Outdoor Reports & Tips

Throughout the season you can come and visit this page for the most current Outdoor Reports and tips for fishing the Rhinelander area.

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Weekly Rhinelander Area Outdoor Report from Mitch Mode of Mel's Trading Post:

July 2nd, 2008

The long-awaited warm weather that showed up this week should have an immediate impact on fishing action.  Expect that water temperatures will now climb into the range that prompts muskies to move more aggressively. The big fish have been lethargic in the past weeks, willing to follow a lure but not strike. That may be the after effects of a late spawn (many fish are still showing scars from that activity) as well as the cooler than average water temperatures. Now, as they’ve had time to recover from the rigors of spawning, the increase in water temperature should spur fish to action.

Expect the big fish to move more this week than in the past month. Larger lures should be effective, both crankbaits as well as larger bucktails, and top-water lures will come into their own now as well. Up till now it’s been all about mid-sized lures combined with slow to medium retrieves. That should change this week. 

The fish that have been moving have been in a variety of water depths but generally speaking more in the mid to shallow depths as opposed to deep water. We think that will stay pretty much the same this week.  One thing that should change is the amount of recreational boat and Jet Ski traffic. Cooler waters have kept a lot of people off the water but that will change over the 4^th.  That usually makes early mornings and evenings better for fishing as fishermen do not have to compete with others sports.

Overall we think musky fishing this week will be good to very good.  Look for some cloudy, humid days with a bit of chop on the water.  Those conditions often spur muskies to move.

Walleyes are in deeper water seeking out their normal early summer haunts of submerged weeds.  That’s nothing new.  Fish for them close to the weeds and try both jigs with minnows and jigs with crawlers.  Both combinations are producing fish now.

Panfish are a mixed lot right now.  Bluegills have faded off some and nothing has really moved up to take their place.  Deeper water, 12 feet or more, should hold fish this week but experiment as with panfish you’ll find a wider variety depending on individual lake conditions.

The same can be true of northerns and bass.  We’ve had some reports of good but not spectacular bass fishing with smallies heading for some deeper water near rocks and gravel bars.  Largemouths are out from shore during the day but are moving in during evening hours.  We’ve seen some largemouth feeding tight to the overhanging brush along the shore where they take frogs.  A weedless lure tossed close to the brush can produce excellent results.

Overall fishing for the holiday weekend has the potential to be very good.  Weather conditions can change things dramatically as always but the early forecast is promising and fishing should be a good choice through the week.

Enjoy the Rhinelander Area Outdoors!
Report By:
Mel's Trading Post
105 South Brown Street
Rhinelander, WI 54501
715-362-5800

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