Happy Hooker Bait & Tackle

09/19/2026

Good morning from the Northwoods, a wet start to the weekend in the Northwoods. It's been raining lightly off and on since yesterday afternoon, although it has not amounted to much. I am showing 2/10ths of an inch here at the bait shop. It looks to be a cooler dry week, with temps in the 60s and lows down into the 30s a few nights. Water temps did creep up a little bit over the past week, but this little bit of rain and cooler days and nights should have brought it back down. It sounds like most lakes are hovering around the mid 60s right now. Unfortunately water levels are still way down, with most lakes down about 2 feet and others down like 3 to 3-1/2 feet.

Musky--The musky bite last week started off pretty hot, however Wednesday we had high sun and flat calm conditions and the fish shut down. Moving forward with cooling water temps should help even if we have some high sun days. Musky are starting to move on bigger rubber baits, glide baits, and still on bucktails as well. Suckers haven't really taken off yet, but I would think starting this week they will start to be an effective way to catch 'skies. Musky will still be relating to w**ds/reefs/shorelines, although anglers should push out to the deeper edges of these structures.

Northern pike--Pike action has been good, and anglers are seeing them mostly on musky baits. Bucktails seem to be working the best, although baits like Swimmin dawgs and tubes are working as well. Pike are also in and around w**ds and anglers should focus on still green w**ds.

Walleye--The walleye bite has been non-existent lately, at least from all of the anglers I have been talking too. Walleye suckers and fathead minnows, should start to take the place of crawlers, and anglers should find walleye off of deeper breaks during the day and coming up into shallower sandy flats at dusk. Throwing jerkbaits up shallow at dusk, or trolling crankbaits on those breaklines can be effective as well.

LMB--Largemouth have still been active, but they are slowing down a little bit. As the water cools, anglers will find largemouth starting to push into deeper w**d edges or suspending in pockets of deeper w**ds. Spinnerbaits and live bait will start to out produce lures such as topwater baits right now. Minnows or crawlers will still work as far as live bait goes.

SMB--Smallies are starting to push onto deeper rocky points or reefs in the middle of the lake. Jigging plastics or using sucker minnows on jigs is a good tactic to catch some nice smallies right now. Look for smallies anywhere from 12-20 FOW depending on the lakes deep structure.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch--Panfish are spread out this time of year, and crappie and perch will start to push towards the basins or the deeper w**ds in the lake. Bluegill will stay shallower for the most part and they should still be in the thickest of the w**ds. For crappie and perch, minnows will be the best option as far as bait goes, although jigs and plastics can work well too. For 'gills, crawlers, leaf worms, and plastics can all be effective.

That is all I have for this week's report. Busy weekend in town with the bike races going on. The woods have been busy too with both Bear and Archery seasons underway. I have heard of a few nice bears being harvested so far and a good friend of ours harvested a great buck with her crossbow last night!! Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

09/12/2026

Good evening from the Northwoods, an early report as my son and I are already thinking winter and heading to the annual Haydays Powersports show over in Minnesota tomorrow. Not that I am ready for snow quite yet, but I am looking forward to lower temps overall. This weekend and next week look to comply with that as I am seeing highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. Rain tonight and Monday should help get some water back into the lakes and cool them down. Most lakes in the area are down about 2 feet and are still pretty warm with reports in the low 70s. Fishing has been okay and should get better as water temps cool and fish start to put on the feed bag.

Musky--The musky bite is starting to pick up a bit as we added a few fish to the board and other anglers have had some good opportunities. Skies are still moving on bucktails and faster moving baits, and are also hitting pull/pause baits and crank baits. It won't be a bad idea to start dragging a sucker or two near the boat while you are casting, as following fish may want the easier slow moving easier meal. Look for musky in and around deep w**d edges or up on mid lake reefs or humps.

Northern pike--Pike action has been hot, and pike are already seeming to want to put on the feed bag. Larger swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and bucktails have all produced pike lately. Like their cousins, pike are still related to w**ds and w**d edges both shallow and deep.

Walleye--The walleye bite has become almost non existent as I am not hearing much of anything on a walleye bite right now. Typical patterns would dictate that walleye are out in basins in fairly deep water. On most of our area lakes however, I believe they relate shallower to rocks and w**ds, and push up shallower than most anglers would give the credit for even as shallow as 3-5 FOW. With water temps cooling anglers can find success on crawlers, jerkbaits, and crankbaits.

