Fishing with the Guides - Vilas County News-Review

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Color winding down, but fish still hitting

It certainly has been beautiful out there. I was wrong several weeks ago when I predicted the color was coming early, but it was right on time.
The bad thing is that the autumn color doesn’t last long enough.The recent rain has knocked some leaves down and lets us know that the end is coming. The next color, unfortunately, will be

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Walleyes moving to holes on Chain

It certainly has been beautiful out there. The great thing about fall is the wonderful color. The bad thing is the color doesn’t last long enough.
The warm weather we’ve had has actually raised the water temperatures on some lakes. The lakes range from 64 to 70 degrees.
A number of smaller lakes have completed the turnover process and

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Muskies getting active with turnover starting

As we move through the fall, turnover is starting on many area lakes. This has happened because of the cold nights. The last thing we need now is warmer weather, which tends to keep the effects of turnover longer.
If the lake you want to fish is green, with

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Walleye, muskie action can be good during fall

Today is the first day of autumn and there are splashes of color all over the place. It is beautiful out there, and will become more so in the next few weeks. The nights have been cooler and this is dropping the water temperatures into the 60s on most lakes.
The annual rite of turnover has started on some lakes. If it warms up, we’ll

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Quieter lakes, fall color make fishing nice now

Fall appears to be here. We are seeing a steady decline in the water temperatures and some color already along shorelines.
As anglers, the most important part of this is the decline in water temps, which triggers some feeding activity from walleyes and muskies. We are

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Fish moving deeper as water temps drop

We are definitely seeing signs of fall now as the nights are getting cooler, ferns are starting to get brown and some leaves are falling. It seems to be coming early this year.
The water temperatures are now down in the

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Water temps starting to drop as fall nears

It is hard to believe that we are in September already and that the summer is gone.
For anglers, we’d like a long, slow descent of the water temperatures. Things are looking more like fall as the weeds start to fall back and the water temps have fallen a little.
We’ve had enough rain to keep the water levels higher. All boat landings that we know of are in pretty good shape. Water recreation levels are down. All in all, we look forward to a good fall season

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Cooler temperatures better for fishing

It is heading for the end of summer now, but we still have some hot weather left. Water temperatures remain pretty high because of that warm spell, but with cooler nights now, we’ll see a slow drop in those temps.
As we have said, the

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Fishing remains solid for most fish species

We’ve had some great summer weather this week, but at night we’ve had the feeling of fall coming with cooler temperatures.
Water temperatures are cooling slightly on all lakes and for fish that is a warning that fall is coming. Days have

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There’s still time for summer fishing

With about 2 inches of rain last weekend, the fishing in general is very erratic, with great and poor fishing periods mixed together.
As we inch toward fall, the water levels remain high. Some weeds, especially the shallow ones, are starting to turn brown.
Walleye fishing remains good on the Chain with

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Summer fishing patterns working on most lakes

As we are now in August, we notice the shorter days and the cooler nights. With some rain, the lake levels are holding their own.
Soon, summer will be over. Boating traffic will slow down a little as we progress through August, which makes fishing a little more comfortable.
Walleye fishing remains good on the Chain, with

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Small walleyes hitting on Chain of Lakes

The weather is more consistent than earlier in the year. A good suggestion is to fish in the early morning and evening to avoid the warmth and boating traffic, especially on the Chain of Lakes.
Water temperatures are in the low 80s on some lakes. Weed growth is very good, but

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Fish are responding to consistent weather

Some consistent and warm weather has finally arrived in the North Woods. This is normal for this time of year. We feel that the fish will react to this consistent weather in a positive manner.
The water levels are good and

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Take advantage of summer fishing

With the mayfly hatch over, things are returning to normal on the fishing front. Water temperatures are in the 70s and pretty stable now. Nice cool nights are keeping it from getting into the 80s. Water levels are OK for now and weed growth is good.
Walleye fishing has

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Anglers battling changes in weather

Once again, the North Woods has been treated to a roller-coaster weather pattern, with cold and hot in the same week. Let’s hope that these patterns stop soon. Water temperatures are in the 70s mostly, but have been moving up and down.
Walleye are

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Bass, bluegills leading the way on area lakes

It is hard to believe that we are going into July already and that summer is nearly half over.
Water conditions are pretty good now and there is going to be a lot of traffic on the water with the Fourth of July coming. Expect water temperatures to be in the 70s for the most part. Boat launches will be crowded this weekend. It’s midsummer, so

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Cold front fishing tough for anglers

What unusual weather! We’ve had cold fronts, warm fronts and not much in between. All of this weather has had quite an effect on the fishing. This week is no different, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it.
The water temperatures have gone up and

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Water temps on rise as spawn winds down

After several days of thunderstorms, the North Woods is having almost perfect summer weather this week. The water temperatures have risen rapidly, into the mid 70s or even 80s on some dark shallow lakes.
Some fish are still spawning and

