Weekly Fishing Report

Steve Sedani (L)
Up Der North Guide Service

Week of 6/19/2017
School is out for summer, which means we are in the prime of the boating and summer fishing season, with family vacationers visiting Chetek and enjoying our small, little piece of paradise!

Walleye anglers are reporting some very good walleye fishing in the morning and early evening hours of the day. Anglers are catching them many different ways—some are trolling with artificial baits and picking them up, while others are fishing live bait rigs, such as slip bobber rigs with fathead minnows, walleye suckers, night crawlers or leeches. Also, Little Joe spinners can work well when trolling with live bait and work well when just drift fishing the shorelines and sandbar’s. Please mind and pay attention to the slot limit that has been installed on the Chetek Chain of Lakes. 

Northern pike anglers are finding some good action in the bays where there is some good weed growth and weedlines to drift and cast. Rapalas, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, daredevils and silver minnows work well to entice some of the big pike in the Chetek Chain. Fishing the early morning and early evening hours of the day can be the best time to catch them feeding on bait fish in the bays and along weedlines and edges.

Bass anglers are finding the fish in their summer patterns and hanging by shade trees, dock postsand fallen trees along the shorelines. Flipping and pitching jig and craws, Texas-rigged craws, worms or tube jigs can work well along the banks. You will also find them in the lily pads, weed edges and cattail areas of the Chain of Lakes. Along with flipping and pitching, anglers can also throw artificial floating frogs or rats along the water surface in these areas to get some big strikes from the lurking largemouth under the cover of vegetation.

Crappie anglers are having some good rod-bending action as they drift the many areas where there is submerged wood in 7–11 feet of water. Drift fishing these areas will help you to find the feeding schools of crappies. Drifting and vertical jigging your favorite crappie jig tipped with a waxie or a crappie minnow with an occasional jerk motion will entice them to inhale your bait. If the wind is not too strong, you can use a bobber rig also tipped with a minnow or a waxie. 

Bluegill anglers are finding the bluegills to be done with their spawning and getting into their summer patterns near deep woods and stump structures visible on the water surface. Anglers will find them in various water depths; you may find them in 5–7 feet of water and also in 10–12 feet of water at this time of year. A simple bobber rig or a slip bobber rig can work well to float your hook by them with a waxie or earthworm on it for bait.

Good luck to all anglers and safe travels on the road and on the water.  

You can get this report and more every week in the Chetek Alert!