LMB--Largemouth are still active and anglers should have success on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and both live and plastic worms. Look for bass in the middle of the water column or suspended off of structure. That could mean anywhere from 6-15 FOW depending on the lake you fish. Keep in mind lakes are down about 2 feet so the structures will change greatly compared to normal water levels. Points extend further, edges become shallower, etc....

SMB--Smallies have been active, and anglers are doing well on the tried and true Rat L Trap style or lipless crankbaits. These baits run fairly shallow or you can count them down to the preferred depth you want to fish. Work these baits over or through w**ds, let them sink down deep rock edges or straight retrieve along shorelines.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch--Not a lot on panfish right now, as a majority of the anglers are going to be focused on Musky. Panfish will all be related to green w**ds on both shallow and deep edges depending on the species. It will be important over the next week or two to keep focused on "green" w**ds as we are losing light everyday and cooling water will start to slowly decay w**ds. Given the lack of flow coming into the lakes the best oxygen I foresee will be green w**ds this fall.

Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

09/05/2026

Good morning from the Northwoods. We finally got some much-needed rain in the Quiet Lakes area, with our rain gauge at the bait shop showing 2". I know other folks had anywhere between an inch and two inches locally as well. The holiday weekend looks good, with temps in the upper 70s and no rain until Tuesday. I don't see any big fall cooldown coming until at least next week, when highs look to top out in the low 60s. While it was great to see the sky open up and downpour, it did not do much to help the lakes. Lake levels are at or near all-time lows from what I have seen and what I've heard from folks who have had cabins/houses in the area for a while. Water temps are cooling slightly, with most lakes in the upper 60s and a few still at the 70-degree mark. The fishing has been hit or miss over the past week, with short bite windows really making the difference in angler catches.

Musky--We did not add any muskies to our board this week, and the few anglers I spoke with said it was pretty tough out there. A few anglers moved fish on bucktails worked through cover. Musky should still be around shallower structure, whether that is w**d beds, or rocky reefs, or mid-lake humps that top out with a combination of both of those.

Northern pike--Pike have been fairly active in and around w**ds, and anglers are catching them on everything from jigs/livebait to small crankbaits to bigger musky baits. Look for pike anywhere from 3-12 FOW with good w**d cover.

Walleye--Walleye seem to have very short bite windows lately, and from what I am hearing, they are moving up extremely shallow into sandy banks/shorelines during this time. Smaller jerkbaits or crankbaits thrown in front of them and twitched over these sandy spots seemed to be the key to catching them. These bites happened towards dusk; the midday bite should not find the walleye too far away, maybe just pushed off of the shallow structure.

LMB--Largemouth are still biting, and anglers are doing well on fathead or sucker minnows underneath floats right now. Plastic worms are also working for largemouth. Work live bait or artificials through w**ds or along w**d edges, and get baits down a few feet in the water column.

SMB--Smallies have been active, mostly on or around some kind of structure, be it w**d beds or deeper w**d/rocks or w**d/basin transitions. Jigs and live bait or jig/plastic combos worked down toward the bottom, have been the key.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch--All of the panfish will still be related to cover; for gills and crappie, that most likely means w**ds/w**d beds and for perch some lakes may be w**ds but usually deeper rocky areas are what perch favor. Minnows and smaller plastics or jig/spinner combos can be great late-summer baits for crappie and perch, while crawlers and leaf worms are still the best option for gills.

That is all I have for this week's report. We hope everyone has a great holiday weekend; however you choose to spend it! Talk to you soon.

Greg

09/03/2026

09/03/2026

Some may say otherwise but it's a BEAUTIFUL morning! We have been rain dancing and praying like crazy for a good rain and this morning it showed up! If it would only do this ALL day long! 🙏✨🌧️Happy Thursday, friends! 🌧️

08/31/2026

The calendar is flipping, and the kids are heading back to school, so that means it's time for our fall hours to start. We will still be open daily, and there is plenty of fall fishing to be done! See you soon! 🍂🎣

08/29/2026

Good morning from the Northwoods. The forecast is calling for rain all day today, although nothing has really started here yet. Tomorrow and Wednesday have chances of rain also, and a bit warmer this week with temps in the low 80s and lows warmer as well as we will be in the 50s most nights. Water temps have dropped considerably, and I have heard most lakes are right around 70 degrees. If we get a good amount of rain today, that will help keep the water temps in check, as they may rise a few degrees if we get the warmer weather. Water levels are still way low all over the place, so even if anglers know the body of water they are on they should use caution as I am hearing reports every week of folks finding rocks or shallow bars they never knew where in the lake!

