TAINTER LAKE

PLANNING A TRIP TO MY CABIN ON LOWER TAINTER 6-27-04 OR 7-4-04.WONDERING WHAT LAKE CONDITIONS ARE NOW. I KNOW THE BOARDS AT CEDAR FALLS DAM GO OUT QUITE OFTEN AND WAS WONDERING IF THE LAKE IS UP NOW. IS SHE GREEN YET? ANY FISHING REPORTS WOULD BE APPRECIATED.THANKS, MIKE

The lake is drawn back down now. It is starting to green up but not real bad yet. The lower lake is producing the best action, at least it was a few days ago. Trolling floaters and livebait or trolling cranks on 3 ways are both putting fish in the boat. My best bite came on #5 jointed Raps, I was working the drop off into the main channel on the lower lake.

I’ve been fishing Tainter occasionally and the action for better quality fish has been hit & miss. Lots of sublegal fish in the bass & walleye variety to be had. The fish tend to be real scattered with no real pattern developing for me. Walleyes have been caught trolling cranks or jigging breaklines. Have also caught a few shallow pitching for bass. Bass are also real scattered. Some on the rocks, some on the wood, & some in the weeds. Best baits for bass have been top-waters and Senko style baits. For me, the key has been to just stay mobile & try a variety of spots and techniques. Most of my time has been spent on the upper lake & the channel between upper & lower. Good luck.

Hi eelpout. welcome to the site. Please let us know how you do while your at your cabin. Steve

THANKS FOR THE INFO GUYS. STILL NOT SURE WHEN IM HEADED UP NEXT WEEK OR THE WEEK AFTER THE 4th.BUT SURE AM GLAD TO HEAR THE WATER IS UP.DO YOU GUYS FISH BELOW CEDAR FALLS DAM OR RED CEDAR BELOW MENOMIN AT ALL. ANY REPORT WOULD BE GREAT. THANKS AGAIN,MIKE

HECK, ILL HAVE YA COME OVER FOR A LIENNE OR 6 AND TELL YOU HOW I DID. THANKS FOR THE WELCOME. MIKE

Heck I’ll bring the Leinie’s !

I DO BELIEVE MY BEST FISHING PARTNER IS CRAPPINN OUT ON ME THIS TRIP, SO I GUESS ILL HAVE TO FISH SOLO .LINNIE I CAN PUT YOU ON FISH ON TAINTER ,IF YOU CAN GIVE ME THE SKINNY ON MENOMIN!LOOKS LIKE IM LEAVING ON THE 4H. MIKE

I plan on hitting Menomin with Jackie (my wife) on Monday. We will be after crappies, gills, perch. I will also be targeting some larger toothy critters with my new St. Croixs and other musky stuff I have been spending my overtime money on. I should be able to give you a heads up on Menomin after Monday. I will also be running some boards close to shore with some shallow running cranks for walleyes if time permits.. . What are you targeting on Tainter and what are you after on Menomin? Don Hanson fishes Menomin and gives a pretty good report so if you stay up with the information in those you should do pretty well. I hope to be able to put some photo’s on the site here early next week and give you a better handle on whats happpening.. Steve

LINNINE, I go for a couple of pan fryin eyes for a fry, some slabs for back home freezer, and do love to fish the smallies. tubes on on slow twich have allways done me well. never fished menomin on soft water just ice back in the bay by the cemetery.did you get out yesterday? report?

Yep made it out with Jackie yesterday and I have good news and not so good news. It was a beautiful morning that’s the good news and the not so good news was we were after gills and crappies and they were not biting. We tried a little drifting hoping for some perch and Jackie lost a walleye at the boat.(I wasn’t fast enough on the net). We did manage to catch a smallie,rock bass, something larger that busted offf but no crapppies or gills? I would concentrate on trolling or drifting if I was to go out again. I may be able to get out on the lake the 3rd or the 5th or both. I would concentrate pulling some boards up close to shore with a shallow running rapala or maybe a sparkle tail or your favorite bait and try and stay in that 7 or 8 foot break. Other thatn that I would troll the drops or drift them. Are you still going to be up this weekend? Steve

im also planning on going up to tainter this weekend, i was wondering if the boards are still up and the lake is at its normal water level. the boards being down can really mess up a weekend of fishin. please let me know. thanks

