Weekly Fishing Report

Bass, northern and panfish putting on a strong bite, with muskie picking up, along with a subtle walleye bite, in the Eagle River, Wisconsin area.

The winds of change are coming in the weather and the fishing will go right along with the fishing getting steadily better in the Eagle River area.

The bass bite is still first rate. Largemouth continue to ambush small spinners, topwaters or plastics in and around weeds in depths to 6 feet.
Keep keying on structure (stumps, deadfalls, piers, etc.). Ther smallies are parked in deeper water for the most part, sometimes down 20+ feet.
Whole crawlers are working best. Find areas of reeds sticking out of the water, and Rattler in there. Mepps, Timberdoodles also work well when tossed into the reeds where the crankbaits can't go.

Northerns are all over the bigger chubs in the Eagle River area. Work one through the weeds or hooked beneath a float. That's the hot presentation right now. Larger buzz baits or a Creeper over the weeds will also get smacked.

Panfish action is A plus right now in the Eagle River area. Nice sized perch remain in and around the weeds in depths to 18 feet. If there's gravel or sand around, even better. Small jigs and large fatheads or a piece of crawler are working. The bluegills diet still consists of small leafworms, tube jigs and cubbies. Bobber fishing is most effective. The crappie, once located are getting huge and don't be afraid to up the bait size. Anglers using extra large fatheads and walleye suckers for these fish, are getting lots of slabs. Find the old cribs, deeper stumps and weeds and use the bobber and jig combination to cover water. The crappie are still very mobile, so be prepared to move to stay with the fish. The action has been really good and will improve even further with the cooler weather.

Many times the early mornings are calm and shrouded in fog. This is an excellent time to try for musky in the Eagle River area. Use a Suick, Hellhound, Topraider, Undertaker or any number of noisy topwater or jerkbaits. Work weedlines anywhere from 6 to 12 feet and follow through with a figure eight. The most productive times run from about 5:30 am to 8:00 am, but it's changing rapidly as we lose light everyday now. As the day brightens, work some of these same areas with larger bucktails, Shallowraiders, Big Game or Smity's.

For walleyes in the Eagle River area, park over sand flats or rock in 10 to 15 feet of water. Use a fathead or crawler, or drift with a crawler harness. Slip bobber rigs are almost required now, but jigging at the same time in these areas is turning up some whoppers. The bite a VERY SUBTLE, especially if you can still find a leech to use, so be aware of the slightest tap on your line. Early & late, target the 5 to 10 foot weeds with fatheads. Better bite is during low light hours, but during daylight, if there's cloud cover and little chop in the water, it's prime time.

Hunters should now be getting up to Eagle River for the unmatched fall hunting opportunities, including black bear, deer, waterfowl, geese and game birds such as grouse. And don't forget that the fall up in Eagle River for the wonderful fall season.

(Report for the Eagle River Chamber of Commerce based on Creative Brilliance interview with Mike Michalak of Guides Choice Pro Shop).