Northwoods Bass Fishing Report – May 2020

Each day I have been giving customers the option of us meeting and either using my transportation (I drive us there and back) or you can follow to the boat landings as long as there is parking space at them. I am not responsible for getting lost, no parking space, vandalism, etc.

The northwoods is open. Bars, restaurants, resorts, and motels. They are thirsty for our business and your visits. All are following county health department guidelines and regulations for occupancy and sanitation.

I have been sending the majority of my customers to lodge with @St Germain Lodge & Resort. Give Rob and Kaye a call well ahead of time to secure your rooms if you already haven’t. Fibber’s bar and restaurant is located downstairs then, and we eat/drink/socialize there often.

http://www.stgermainlodge.com/

If anybody has questions, call me, email me, or quickly text me. Communication is key for all trip planning!

All of my June dates are full to capacity. I ONLY have July 1-2 both open for full days. This is all I have available until the second half of July.

In the event you must cancel or rebook due to virus or rioting & looting fears, I will need to know at least 2 weeks in advance of your scheduled trip date to be able to re-fill them by parties on my wait list, or new anglers. There is currently a wait list. If you are unable to fish with us in June 2020, you will get the exact same date for June 2021.

casting – https://stcroixrods.com/…/freshwater/products/avid-x-casting

Minnow imitating plastics and an array of suspending jerkbaits lead the way. Experiment with all shapes and sizes, colors, and lip profiles until you find a best match to your lake and its SMB residents. The complimentary minnows and plastics have received a few bites when hard baits aren’t getting lookers. Include them for the next 1-2 weeks to come as water temperatures will climb and we get out from this cold water period. Toss them weightless, on a jig, or on a carolina rig.

As the bite should explode these next few days, the boat will keep fishing minnows through the rest of this week.

St. Croix Rods / Kalin’s Fishing / Dynamic Lures / Cortland Line

Monday/Tuesday trips took place on two different flowages. Water temps 48-51. Numbers not there yet, but a few big fish are out on the prowl early. Sand flats and isolated rock/sand areas holding a few sunbathing bass. The usual milk runs still empty. Joe Hofmann hit 14 on Monday, and Barry bonked a 21″ on Tuesday. All action on Dynamic Lures J-Specs and X-Raps 08 and 10’s in assortment of colors. Some fishes also on jig/paddletail. Way too chilly and cold for much else to work yet. 95% of the water is unoccupied.

^ Barry Humiston so far with this year’s biggest bass – 21 incher estimated at 5.5 lbs. Caught May 12th.

^ Joe Hoffmann caught the year’s first smallmouth, an 18 incher flowage fish on May 11th. First trip of the year. It was still winter on this day.

On Wednesday I took a hiatus from smallies and had an afternoon full of largemouth and pike. Several of them on swim jig and paddletail. Mud bottom bays with emerging pads, laydowns, stumps, and wood. Water temps 50-53 on these shallow eutrophic fisheries I favor. Even though all trips this month are SMB’s, I will be hammering LMB’s most evenings this month, after day trips, if anyone would like to join. As of right now, largemouths are the better bite.

An assortment of jerkbaits (Xraps, Dynamic) catching majority of fish still. Minimal lure action with long pauses of 5-10 seconds triggering most strikes. Engaged fish are rising several feet from off the bottom to strike them. Kalins 5” lunker grubs worked on 1/4oz heads and slowwwwwwwly swam near bottom are catching lots of fish also.

Our boat had about 25 smallmouth, plus a 27.5” monster walleye. The guys in the follow boat caught fish as well, plus bonus Muskie.

There appears to be a morning thru early afternoon window. And by 3-4pm activity has been shutting down for the day.

Coldest lakes running at 46-49 still. These are clear, deep, big waters. Very little fish activity on them.

Other lakes running at 49-53. We’ve been catching a few fish from them too.

Forget bank beating, and find your staging sites and high percentage locations – flats, points, bars, shoals, bays. No point covering water yet either as we’re forcing ourselves to fish slow.

Fish are being picky with baits. On some lakes they want a slow rolled swimming plastic only (5” Kalins), other lakes only an Xrap 10, and other lakes only a down sizer 08, and other lakes none of the above. Experiment until you’ve established the winner.

Lousy weather today, but fish should be waking up again starting tomorrow afternoon. Looks like it’ll be spring peak fishing week and things will finally get good. I expect spawn to start on schedule, before June 1st.