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Waters temps climbing with hot, humid days

What a change from the cold weather in May to the hot and humid temperatures in early June.
That inconsistent weather has the fish completely confused and we are concerned if some of the species, such as crappies, will spawn this year.
The lakes are warming up significantly with this warm weather and

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Cold fronts slow spawn for crappies, bluegills

Leading up to Memorial Day weekend, the North Woods experienced another roller coaster weather pattern with cold spring temperatures.
Water levels are high and the weeds are coming, but a little lower than usual due to the cold temps. They’ll come sooner than later.
Walleye fishing has been good, especially on

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Many fish in weeds at this time of spring

Hopefully, a short cold front last weekend was not enough to cause any spawning fish to move deeper. It’s been a very tough spring for the fish that are coming up to spawn on the shorelines and then a cold front hits, delaying fish activity.
Water temperatures are

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Fishing picking up with warmer temps

Finally the North Woods seems to be getting into a period of sustained warm temperatures, especially at night. It has been a roller-coaster spring for those water temperatures climb into the mid-50s on the Chain of Lakes. In general, the fishing season has been pretty good, with a nice perch and walleye spawn. A lot of anglers have

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Cool temps slow bite on area lakes

Once again we have been bedeviled by a pretty severe cold front, with cold days, wind and very cold nights. This has dropped the water temperatures significantly.
When it was so warm back in early April and even March, we

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Mostly male walleyes hit opening weekend

Fresh from the windy city! The opener was too windy for many anglers and drove them off the water, or worse, made them decide to do yard work. Until later in the afternoon when the sun heated up, it was a little cooler than expected.
All in all, it was an OK opener, with

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If water warms up, look for weed walleyes

It is the week leading up to the general fishing opener this Saturday, May 1, and anglers are starting to get excited about the weekend.
It is a favorite week for many anglers. Let’s hope that the weather cooperates, which hasn’t necessarily been the case this spring.
Despite the early ice-out, it has been a roller coaster

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Inconsistent temps tough on anglers

As we get ever nearer to opening day of the Wisconsin game fishing season on May 1, the weather is hard to figure out. The up-and-down temperatures are certainly having an effect on the water temperatures and the spawning activities of the fish.
Anglers sure wish the weather would settle down and

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Perch, crappies lead spring fishing parade

With spring in the air and the ice out on all area lakes, open water fishing has started for panfish on North Woods rivers and lakes.

There were a number of anglers with boats heading out on the Chain of Lakes Saturday looking for perch and crappies, but fewer on

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Plenty of fishing available this spring

With the ice having gone out almost everywhere, open water fishing has started. There were a number of anglers with boats heading out on the Chain of Lakes last weekend.
The Chain has dark water and

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First spring fishing means rivers, perch

With last Sunday’s snow and colder weather, a few dedicated crappie anglers still ventured out there for that last ice fishing outing.
The biggest thing about spring ice is that it weakens so much from the sun on the surface and you just can’t trust it. The other big thing about the ice at this time of year is that

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Lake ice fading with warm temps and rain

Man, is the ice going quickly this spring. The combination of very warm weather and the rain has made for a lot of black ice out there. To me, this ice is scary stuff and I won’t go on it, as it is honeycombed.
The other problem for ice fishermen is that

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Panfishing improves with spring ice melt

Spring is here! Just kidding, folks. We certainly have had some nice days in the last week or so, but just as certainly we will have some rough weather before the snow is gone. We’ve had a pattern of late snowfalls in the last few years and this writer thinks that will happen again this year.
The ice has taken a beating with the last warm spell, and

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Anglers concentrating on panfish in North

Well, the winter game fishing season is over for this year. The results were pretty good, despite the fact that it trailed off as usual in late February.
The season started pretty early for walleyes and stayed strong until that midwinter severe cold period in February. It never fully recovered after that, and stayed only “medium well” for the rest of the season. Overall, we would give it a

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Game fishing season ends Sunday, March 7

The North Woods had some absolutely wonderful weather following that severe cold stretch of early February. The nicer weather allowed a greater number of anglers to get out on the ice.
The great late-season ice fishing for panfish is here, though

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Fishing improves with rising temps

Absolutely beautiful weather followed the very cold weather during the first half of February, allowing anglers to get outside and enjoy what is left of winter.
There is only a little more than a week of game fishing season (ends March 7) and

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Warmer winter temps should help anglers

Frigid cold weather the last several weeks has reduced the number of ice anglers locally. This has been a winter of extremes, with nice winter weather for the first two months and really cold weather this month.
Now that we are in the second half of February, we

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Colder temperatures slow fishing in North

Winter is finally here — to a very high degree. Heavy snow cover, wind and really cold temperatures have made it much harder to be outside ice fishing. Nevertheless, there have been a number of serious guys and gals going out there.
There is now some slush on all lakes, but

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