July 28, 2025
Hayward Lakes Area Outdoor Report
Steve Suman
The forecast predicts a week of nice weather with highs in the upper 70s. Rain is possible Monday night and Tuesday morning, Get out and enjoy it!
Last call to enter the drawing for a fall fishing getaway for two with Chad Grigsby. The winner receives lodging for two at the Holiday Inn Express for Friday, September 5, including complimentary breakfast; fishing with Chad Saturday, September 6; and 1919 Root Beer, Ranch House Coffee, and two St. Croix spinning rods with Seviin reels.
Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau will accept entries through the Friday, August 1 deadline.
Chad will provide everything the anglers need for their day on the water! He has fished tournaments full time for 22 years, with more than $1.4 million in career earnings, is a two-time FLW Tour Champion, and runner-up in the FLW Forest Wood Cup.
For more information, visit Fall Fishing Getaway or call (715) 634-4801.
“It looks to be a fantastic vacation week in the North Woods and Quiet Lakes’ area,” says Greg at Happy Hooker. “Fishing should be excellent with some stable weather that gets better as the week goes on. Water temperatures are in the mid-70s and will probably climb a few degrees over the next few days.
“Musky action slowed, but warming water should get fish active, and bucktails and topwaters are the top baits for anglers to throw. Handle fish minimally as water temperatures climb. Unless photos and measurements are ‘necessary,’ keep fish in the water.
“Walleye fishing is okay for fish on deeper rocks. Slowly dragging leeches and crawlers on jigs and Lindy rigs is working.
“Northern pike are hitting spinnerbaits, bucktails, and smaller crankbaits in and around shallow and deep weeds.
“Largemouth bass are active on frogs and topwaters shine around lily pads, reed beds, and other shallow emergent weeds. For suspending fish, it is tough to beat spinnerbaits.
“Smallmouth bass favor Ned rigs, wacky rigs, and drop-shot plastics. Deeper rocks and transitions from hard to soft bottom are the key.
“Crappie anglers report success in weeds with tube skirts and plastic on small jigs with crawler pieces or minnows.
“Bluegills and perch are in and around the same weed beds as crappies. Use worms for bluegills, and minnows and small leeches for perch.”
Mike at Jenk’s says the Chippewa Flowage pool is down 1.5 feet and the water temperature 76 degrees.
“Muskies turned on a bit, with bucktails and Medussas producing. In the evening, fish sit on weed edges, but action in early morning is on topwaters and bucktails. During the day, if surface temperatures hit mid- to high-70s, troll Mattlocks, Jakes, or Grandmas over deep basins. If surface temperatures hit the 80s, fish for something else until it cools.
“Walleye fishing is decent, but you must be on them. During daytime, work mid-depth breaklines and mud flats. In the evening, fish weed bar edges in 6-10 feet. Leeches and crawlers are the baits of choice.
“Northern pike action is solid on Tinsel Tails, chatterbaits, and spoons, but mostly for smaller fish. Fish in the weeds, the thicker the better.
“Largemouth bass fishing is very good in lily pads and weeds on the west side, with Lunkerhunt and Bigfoot Scum frogs working well.
“Smallmouth bass are active in wood on the south end. Ned rigs, Whopper Ploppers, and chatterbaits are putting nice fish in the boat.
“Crappie fishing is solid, with a really good nighttime bog bite. During day, target deep brush and cribs. Minnows are the best live bait, with Garland Mayflies and one-inch Gulp! Minnows best for artificials.”
This week, DNR fisheries biologist Max Wolter discusses American eel records in Wisconsin.
“The most unique of all Wisconsin fishes is also one of the rarest, and an angler in Wisconsin would certainly be surprised to find an eel on the end of the line ‑ but it is possible!
“American eels are native to Wisconsin, making the journey from the ocean to Wisconsin and back for thousands of years. At one point, eels were common in large rivers such as the Mississippi. Damming and other habitat fragmentation have resulted in fewer eels finding their way to Wisconsin’s waterways, but fisheries crews still capture a few.
“Former Hayward fisheries technician Evan Sniadajewski, now in Lacrosse, had the most recent DNR encounter with an eel. Evan and his Mississippi River crew caught a small eel on an electrofishing survey in fall of 2023. Evan gets very excited about rare fish so this was surely an exuberant event for him. Asked how rare, he pulled the records for their area.
“In the past 100 or so years, DNR crews have captured about 75 eels in surveys, with most records from the 1970s and 1980s. The majority of eel captures are from the Mississippi River and other rivers in the immediate vicinity, though there are reliable reports of them in the Chippewa River.
“With only about 75 eels in 100 years, we can declare this one of the rarest fish encounters. Typically, the eels we capture in surveys are in the 20- to 36-inch range, though they are capable of getting bigger.
“Anglers in the Hayward area will not catch an eel, but if you venture to the big, connected waters to the south of us, you have a chance to catch something truly special and add to the lore of eels in Wisconsin.”
The DNR urges UTV riders to operate safely, starting with seatbelts. So far in 2025, there have been 25 fatal UTV/ATV crashes in Wisconsin ‑ only four individuals were wearing seatbelts. This year, UTVs involved in fatal incidents account for 84% of all fatalities.
Wisconsin requires all UTV passengers to wear a seatbelt. Youth UTV operators must be at least 16 years of age to operate a full-size UTV in public areas; ATV/UTV operators born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, and at least 12 years, must complete a DNR-approved safety course. For more information, visit the DNR’s ATV/UTV webpage.
The annual Jack Pine Savage Days in Spooner are Friday and Saturday, August 1-2, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The two-day event includes food and craft vendors, live music, sidewalk sales, arts and crafts, car, truck, and bike show, pancake breakfast, “Jack” scavenger hunt, and much more.
