This report is about the Ashland side of Chequamegon Bay. The smallmouth fishing remains steady with plenty of fish around. You can sight-fish them in the shallows if the water is clear, and the rock pile, drop-offs and weedbeds are good spots as well.
The smallmouth bass are all over the bay, including in the shallows and wherever there are structures under the water. They are pretty much all in post-spawn mode now.
“The walleyes are in transition now,” said Carolyn Swartz, co-owner of Anglers All in Ashland. “They are starting to move away from the shoreline so people will have to look for them out in the deeper water.”
Folks are still getting some walleyes at the mouth of the Kakagon Slough, out by the rock pile, and over the weedbeds using crawler harnesses and stickbaits. They can be found in the drop-offs to the channel and at the bottom of the channel during high-sun days.
Trolling for trout and salmon has been decent offshore and out into the Apostle Islands, but there has been the occasional brown trout in the bay proper as well. The fish are shallow, or higher in the water column, early and move deeper as the day progresses.
Northern pike are being caught along shore and over the weed beds. “The Ashland shoreline provides a good opportunity to cast for northerns, panfish and bass in general,” noted Carolyn.
For the most complete and up-to-date fishing report, just give them a call at Anglers All and they will gladly keep you informed!
~ Fishing guides Roger LaPenter and Luke Kavajecz from Anglers All, 715/682-5754 (http://www.anglersallwisconsin.com)