Here's what George Langley of the Eagle River Fishing Guide Association, is reporting about fishing in the Eagle River area:

FISHING WITH THE GUIDES

6/14/09

by George Langley

What is this? Warm weather?? So this is how it feels without jackets! We like it. Long awaited summer like weather had hit the area and seems to be staying without cold fronts for the first time this year. It has started to dramatically increase water temps, which as in turn brought about the start of many hatches on the water. For those of you who (like this writer) suffer from the effects of pine pollen it have also brought about sneezing and coughing fits. It will be nice to be able to swim and otherwise be in the water. The levels have gone up a slight bit from recent rain, although we need a lot more to get anywhere as far a those water levels go. If you are planning on a canoe trip, or camping, take along mosquito repellant.

Walleye action will be greatly affected by the mayfly hatch, which has started to appear on area lakes. This will turn these "weed walleyes" into "mud walleyes", as the fish migrate to mud flats to gorge on these hatches. Some people have complained over the years that the fish are just not biting - we need as anglers to recognize these hatches and move to areas where the fish are feeding. Mud flats (weeds or not) are where the fish will be locating for the next few weeks. Medium leeches are a good imitation of "wigglers", which are the larvae swimming to the surface. We are also hearing of many really nice walleye caught and released by deep water anglers and the row trollers. These fish are suspended out over deep water during the daytime, and moving in only to feed in the evening and after dark.

Bass action is a confused and confusing as we have ever seen. On many lakes there are smallies moving up to spawn, some post spawn by as much as two weeks, and some guarding their beds after recent spawns. These patterns are as spread out and mixed up as we have ever seen - along with being tough to fish. The good thing is that this warmer weather will now bring all remaining fish that have not spawned up to the shorelines to finish and get out to summer habitat. Largemouth bass are also finishing their spawn, but they will merely stay in shallower heavy cover for the summer. With the warming water temps, we are seeing a lot of surface activity in the evenings especially.

Musky action has been good to very good, with some nice sized fish being caught throughout the area as the fish recover from spawning. There have even been a few later spawners seen on the shorelines recently, but these fish are late exceptions, not the majority of the population. The muskies have a good spawn on most lakes this year, which is a surprise given the weather. All types of baits are now working, and even those big deep water baits such as Bulldawgs have been producing.

Panfish action has been great, with bluegills up on the shorelines to spawn. While they are up there, they are active feeders on almost any types of bait. The crappies also up on the shorelines in some cases, but they are mostly done spawning. They also have been feeding on the surface on calm evenings. Perch are in the weeds, acting like small walleyes. They will feed on the mayfly hatch also, so expect them to move to mud flats.

It will be a great week for fishing in the Northwoods this week with the warmer weather.

Good luck and good fishn'

For more information about fishing the Eagle River area call us or visit our website.:

*George Langley, Eagle River Fishing Guide Association,        715-479-8804;

www.eagleriverfishingguides.com

JUNE, 2009

NORTHWOODS REPORT

Summer has finally arrived and we are looking forward to a great season.  Fishing is very good for all specie of fish with the walleye responding very well.  The musky are still spawning as of the last week in May and the northern are in these shallow water musky spawning areas.  Reports of thirty inch plus northerns have been reported on the Eagle River Chain.  Panfish are also active with excellent crappie catches and the bluegills will be spawning in early June and will provide great action.

With no hard frost in mid to late May and with some rain the blueberry crop should be very good starting in late July.

This early summer is a wonderful time to do some hiking to view wildlife.  As I write this the fawns are being born and these gentle creatures are a site to behold.  Please observe but leave them alone as mother is near by and she will not abandon them.  Wild turkeys are now a common site in the Northwoods as I see them at least two to three times a week.

The boating season is now in full swing and there are numerous boaters touring the northern waters.  Please be courteous and safe to prevent accidents.  The chamber has many events in the coming month and they provide entertainment activities.  Enjoy our wonderful area and have a good time.

Keep a tight line,

Yukon

715-479-3219

www.yukonegv.com

*Yukon Jack Outfitters,

1857 Scattering Rice Lake Rd.,

Eagle River, WI  54521,

715-479-3219; website: www.yukonjackegv.com

We can honestly say that there is no place on earth with as much variety of fishing opportunities in freshwater fishing. With literally hundreds of lakes of all sizes, and miles and miles of trout streams, plus the fishing in the Wisconsin River, you could fish every day of the open water season and never hit the same water twice. We have great fishing for trout, musky walleye, smallmouth & largemouth bass, northerns and all types of panfish. You can catch most of these species within the city limits of Eagle River.

Musky fishing is spectacular, with people travelling from all over the world to fish these great gamefish. The action starts on the Memorial Day weekend - and there is good fishing for them right from the start. Our variety of musky waters run from the Wisconsin and Eagle Rivers to lakes running from 50 to 4,000 acres. We also have a great variety of dark and clear water lakes for all weather conditions.When you are thinking musky you may want to fish them in the summer while on a family vacation. At this time of the year surface baits provide heart-stopping action - and you can fish early and late in the day while still boating or otherwise enjoying life with the family. One great thing to remember about musky is that they hit at any time - not just at a particular time of day, Fall musky fishing is the best of the trophy time, with numerous huge musky caught (and usually released) every year. This is the time that our many excellent area guides are very busy with musky clients.

Walleye fishing is also good, especially in the spring and fall. Our game fish season starts on the first weekend in May and the walleye are active from the start. Most opening weekends find some of the best fishing of the year, with the fish still in the shallows from spawning. May is a great time to fish walleye with light tackle along the shorelines. June finds the fish moving deeper, with good action experienced in deeper weeds and on mid-lake structure.
As the summer vacation period happens our guides will still find these great tasting fish daily, and many a vacation has been enhanced with an evening meal of fresh-caught walleye. They are located deeper in the summer, usually around mid-lake bars and reefs.
Fall walleye fishing is great, with days of 10 - 30 walleye not uncommon. This is the time of the year for fishing with jigs and larger minnows for big fish. You can also experience fine artificial bait luck at this time of year with crankbaits.

Northern pike abound in this area also, with a variety of lakes for these fish. We do have some trophy water for these fish, although most of our lakes contain mid-sized fish in good numbers. This is a great gamefish to introduce to you children to fishing for while on vacation, because of their aggressive nature and abundance.

This area has not been previously known as a hotbed for largemouth bass, but it is a real "sleeper" area for these fish. You will experience a huge variety of conditions and types of fishing for them, from 20 acre ponds to 2,000 acre lakes. More and more our guides have learned to take clients to out-of-the-way small bog lakes for these fish. Fish to 6 pounds are not uncommon, but most fish run in the 2-3 pound range.

Smallmouth bass are a different story - we have some of the best smallmouth fishing in the world right here. Catches of 50 fish a day are not uncommon, and many trophies are taken yearly. The smallies hit right from opening day on - and it again is a wonderful way to introduce your friend or children to gamefish fishing with a certainty of success. Another way of enjoying fishing for smallmouth is to flyfish for them. This is becoming a much more popular sport yearly. Many area guides have become adepot at this type of fishing.

Out trout fishing is also varied, with both streams and lakes available. The experience of wilderness fishing for trout along our hundreds of miles of streams is a great way to spend a summer day or evening. Most area streams are small, but loaded with fish. A number of our rivers or streams can be canoed.There is a good number of lakes and ponds for trout fishing also, and these fish are noted for hitting all season long.

One of the great benefits of coming to this area is the variety - there is ALWAYS some type of fish active and hitting. Bring a variety of rods, or just hire one of the many local guides and they will provide equipment for you.

Good luck and good fishing!