Fishing with the Guides - Vilas County News-Review
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  • Cold weather, wind make ice shelters a good idea

    As the winter progresses, we get some good weather at times and some bad weather. This is the time of the year that our weather seems to be on the bad side, with low temperatures and wind. Cheer up; we’ll soon be in February, with more good than bad. 

    At this time, most ice anglers are using shelters for protection from the wind, but
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  • Ice fishing conditions are ideal for January

    We’re now in the heart of winter and things are looking pretty good as far as fishing goes. It was such a crazy and inconsistent start to the ice season that it was impossible to say how the season would go. Luckily, no one in the area went through the ice, but that first ice was pretty bad. Repeated warm spells made it even worse, but
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  • Ice angling conditions, success very good

    As we head toward midwinter, the ice fishing situation has stabilized considerably. There are very good numbers of ice anglers going out almost on a daily basis. We have had some snow and cold, but the ice is running from 8 inches to 14 inches thick on most lakes. You’ll see autos on many lakes now, and four-wheelers and snowmobiles on all lakes. Unless
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  • Good ice, no slush a welcome change

    Good ice, no slush a welcome change

    Thanks to a major pre-Christmas thaw followed by a holiday cold snap, we finally have some good ice and no slush on the majority of lakes. We are now seeing a good number of anglers on the ice and many of them are venturing out on snowmobiles, ATVs and even side-by-side UTVs. Many of the lakes with snowmobile trails crossing them have
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  • Ice is in good shape on North Woods lakes

    Ice is in good shape on North Woods lakes

    We finally have some pretty good ice out there, so let’s all hope that we do not get any more “weird” weather to screw it up. We are now seeing a good number of guys on the ice and they are reporting some good action, we just hope the coming snows aren’t too severe.

    With a little more snow, the
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  • Warm temps make better ice formation

    Warm temps make better ice formation

    What a bit of weather we experienced last week, with a nasty piece of wind to add to the mix. We’ve lost the balance of snow that we had, but that was not a bad thing for the ice, as the ice is now forming well on the area lakes. The warmth and the rain knocked the snow down on the ice and it has made for much better ice fishing conditions out there. The snow turned to water and
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  • Weird weather impacts ice

    We continue to get just awful weather for ice development, with the certainty of a lot of slush developing with this snow. Our only hope at this point is that this warm weather coming will cause the snow cover on the ice to thin significantly. With the weird weather we’ve had so far, who knows?

    Much to our surprise, there were a number of ice fishermen getting out last weekend for
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  • Need more cold to improve lake ice

    Need more cold to improve lake ice

    There’s not a lot to write about this week in the ice fishing world, as the ice is still thin and we had another snowstorm over the weekend.

    This second early winter snowstorm is not what we as ice anglers hoped for. It looks like it could be another slush season, as the ice we do have is cracked due to
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  • Ice anglers to pursue walleyes, perch first

    The snow over the weekend and on Monday is sitting right where we don’t want it — on the ice. At this point, we are worried about ice development with all that insulation on top of the lake ice.

    This is beginning to resemble
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  • Ice fishing nears here as lakes freezing up

    Ice fishing nears here as lakes freezing up

    We are so close to ice fishing now that the hard water anglers can taste it. If it will stay cold now, the ice will form fast. Small lakes and bays already are covered with a thin layer of ice.

    This is a good time to remind everyone to
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  • Many looking toward ice fishing on lakes

    There is not a lot going on in the fishing world at this time, just a few diehard muskie fishermen and one or two walleye anglers out there.

    Open water is almost done for the year and many anglers are now seriously looking forward to the ice fishing season. With the cold temperatures, the water is looking more and more like
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  • Anglers still trying for muskies, walleyes

    We are ever so slowly coming to the end of the open-water fishing season, with many anglers turning their thoughts to the ice fishing season.

    There is some fishing left, mostly for walleye and for muskie. Water temperatures are now in the 40s and will be sinking more later this week with colder air and some snow moving into the North Woods. Nothing could be worse than
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  • Walleyes, crappies moving to holes

    Hopefully, many outdoor enthusiasts were able to take advantage of the beautiful weather in the North Woods over the weekend. Now the weather is finally settling into a more normal pattern for this time of year.

    Anglers are seeing many lakes in the process of fall turnover right now and
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  • Walleyes, muskies still on anglers’ radar

    The water temperatures are falling quickly in lakes across the North Woods and we are seeing the process of turnover taking place on many lakes. This does make fishing tougher, but when the lakes clear up after turnover, anglers get some of the finest fishing of the fall for walleyes and muskies. 
    Lake levels, if
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  • There’s still time for walleyes, muskies

    There’s still time for walleyes, muskies

    It is sad to see all or most of the fall color gone. I wish there was a way to make it stay longer. Now that the late fall season is upon us, we have a lot to look forward to for hunters and the late fall anglers. There’s a lot more room around the lakes for the fall muskie and walleye anglers.
    Water temperatures are
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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
    read the full story

  • 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
    read the full story

  • 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
    read the full story

  • 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