YEP, COMMING UP ON SUNDAY! YOU CAN’T BE FAR FROM FROM THE JACK HARMON CHICKEN FEED ARE YOU? GOOD PLACE TO MEET YOU MEAL IS ON ME . MY PARNTER, MY SON, HAS TO DECIEDED TO COME UP WITH ME. HARMON PUTS THE FEED ON AT A GUN CLUB JUST SOUTH OF MENOMONIE AND I DO THINK IT’S THE FIRST WEEK OF EVERY MONTH. GET BACK MIKE

Nope not far at all. I can smell that chicken on a night with a southern breeze. I’ve got more good news bad news. John still has his dinners there and you do need an advance reservation. The bad news is it’s tomorrow night Thursday the 1st. of July. Good try though. Steve

“CRAP” Chicken feed or not i’m up on sunday. Do you know if tainter is up to normal level? MIKE

leinie:

You coming back up north to chase big green toothy critters?

Is that John, TJ? If it is, he cooks a great meal and eelpout should go down to the bar and get a meal!!! That way he will never miss the chicken.

Mark

Hi Mark. Jackie and I just did a spur of the moment up north road trip, Just north of Drummond Saturday afternoon spent the night in Iron River, Sunday am hit Washburnn Bayfield,Ashland,Hurley,Menocqa,Rhinelander for the night hotel next to Home Depot. Had lots of drinks in the hot tub and just relaxed. It rained all day Saturday the day we were going fishing we blew it off. Jackies sister lives on Indian Lake (Sugar Camp area. just off of hwy 17. Monday am hit Eagle River, then headed across state and found a relly large flea market so that slowed us down a bit. took hwy 70 across the state through Winter, then down to 53 then hwy 25., I think we got home around 8:30 pm It was a fun weekend. I’ll have to get up that way after some green toothys though. Nope not TJ but he does cook some good chicken and biscuits also. Steve

Lienne, Did quite well on the taint and not half bad near the cut off on the red ceder. Top water POP-R’s were the ticket for the larger fish. Bite on minnows was slow’ crawlers and leeches on a drift was awesome.14ft to 18ft was the was the depth for the the cookie cutter eyes 13-14 ins. TJ’S on the prior post, is that the bar with the sirlon smothersd in mushrooms? Downsville right? I’f my son can figure out how to scann and print the pics of the trip i’ll send them off. mike

Anything happening on tainter or menomin? thanks in advance,MIKE

I haven’t been out on Menomin lately. Tomorrow Jackie and I are heading towards Cumberland area lakes she’s looking for some crappies, gills, perch. and I’m searching for a 55 inch musky. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to do when I catch it tomorrow as I don’t have a net that big. Actually it’s my first musky hunt this year just trying out some new gear and baits I’ll let ya know how we do. My last trip out was over at Algoma after Chinook Salmon. See my report on those it was a lot of fun. Steve.

Mike, the lakes have greened up alot. Trolling spinners on Menomin yieled a few eyes today, nothing big though.

Don, Thanks for the report. I can see the green. Keep the reports comming.What happened to Coot? I thought he fished the TAINT & Menomin quiet a bit. I should be up in another couple of weeks so all reports are apprecieted. I suppose by then the lake will be like pea soup. Does any one have any info on the work they are going to do on the cedar falls dam? Installing a bladder system I hear, and they are dropping the water level. Just dont know when or for how long. Mike

I’m still here eelpout, and am still fishing both lakes. Menomin has been doing little better for me. Have been getting some fish on Tainter, but mostly sub-legals. Am gonna be spending most of my time on Menomin. Probably won’t hit Tainter again until fall. Last I heard they were gonna work on the dam next year. Not sure exactly when or for how long.

Coot, Good to see you havent given up the sport. Keep me posted on the reports. Thought you might be spending your time golfing. MIKE

Nope, not golf ‘pout. But as green and full of grass that Menomin & Tainter are right now, a guy does feel like he’s on the links chasing a little white ball from time to time.