of the time.

     Tues was much better with full sun. Fished off oak point on deeper gravel mostly, with a craw crankbait doing the best. Wacky dingers and trick worms also got quite a few. Several 19" fish being the best.  We tried some new spots on long island while the sun was still shining, then the clouds came and things got tougher. Really good day overall.

Rain on Wed. pushed us too toward home and fished a new lake with so so results. Drew,  has it been your experience that the smallies don't bite too well on overcast and drizzely days?  I'm going to try and get up there later this summer and do some exploring offshore.  Thanks again for all your reports. I'll be tuning more often to check them out.

Ethan 

[Rick]

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[Drew Matheus]

Rascal23, yes smallies love sun! I have found that they bite the best (in my opinion) when it is hot, sunny, and glass calm. But the clear skies are most important. I have had good days on clear windy conditions as well. You can catch them on cloudy days just be sure to slow down with finesse tactics and throw suckers out the back with a slip bobber will you move around casting. Glad to hear you had a good day off oak point!

Drew

[tunrevir]

Any new reports around the islands Drew?  Any coho and brown action to be found shallow?

Tunrevir~

[Drew Matheus]

tunrevir, yes absolutely cohos and browns can be caught right now. the tip of long island has been great lately as well as around island shorelines. Troll with a mix of baits that go different depths as well as spoons or flies behind dipsy divers to find what depth the fish are. 20-40 ft was best for me last time out, around long island. pay attention to your sonar and take note of fish or bait fish and what depth they are at.

Drew

[tunrevir]

Thanks Drew looking to head up that way and ply the waters a bit.  It is always good to have a starting point to go off of!

Tunrevir~

[Drew Matheus]

Well since I wont be out fishing tomorrow I will do a little report on the bay a day early.

I was out for bass on Sunday with Brian from Des Moines, Iowa. We had to work for our fish but ended up finding a good school in 4-5ft of water. Ended up with a bunch of fish but nothing huge. I think that will be my last shallow water trip of the year as it seems most fish are moving out to deeper water. I went out to check out the deeper water yesterday and found some great fish! I fished in 8-10ft with Berkley Gulp 4" minnows on a darter head jig. Focusing on the edges (breaks). If you are a shallow water addict there are still fish to be caught but it is now time to start moving out to find these fish. It came a bit sooner than I thought but either way they are still out there just change up your tactics. I have been out walleye fishing a few times since I last reported and it is a slow bite but I am catching some. 4-5 a night it seems (2 hrs fishing usually). Down deep husky jerk size 12 in bright colors have been by far the best for me. Lake Trout are what I will be really focusing on most of the time now for the next couple of months as well as staying on top of the bass and occasionally walleye. Lake Trout will be found in the same places I mentioned last week, and I will keep you up to date on the hot colors/areas. This week I was not able to get out there. Browns/Salmon/Nearshore Trolling is still going as stated above. If anyone has any questions on anything I'll be here!

With family up this week I have been busy, short report but not much time to type! Again any questions post them up and Ill be sure to answer.

Drew

[Drew Matheus]

I was out a bit over the weekend and fishing was pretty good. Friday evening I got out in some very calm conditions and sight fished for smallies. It was a great time and I ended up with 14 in the short time I was out. weightless plastics were the best. I used a wacky rigged senko most the time and also used a 4" gulp minnow. I worked from Sandcut up the Long Island shoreline. Saturday provided flat seas and we got out trolling for Lakers, we did well (besides losing "the big one" and getting snapped off.) We fished with Brads Superbait cut plug behind dodgers as well as with naked spoons. I was using smelt as well as gulp 4" minnows inside the cut plugs. I don't know how many we ended up with exactly but it was pretty good action besides one lull between 10:30-11:30. We fished in 115-130 as well as 150-175 feet of water. Purple was a great spoon color and watermelon plugs were working too. We did not get anything huge (weird) but we caught a lot of fish! Today I took the day off and went pigeon hunting with a couple buddys...well that was a mistake! Shot one pigeon in 4 hours and lost about 5lbs in sweat. We will have to wait for August for that I suppose. Anyways back to business tomorrow!

 

[Drew Matheus]

The start of the week has been great, it is going to be a busy holiday weekend so I am going to get a report in now.

The Lake Trout fishing is on fire! We have done well the last few times out on big fish as well as numbers. Trolling in 100-160ft of water typically. Purple and Chartreuse Spoons behind dipsys have been red hot for big fish! Play around with depths you run your dipsys at till you figure out where most fish are holding. Downriggers have been picking up a lot of fish within the bottom 15ft of the water column. Running glow spin n glows, cut baits, and flies all behind dodgers on these. I also have been running some spoons on the riggers.

I trolled for Browns/Salmon/Shallow Lakers Monday morning and did O.K. Trolled for a hour and caught 3 fish, all browns. fishing in 40ft of water with dodger and Howie's flies 20ft down caught all the fish. I had to cut the trip short due to a giant thunderstorm rolling in. After the storm I decided to try out some bass and I found them in shallow on the Long Island Shoreline. They were a tough go but I managed a few on a wacky rig.

All and all if you are going trolling I recommend heading deep for Lakers, and If you want to cast check out Long Island shoreline or offshore structure.  There have been a few people catching very nice pike in the bay around the breakwall soaking smelt as well.

Drew

 

[Drew Matheus]

I am also encouraging everyone and everyone to post up their input, thoughts, and reports in this thread! It is great to see what other people do, that is what makes us better anglers! Cool pictures, small fish, big fish, hot baits, it doesn't matter post it up and lets talk about it!