For more information, visit “Jack Pine Savage Days” or call (715) 635-2168.
Hayward Chapter-Muskies, Inc. is hosting its Annual Kids Fishing Day Sunday, August 3, from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at Weber’s Northwoods Tavern. Muskies, Inc. members and friends take youth anglers 8-16 years old on Tiger Cat Flowage for a morning of fishing for muskies, northern pike, bass, and panfish, breaking at noon for a picnic lunch. Each angler receives a fishing goody bag and participates in a raffle for other fishing items.
Participants MUST sign up with their parents at Hayward Bait.
For more information, call (715) 558-2853 or 634-2921.
Friday, August 1, is the application deadline for sharp-tailed grouse, fisher trapping, and bobcat harvest permits. The sharp-tailed grouse season Oct. 18 through Nov. 9 is the first since 2018, and the permit drawing will honor preference points from prior years.
ATV/UTV TRAIL REPORT
All ATV/UTV operators born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, who are at least 12 years old for ATV and at least 16 years old for UTV, must complete an ATV/UTV safety certification course to operate legally on public ATV/UTV trails and areas in Wisconsin. The DNR requires trail passes for non-residents and Wisconsin residents must display a registration sticker. Riders must run headlights at all times when operating. Visit the DNR ATV website for rules and regulations.
Check for trail openings, closures, and more at HLVCB ATV/UTV trail conditions report. Contacts for forest ATV/UTV trails are as follows: Sawyer County Forest (715-634-4846), Chequamegon National Forest (715-634-4821), and Flambeau State Forest (715-332-5271).
Sawyer County snowmobile and ATV trail maps are available from Hayward Lakes Visitor & Convention Bureau.
FISHING REPORT
Fishing is mostly good, but the recent heat wave might put them off a bit (and probably deeper!) These fluctuations affect the fish, so (again) check with bait shop personnel for up-to-the-minute information on bite windows, fish locations, and the most effective baits and presentations.
Musky:
Musky action is fair to good, but take a break if water temperatures hit the 80s and fish cool, early morning and late evening hours. Cast weed edges with bucktails, Medussas, and topwaters. Trolling deep basins with Mattlocks, Jakes, and Grandmas is another option.
Walleye:
Walleye fishing is good once you find the fish. During the day, work mid-depth mud flats and breaklines. In evenings, target weed bar edges in 6-10 feet. Leeches and crawlers on jigs and Lindy Rigs will do the job.
Northern Pike:
Northern pike action is very good, particularly for smaller fish around shallow weeds. Top baits include northern suckers, spinners, spinnerbaits, spoons, Tinsel Tails, bucktails, crankbaits, and chatterbaits. Go bigger and deeper for trophy pike!
Largemouth Bass:
Largemouth bass fishing is very good in/around shallow weeds and weedlines, reed beds, and lily pads. Use crawlers, leeches, spinners, spinnerbaits, swimbaits, minnowbaits, and topwaters such as Whopper Ploppers, chatterbaits, and Lunkerhunt and Bigfoot Scum frogs.
Smallmouth Bass:
Smallmouth bass fishing is good on wood, deep rock, and hard-to-soft-bottom transitions. Sucker minnows, leeches, crawlers, plastics on Ned, wacky, Texas, and drop-shot rigs, Senkos, chatterbaits, Whopper Ploppers, and other topwaters work well.
Crappie:
Crappie fishing is good to very good. Fish are in/around deeper weeds, weedlines, cribs, and brush, with a strong evening bite on bogs. Crappie minnows, crawler chunks, tubes, plastics, Garland Mayflies, and one-inch Gulp! Minnows are all productive.
Bluegill/Perch:
Blue and perch fishing is good to very good, with anglers finding fish around weeds, weedlines, and weed edges. Waxies, leaf worms, crawler chunks, small leeches and minnows, plastics, and Gulp! baits are all attractive offerings on small jigs and teardrops fished with/without bobbers.
July 28-30: Delta Aquariids Meteor Shower, 1-3 a.m., south, 15-25 per hour, long, slow paths.
Aug. 1: Entry deadline for fall fishing getaway for two with Chad Grigsby (715-634-4801).
Aug. 1: Application deadline for sharp-tailed grouse permit drawing.
Aug. 1: Application deadline for fisher and bobcat permit drawings.
Aug. 1-2: Jack Pine Savage Days in Spooner (715-635-2168).
Aug. 3: Hayward Chapter-Muskies, Inc. ‑ Kids Fishing Day, Weber’s, 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (715) 558-2853; 634-2921).
Aug. 9: Full Sturgeon Moon.
Aug. 9: Annual Ojibwa Canoe & Kayak Race at Wannigan Resort 10 a.m.-1 p.m. (715-415-6539).
Aug. 11-13: Perseids Meteor Shower 1-3 a.m., northeast, 45-90 per hour, very swift, rich display.
Aug. 14-17: Sawyer County Fair at Sawyer County Fairgrounds on Highway B (715-699-2022).
Aug. 17: HBC Free Youth Bass Tourney, Chippewa Flowage, The Landing Resort, Noon-4 p.m. (405-227-1789).
Aug. 23: Seeley Lions PreFat Bike Race 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Aug. 24: HBC Tom Turner Open Benefit Tourney on Tiger Cat Flowage, Weber’s, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (405-227-1789).
For more information on area events and activities, visit the Hayward Lakes Visitor and Convention Bureau and Hayward Area Chamber of Commerce websites, view the Calendar of Events, or call (715) 634-8662 or (715) 634-4801.
