Chequamegon Bay?

[Matt Breuer]

Thanks for the report and update Jim, I'll be over there with Northlander on Wed. Hope to see you on the ice!

[Jim Hudson]

Ok, will see you guys there... I think Northlander made it down today to fish off the coal dock, I had way too much snow to shovel this morning to even think of fishing. I hope the fishing picks up..

[Tarball]

Thanks Jim...........I was referring to those two places.

What I was really wondering about is ATV access I do not own a Snowmachine.

Thanks in advance

Tarball

[lotalota]

I was out off the coal dock yesterday AM. There were a few ATVs buzzing around but the snow is pretty deep.

Lota Lota...

[Matt Breuer]

But how'd you do fishing?

[scifisher]

How are the driving conditions? Do they have a road? Can I get by without an ATV or a snowmachine?

How is the fishing? What's biting? Where?

I am heading out on saturday so any info will be appreciated. I've got a sled and snowshoes in the truck if need be.

scifisher

[Quickstrike]

Hey Jim, were you thinking of going out for some Lakers tommorrow AM, if so I would be interested in trying to get out.

quik

[Jim Hudson]

I gotta get some stuff done tomorrow so I can get back out fishing. So tomorrow is a no go, possibly Friday if everything works out to plan. I have to get my hitch replaced for my trap, my GPS map chip took a dump so I have to find out what is wrong with that, and I gotta put a new voltage regulator in my sled. So tomorrow will be a busy day. But possibly Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, or two of them days or all three. I will let ya know after tomorrow.

And too the others, there was one wheeler out today near us and it seemed he was doing okay, but with the warm up we are expecting this weekend, I think that will be out of the question for traveling off major routes. Your best bet is to go off Keher Park as someone always plows the access and its good traveling out to 30FOW where there is probably a little bit more consistancy to the bite for salmon and trout species. Boys it was slow today, very slow!!!! But it was a northeast wind, overcast, and right on the full moon period. All of that makes for tough fishing on the big lake.

[Matt Breuer]

Jim, I didn't think it was all that slow...

Man you had a rough day, trailer hitch, GPS, my shack!!!

Anyway, thanks for sitting with me out there, it was good to have company! Next time hopefully the fish and weather cooperate!

[Jim Hudson]

Yeah, thats true.. lol.. I had fun anyways, fishing with new people is always a blast and catching fish is the bonus... Thanks for everyone that came down.. Northlander, Matt, Cheffery, Quickstrike, and Bob.. Was great fishing with you guys again/for the first time. The truck jumping was crazy, but still not as crazy as the mink ordeal.. LOL Now Matt, show the others a little taste of how you did!! I will leave the story and details for you to tell..

[Tom Linderholm]

Fishing might have been slow but it beat work! Glad to see you made it home safe Matt, it was great to meet you. I am sure the smallies arn't thinking that though.

[Matt Breuer]

Well here are a couple of the smallies that were caught today. I caught my fish on a Custom Jigs and Spins Slender Spoon. Gold/Glow 1/8 oz. with a shiner head.

20.25" smalljaw....

18.5" smallie...

Again guys, thanks a ton for the great company, and for joining us for a day on the ice! I was jealous about the coho Cheffrey caught, but thanks for letting me take 'er home to eat! It was really nice meeting you guys, and hanging with you again Northlander!

Thanks again!

[Quickstrike]

I"ll be at burntside all weekend, maybe sometime next week.

[Jim Hudson]

Now those are some thick and tough Chequamegon smallies w/ the battle scars to prove it!!! Is it 10 o'clock yet?

And for those who don't know, we have a 22" minimum size limit here on the bay for these smallies. All fish were CPR'd or C&R'd to someday be caught by another lucky bass fanatic.

Nice Fish Matt!!!!

[Quickstrike]

nice fish matt! those pics turned out really nice. by the way how'd that coho taste?

[Matt Breuer]

Quickstrike, I'll let you know! I plan on using you guys' recipes tomorrow night! It was great meeting you and hopefully we can hit the ice again sometime!

As for the 10 o'clock thing, that was neat. Jim proclaimed that 10 was the "hot time" all morning. We caught nothing all morning, then at 9:50 I lost one, 9:55 first smallie, 10:05 Jim lost one, 10:15 2nd smallie... etc...

[PerchJerker]

Hey Jim, great reports.

It's been several years since I fished the Bay, and never through the ice, but I got a call from a buddy in Eau Claire this week and we're going to try to make a trip for Lakers somewhere around the Apostle Islands next weekend (Feb 5). From what he told me the plan is to bring snowmobiles and portable houses and head for DEEP water

Got any advice, tips, suggestions, current reports, etc. for someone who's never caught a trout through the ice before Thanks!

Guess what, I just found your thread on Lake Superior Lakers. Lots of good info. I think our plan is to go to Bayfield and take off from around there - but he said we would not be fishing near the road to Madeline Island.

[Jim Hudson]

Well Perch, I would love to give you some good news on fishing here for lakers, but this year has really been hit or miss for fish. It is nothing compared to last year and well thats because a lot of people can not get to places that hold a lot of fish, including spots that are known for bigger fish. People are getting fish, but its been spotty. Some people report good catches while others report nothing. There was a week where fishing was pretty hot (right when people started poking around for lakers), then we got a bunch of snow and screwy fronts that came through and it hasnt been that "hot" since. People have been passing the day away by catching whitefish when the lakers arent seeming to cooperate. You will see a lot of suspended fish in groups on your electronics, most probably these will be whitefish or herring. But sometimes you will mark a lone fish high in the column, reel up and see what ya might find !!