Lots of bass traffic on the water this weekend. Be nice and say hi if you recognize us.

Smallmouth staging heavy. 99% of the fish were in 1% of the river it seemed. The entire river otherwise empty. I began to focus on specific spots on the river where smallmouth tend to collect and nest in colonies. I’d fish the area surrounding them just slightly downstream. Fish were piled up outside of these areas, in current breaks and slackwater eddies formed by boulders and the deeper holes on the downstream side of riffles. The craw crank pattern played out then for the remainder of the day. At some points, I had a fish on every cast, until they conditioned. I couldn’t buy a single fish on anything else. Then once I thought I conditioned them, I’d follow-up with a hula grub and tube dead sticked along bottom to catch a few more.

Over 30 smallmouth caught, and a chunky 24″ walleye.

I will look back on this particular outing and remember the time I wrecked the fishery, though it was far from loaded and they hadn’t yet moved in.

I’ve been on the struggle bus for over a week now. I appreciated and personally thanked each of these fish.

Tuesday was a scouting and largemouth day. It was a struggle. Managed a 20” unexpected smallie to end my day. Wednesday I hosted James and Kurt for a full day of rod benders, but we could only manage a dozen or so bites in glass calm waters throwing downsizer suspended jerkbaits, hair jigs, and Kalin’s swimmers. Majority of the fish we contacted came up from the bottom, light strikes, and little fight. James enjoyed a pair of 19 inchers from both lakes we fished.

May 21st and 22nd – Day-1 with Camilo and Isabel was a blast. Finally a good day of fishing with over 30 happy and aggressive smallmouth boated. Several 16-18’s, and largest a 19.5”. We worked hard on two lakes and couldn’t get the job done with a 20” kicker.

Xrap 08, hair jigs, slow rolling Kalin’s Fishing lunker grubs caught all fishes. Best bites took place as soon as the southeast wind began blowing at around 10am. At that point thru 2pm the catch rates very consistent and steady. And bites finally aggressive, the rods getting jolted from our hands.

We worked very hard for Camilo to score a 20”. One of those hard days of fishing where the job wasn’t done and we really couldn’t keep the fish pinned.

Had a blast and enjoyable days hosting you both!

2 days later, fish were on beds everywhere.

Feeding windows were very short and rapid. All fish coming in pods of 2-3-4’s. Catch them all, then go seek new areas and active fish. When the wind was out, bites were coming on the 5″ Kalins, 5″ Suicide Shads, X-Rap 08’s in cisco & white/pink patterns, and a 3.8″ Rage Swimmer on Trokar jig. When water became calm, fish weren’t being caught.

Calvin’s trip was the best of May 2020. We targeted big fish, and efforts paid off nicely. He caught his personal best 20.5″ five minutes into the trip. He then caught 3 others at 20″ or better. It doesn’t get any better than that!

I enjoyed giving Calvin a bass tour, and instruction of how to catch fish with our spinning game. Well executed!

Water temps right now in the low to mid 60’s on every water. Both bass species are spawning.

I don’t fish for spawning smallmouths. My philosophy is to take care of the resource so that in return it takes care of me. There are some rare scenarios where you might have to bed fish if there is no other alternative method to catching fish in the particular lake you’re on. If you have the urge to bed fish, please avoid live bait hooks (gut hookings) and minimize handling and playing fish to exhaustion. Don’t even use a net altogether, especially if big mama smallmouth is about to burst out with eggs. By taking care of the vulnerable resource, the fish will take care of you also.

Also an important reminder, PLEASE remember northern Wisconsin inland northern zone smallmouth bass are 💯 % immediate catch and release only until June 20th. Zero possession and any captivity in livewell or otherwise for your end of day Instagram hero all-star photos can result in overbagging citations from the local wardens. In some instances, it can even be considered as poaching. I ALSO HOPE YOU CATCH AND RELEASE YEAR-ROUND! 

I’m off the water now until June 13th or 14th.  I only have spots open for July 1st and 2nd. In the event of June virus cancellations or rebooks, I have a wait list.

While I could open up some more for August, this is my vacation and travel month. Schedule subject to change and other weeks could become available last minute.

All fall trips will begin after September 16th. Fall trips are full day only, and we target big fish exclusively (not the season for numbers & action, sorry). I have the following still open:

September 19-20
September 22-23
September 26-27-28-29-30
October 1
October 16-17-18-19-20-21-22-23

https://www.northwoodsbass.com/availability-calendar/