Its Been Awhile

It has been way to long since my last post. That is not how I want my Blog to go. A few posts, then gone. As I feel the times we live in now need attention, and folks need to be informed about the world around them, even us little guys who live in tiny towns in the back woods. Doing a Blog keeps me going about the world around me and my small town, and community  I live in.  So lets get started up again shall we?

Fishing

The fishing is now really picking up. We are a few weeks behind as our water temps are still on the cool side. The pan fish are biting great! Folks are using small leaf worms, crappie minnows, even Fat heads for the pan fish.

Bass season is not yet opened, but it is catch and re lease. The bass should be on their spawning beds. Now, I do not know this for sure. I have been down for a week with a bad cold/flu bug that is going around. One of the local bait, gas stations I help at when needed, I did help on Memorial weekend. We sold a lot of bait, and the guys told me they where all so doing very well catching a number of fish. Being sick meant I have not been out fishing either, I am going through fishing withdrawals as I type this. It had been two weeks since I have been out, my dear husband too.

Water temps are starting to warm up, I would start fishing with leaches now. We did sell a good amount of leaches too. Our weather has yet to make up its mind. Yesterday, today, until this weekend, our temps have been  darn right hot and humid. This weekend, a cool down by 30 degrees the weatherman is saying. That will put us around the 60s. I am sure we will get some good storms with the cold front moving through, right before the weekend. That can slow fishing down a bit.

I am going to do some checking, and get back to my post later. Next will be how our local businesses did on Memorial Weekend.

I can not believe I am a week plus behind!

 

Fishing, Weather, North Woods

Saturday morning sun gave away to rain in the afternoon. I was surprised the amount of bait we sold, and the fishing reports I was told. Seems the rain did not dampen the fishing.

Good size Walleye where being caught. I had one report of a 7 pounder. Now, that could have been a “fish tale,” but he all so caught some nice Northern too. The lakes being fished are in the National Forest. We have great Walleye and Northern lakes, plus Bass lakes.

The bait of the weekend, Fat Heads. Crappie minnows all so sold well too. The Blue Gills should be biting good now, all though I have not heard any reports. We fish when the Lillys just start coming up, and in shallow water, right by those weeds and lillys.

Guys are starting to use leaches more too. I do not start using leaches this early, but hey, I all so am do not call myself an expert fisherman either. I have just been fishing the lakes in the National Forest since I was old enough to hold a fishing pole. I do imagine the lake temps in the shallows are warm and the leaches might not be curling up on the hook.

Despite the rainy Saturday, fishing was good! Are lakes are still quiet as the water temps are still to cold for much of the water sports folks enjoy. Take advantage of that and go fishing. Any day out on the lake fishing is a good day!!

The weather has been a bit soggy this spring. Green up is well on its way, the trees are starting to get green with little leafs budding out. The apple trees and other blossoming trees are close to showing their spring flowering. Still lake levels are low, some boat landings can be a challenge. The snow we did get this winter was a “dry” snow, and did not help our lake levels. Some improvement is starting though.

Our big weekend is fast in coming!!! The make or break weekend we call it. We need sunny skies and warm temps.  A light rain at night, is the sound of a Mothers lullaby.

And as always, if you want to know the lakes that the fish are being caught, drop me comment I would be more than happy to tell you and to help you out in any way I can.

Monday

A Little Bit Of Everything

Monday morning, and a perfect morning too. Granted I do not have to work today, but after such a long winter I do not think any one would complain. Waking up to the songs of the Robins and other summer song birds. A light breeze blowing in the bedroom woke me up this morning.

I went for a mile walk this weekend too. I took both of my big German Shepherds. I did not plan on going for that long of a walk. The dogs did so well and they enjoyed themselves greatly.

It did not go without a few laughs though. Two dogs on a leash and one snowmobile sign still up. I think another dog mark that sign post as his own. I have my male trying to mark it, my female trying to smell it, and we ended up in one big tangled mess. We did make it out of that mess fine. I do wonder what the people driving where thinking though?

Our second surprise a hole! Not just any old little hole that one might see and think, hey, there is a hole, we have to walk around it. I am thinking, it was an animal den, a big one at that. The dogs caught some sent just off the snowmobile trail, that is right next to the highway. My male and female pull me right over there. No big deal, they wanted to smell something, I was a bit taken back that they pulled that hard. That should have been my first clue! Then it happens. My male falls in this HUGE hole! I mean these are big dogs! All I could see was the black on his back. He gives a little wimp, my female, she freaks out on me. Like, Mom, help!! She runs back to her brother, whining and checking him out. I can just imagine what was going through her mind. I make my way over there, after Tonka, my male calms down, he gets out like it was no big deal!! Sage, the female she was checking him over like a good sister would do.