If your heading off Bayfield, you will probably be heading around Basswood Island or Hermit Island or maybe even deeper into the islands if your friend has reports of good ice. From what I hear, there are people making it out towards Hermit, but the ice is still shaky out that way. So becareful if you guys do venture out that way. And watch out for slush pockets in and around Red Cliff and near shore by Bayfield. In reference to even good ice, just the other day we had a big west wind, where there was good ice out from Raspberry Bay to Raspberry Island, and that ice got turned into ice chunks quickly and blew out. So take that as some advice if you see big winds in your forcast. Northeast winds and hard west winds can really cause havoc to ice conditions in the big lake.

Other then the safety precautions, your friend seems to have fished these lakers before and should know how to present to them. Big tackle is the name of the game, where some people use wire on bobbing sticks or hoops and others such as myself use superbraids/fused line on baitcasting equipment. The standard beetle type lures (airplane type jigs) are an good all around lure out there, tipped with cut herring. White is the color you should start with and if the current allows you, stay at an ounce or an ounce and a half. Sometimes you may have to go bigger. One thing I like to do, is tip the beetle with a white twister tail, gives a little bit more action along with the swimming action of the beetle and the flutter of the cut bait. Also, I have good luck using jigging spoons and lindy flyers, some people never switch from the beetles as they are the mainstay for most laker catches on the lake. This year, I have iced 7 lakers on the big lake, and none came on a beetle. So with the way fishing has been this year, that could tell you something.

I wouldnt call myself an expert at this, but each day I learn something new after chasing these deepwater lakers through the ice. But I do know it is always an experience here on the big lake. They may nip at ya or they may crush your hand to the ice!!

I hope your enjoy your time out there and hook into a big ol' laker. Good luck out there and be safe.

[PerchJerker]

Well JKH, it didn't take long before our plans changed. My buddy in Eau Claire talked to the guy he knows in Ashland that we were going to fish with, and that guy said pretty much the same thing you did about the ice --- pretty iffy out there right now where the big fish live. So we decided not to make the trip next weekend.

Our schedules don't match up again until March, so we're hoping we can make it out there then.

My buddy's friend in Ashland (I don't know his name) sounds like a diehard that likes bobbing. My buddy and I are going with the rods and the baitcasting reels and the superbraids. It sounds like a blast, I can't wait to try it.

Thanks again for the great info.

[Jim Hudson]

Sorry to hear you cant make it. I heard some decent reports today on lakers being iced. Hopefully it will be the same when I am out chasing them for a few hours tomorrow.

Fished the Bay today, with Pete and Eric. Hopefully the fishing picked up a little bit after I left them two. Was pretty slow all day. A few fish caught but nothing to write home about. Was pretty much the entire story for the Bay, but it was a plus to hear the laker catches picked up with a few nice fish iced today from what I heard.

[little perch 1]

JKH,

I will be comming up to Ashland in sometime in early Feb.I was wondering could you please point me in a direction where I could get into so fish on the bay.More than likely I will be moble on two feet don't own a snowcat.I also do not have the stuff for deep water fishing so I would have to be fairly shallow. If you understand what I mean.Thanks Again for any information.

[Jim Hudson]

Little Perch, the bay fishing is slow now days and it will probably stay like this until late ice. You can still catch fish, but you either have to wait them out or move a lot to contact the fish.

Your best bet will be to go off of Keher park in Ashland, where there is plowed roads now for access with a vehicle. There are people out there in cars and two wheel drive trucks, just stay on the road and hike your portable a little ways off the road. Try to get out beyond the end of the oar dock in depths of 20FOW or deeper. Here you may come across a variety of fish ranging from splake, salmon, browns, bass, perch, walleye, whitefish/herring, burbot, etc etc.. This time of year, the most active fish you will find are smelt and these little buggers will be toying with you all day.

Some other good spots you could try if you dont mind walking out are off Washburns coal dock or west end park, get out into the same depths or a little deeper. Also, the Sioux and Onion river area can be accessed by foot. Good luck out there..

[Bronze Backs]

Jim, good meeting you. Too bad the fish didn't cooperate as it was the most comfortable weather condtions a guy could ever ask for. The fishing did not pick up after you left. We iced 1 or 2 more, but that's it. The slowest I've ever seen the Bay that time of year. On the positive side we found some decent sunnie action on the way home and I get a fresh whitefish & sunnie dinner tonight! I'm going to try like heck to get back up there before the ice melts.

-Eric

[Northlander]

Jimbo I have Thurs/Friday off. Where are we chasing Lakers? e-mail me the details if ya can.

[Jim Hudson]

Mail has been sent... I can fish during the day either Thur/Fri... Laker fishing has been a okay out here on the big lake besides all the slush pockets... One guy was out on a wheeler today and did alright but I would advise everyone stick to a snowmobile. People are driving the ice road now...

Eric, I know what you mean about slow on the bay... I have seen it slow like that, but never for such an extended period of time as this year. Fishing was hot at first ice and then just down to nothing. I guess I was spoiled last year when fishing was pretty consistant out there all ice season long. Anyways, let me know when your up here again. And if you and Pete can, get some laker gear and get up here cause the fish have been snapping the past few days...