I have been stir-crazy up in a tree deer hunting for the last several days. So no fishing for me. But I have been chatting with good reliable sources to get the report together best I can. This is always a challenging week as deer hunting does take priority for our team. The beauty of the annual Wisconsin deer hunt for me is the fact I get to sway up in the trees with no cell service with all the time in the world to meditate. For you other deer hunting folks, I’m sure you can relate to these woods therapy treatments. So good for the soul. Who knows, maybe I’ll shoot a deer before this week ends?
Oh yeah, Happy Thanksgiving angling/hunting nation. What a great holiday! Let’s dive in to our fishing report:
Lake Superior is still accommodating a few anglers out chasing big Chequamegon Bay smallmouth bass. This past weekend’s weather was ridiculously warm for this time of year. As I sat up in my tree stand, I definitely thought about how nice it would have been to be on the water. Sunny and nice kept anglers happy over in the Ashland/Washburn areas of Lake Superior. Hayden Anderson of Hayden Anderson Fishing reports the smallmouth bite is still there. He says water temps have been hovering around 47 degrees, which is too warm, making the bite slower than normal. Hayden would prefer a steady cooldown, which seems to keep the bite hot. Slower presentations and smaller/lighter weights on tubes and jigs have helped put more fish in the boat. Working the bait as slow as you can stand it. Staying mobile and not hunkering down in one area for too long has been the key. Hayden says 16-22 feet of water on rock/hard bottom areas has been the target spots. Hayden has put some beastly fish up to 21 inches in the boat this fall. Thank you, Hayden.
St. Louis River and inland lake fishing was awesome for those who got out. On the river, walleyes are biting on live bait dragged or jigged near channel edges. Some anglers even tagged a few fish trolling the flats in the lower sections of the river. Stickbaits slowly trolled over flats can turn fish many times of the year, even November.
Other than that, it is a good idea to think about winterizing your vessels if you have not done so already. I’ll dig into that more next week, but at a minimum make sure you have zero water on your boat. That includes your motor(s).
The most sought-after fish on the inland waters this time of year continues to be the elusive muskellunge. Big sucker minnows or slow retrieved minnow style baits should do the work. Walleyes are still easy targets, as well as good cold-water pike and smallies.
For this week’s deer hunting report, this is by far the slowest start to a hunting season I have experienced in my life. In our little slice of heavenly deer hunting grounds, only one gentleman has tagged out. That is one out of about 20 hunters, which is insane. Action has been sparse, and shooting has been even slower. Usually by this time of the year, we have had several deer down. With the warm weather, no snow, and clear overnights, I think the deer have just been very nocturnal. However, even the trail cams are not getting good pics of big bucks. I have certainly “cross-haired” a few animals, but our crew is very selective on pulling the trigger.
We will see you in the woods and on the water (ice covered soon).
Jarrid Houston of South Range is a fishing guide ( houstonsguideservice.com ) on Minnesota and Wisconsin inland waters, the St. Louis River and, in winter, on Lake Superior.