This hole was covered by leaves, sticks, dead grass. Bear den, Badger? I do not know. The good part, the hole was right across the road from my Mothers house, the goal of the walk.

Needless to say, my Mom took us back home in the car!

I love to walk this time of year. The smell of spring is really in the air! We do not have leaves on the trees yet. This is late for us, but not uncommon. The trees do have buds on them, and some of the Pussy-willows are out. The grass is brown and ugly, we are starting to get patches of green though. The Meadow I live in, all brown dead grasses still. I can not wait for “green up” as it is called. The wild flowers, the grass in the Meadow flows like waves on the beach in the breeze.

We did not have a lot of folks up for the opener of fishing this year. Not like in years past. I can not blame people. The job losses, gas prices, and the silly slot sizes the DNR has on our lakes. Some lakes, you can only keep two walleye and they have to be in the slot size. Why? I will not get in to that debate, it is a big debate up here. And people have their opinions and I have mine.

Well folks, have a great Monday and a great week!

Fishing Report

Opening Day Fishing Report

As I said yesterday I would post the fishing report from the big opener.

My group did well. It was a hit and miss day, as I talked to the locals, and our folks that came up to fish our water. Most where just happy to be on the lakes as it was a great day to be in a boat.

Our group caught four walleye that where keepers. My husband is a catch and release fishermen, his two where put back in the water for others to catch and enjoy. We had two boats out, four people. The other boat also caught two keepers, they will be enjoyed, with fish from ice fishing this afternoon for Mothers Day. walleye in the slot size were caught too. Check the boat landing for size and limit on the lake you are fishing. Northern and Bass where hitting good for our group too. If anyone leaves a comment and ask what lake they where on, I will sure tell you!

Fat heads seemed to be the bait of choice and is what “my guys” caught their fish with. In fact the bait store/gas station I help out on weekends, we went through most of our Fat Heads, and had more coming in. The Walleye Mix sold good too. Like I tell the guys, ” that way you will know what the fish are biting on, if you keep watch what minnow was used that caught the fish.” But the Fat Heads won the day!

It seems the smaller lakes did better than the bigger deeper lakes for some reason I do not know. Fishing in the shallows is the secret this time of year. Around 7 or so inches. Our water temps are still a bit to cold for leaches. The leaches will just curl up on your hook.

Get to know the lake you are going to fish. If you ask your local bait dealer, they will help you! They will all so tell you what kind of bait is working and is not working. We want you to come back, so no, we will not lie to you and try to sell you the most expensive bait of the store. Then it is up to you.

Being Mothers Day we will not be hitting the lakes today. My husband and I do not have children, but we have Mothers that would not be all that happy with us.

The second day of opener is when my Dad,(God Bless) would take his daughter fishing. I have been fishing since I would old enough to hold a fishing pole. I still have that old pole to this day. I do not know many Dads that would take their daughter fishing on opener of fishing season.  Even after my brother was born, it was a daughter father tradition. A few days before opener we would take the boat out from its long winter slumber. Dad and I would clean, wax, polish that old Monark boat till it shined. My husband and I still have that old boat. Dad did get others, but my husband and I love that old boat. It’s not the fanciest boat on the water, but it floats, it does the job. I like to think my dad would be proud that we took care of the boat so well. It’s the only boat I have ever known. I would like to think, Dad is fishing right beside us too. In Heaven, I bet there is a lake where you never get “skunked” and there is not slot size.

God Bless You Dad! I miss you dearly! And Happy Mothers Day!

FISHING

The Big Opener Fishing Season Opens Today.

Fishing season has begone! Big “rigs” with their boats following behind. I guess, the bigger the truck, the bigger and fancier the boat is, some how will catch you more fish. All kidding aside, this is a big deal up north. This kind of will give our businesses an idea of how the summer will be.

We have hundreds of lakes just in our little County of Vilas, and more in Forest and Oneida County’s. Our little town is right in the center of the three county’s. I count myself even luckier, as I am in a mile of each. Also we have the Chain of Lakes. Miles of lakes all joined together between Eagle River and Three Lakes Wisconsin. Today in the north woods it is a fisherman’s Paradise.

Walleye are what the fisherman are after today. In the coming weeks Musky and  Bass season open.

The weather is wonderful! We made it up to 63 degrees this afternoon, the sun is out with a light breeze.  I can remember pass openers with ice still on the lakes, and snow still on the ground. We have had 6 inches of snow fall the night before. I seen one boat, the folks built a snowman in the boat! For the die-hard fishermen the weather, does not stop them from going out and getting their “lines wet” as we call it.

I shall report back tonight or tomorrow, about the fishing report.

I will get up some good links on fishing reports around Eagle River and the area soon.

I had a computer crash and it did take a while to save up the money to get this nice one I have now. Needless to say, all my links went with the big crash of 2010.