Northwoods Of Wisconsin Adventure

[Scott F]

I'm halfway through a vacation in Northern Wisconsin.  The first week found clouds and cold almost every day. On Tuesday, we had snow showers! The water temperature had fallen in the main lake from 57 degrees to the low 50's before recovering slightly on Saturday. The lake I'm on while not considered a trophy fishery is a bass factory with huge numbers of both smallmouth and largemouth. The steady stream of cold fronts has made the bass fishing more of a challenge than we usually see this time of year. By any other standards, we'd be having a great trip but our numbers up until yesterday were down from a normal year. 

  I spent the first week with Paul Trybul Sr. and yesterday, his son, Paul Trybul Jr came up to take his place for the second week.

It has been a multi-species trip. While we have only been fishing for smallies and largemouth, we also got walleye, muskies, pike, perch, crappies, bluegill and rock bass. Suspending jerkbaits have caught the majority of fish but senko type baits have been working and topwater baits has been taking largemouth in 54 degree water. I've also caught fish on spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits. A new bait I've been trying, the Rapala Shadow Rap, in the #11 size has caught bass, pike, crappie, perch and walleye.

 

This walleye I got was 26 inches

 

Northern pike 34 inches

 

Paul Sr with a smallmouth

 

Paul Jr with a nice largemouth

 

Some crappies that invited themselves to lunch.

 

One of my better smallies.

 

More cold with lows predicted to be 32 degrees on Tuesday morning but I'm sure we'll work our way through it.  

[KYBassin']

Scott- Thanks for sharing your trip with us.  Looks like you're getting it done despite the weather.  Enjoy the rest of your trip.  Good luck and be safe.

[Scott F]

Cold and windy today and getting colder. Water temps 54 degrees. The largemouths are a lot more active than the smallies are for some reason. Paul got a big fat 19 inch largemouth that had just a tail sticking out of his throat but still ate his jerkbait. Water was rough traveling to and from our fishing spots.

 

[KYBassin']

That's a nice fish.  Musta been hungry!  Heading up north tomorrow, hope the largemouths are hungry where I'll be.  Again, thanks for sharing.

[Cgolf]

Glad to hear things are looking pretty good up north with the ice coming off in time for the opener this year:) love northern Wisconsin bass fishing, almost everyone goes up to fish walleye and musky leaving the bass untapped and plent of big fish.

That shadow rap was really good to me too on the opener till A Pike stole it. Looks like Rapala has another winner.

[tipptruck1]

Glad to hear things are looking pretty good up north with the ice coming off in time for the opener this year:) love northern Wisconsin bass fishing, almost everyone goes up to fish walleye and musky leaving the bass untapped and plent of big fish.

That shadow rap was really good to me too on the opener till A Pike stole it. Looks like Rapala has another winner.

I see no need to even go up north for them. The WI river is loaded with big fish. I have caught many small mouths 4lbs plus. I have also caught a few over 5lbs. Same gos for muskies. The river is loaded with 40 plus in class muskies.