Musky--The musky bite slowed down a bit over the past week, with anglers having some follows and seeing fish, but not many converting into strikes. Musky are still related to shallower/mid depth w**ds and bucktails are still the hot bait. Any faster moving bait such as a bucktail or big spinnerbait will get a 'skies attention and should trigger bites. Great throwback lures for following fish would be jerkbaits/gliders/pull pause baits.

Northern Pike--Anglers have been catching/seeing pike, mostly on musky baits and smaller crank baits. Look for pike also in and around w**ds, both shallow and deep.

Walleye--I have not heard much on a walleye bite, although walleye should be roaming basins or related to deep w**d edges or deep rocks/sand. Trolling crank baits along the edges of the deeper structure just into the basins should produce walleye. Jigging minnows and crawlers along deep w**d edges can be equally effective.

LMB--Even the bass have seemed to slow down a bit as I have not heard much on an active bite. Plastic rigged worms and baits that work the middle of the water column/w**ds should catch bass right now. Look for bass in cover, whether that's lily pads, cabbage, or even fallen timber.

SMB--Smallies have been active, both up shallow and on deeper edges. Plastics that mimic crawfish and live bait such as nightcrawlers have been catching a fair amount of smallies lately. Some smallies have been up in the w**ds as well and anglers should focus anywhere from 4-12 FOW.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch--Panfish have been pretty much where they should be and anglers are finding them in and around w**dy bays and big w**d flats or beds. Crappie have been active and are being caught on jigs/minnows and small jig/spinner combos such as Beetle Spins. Gills have been caught under floats with chunks of crawler or leaf worms and waxies. Perch have been off of the deeper edges and anglers are doing well catching them on minnows as well.

I apologize if the report is not super informative this week. We are kind of in that weird transition where the summer pattern is kind of dragging on, less people are up as kids are back in sports/school and the lakes are way down, which is making the fishing a little different this year. Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

08/29/2026

Nothing better than some fresh bakery and coffee to go with the cool, rainy morning. Stop in to grab the freshly stocked baked goods and power up for a beautiful day! ☕️ 🍩 🎣

08/22/2026

Good morning from the Northwoods, well all of the rain that was supposed to get us last weekend dropped everywhere but here. We barely got enough to get the ground wet and the lakes are really showing this drought we are in now. The Chip is down 3 feet, while the Quiet Lakes, Spider, Ghost, all vary but are anywhere from 1-1/2 to 2 feet down. Moose lake seems to be holding out okay, and I have heard it is only down about 8-10". Looks like pleasant week in the Northwoods, with temps in the mid 70s and lows in the 40s and 50s. "Chances of rain" Tuesday and Wednesday and lets hope we finally get a decent amount for a change! Water temps are cooling down, which is a great sign and most lakes are showing low to mid 70s right now. Fishing has been okay overall and should continue to be.

Musky--The musky bite has been pretty good lately, as we just filled out our second chart for the year. Bucktails, Spinner baits, and anything with blades on it seem to be working best for 'skies right now. Working fast moving blades over w**ds or on edges should find fish. Look for musky anywhere from 3-12 FOW right now.

Northern Pike--Anglers are seeing pike, but they don't seem to be as active as in years past. Smaller inline or hairpin spinners, and any kind of smaller crankbait will catch pike this time of year. Work baits through w**d beds and around structure. Making contact with w**ds and then ripping baits to clear them off seems to trigger bites. Anglers will find pike anywhere really from the shorelines out to the deep w**d edges on whatever lake they are on.

Walleye--Still not much to report on a walleye bite, as it seems most anglers are targeting musky or panfish right now. During these high sun/bright conditions anglers should find walleye out in basins or related to deep structure in say 15+ FOW. Some lakes hold walleye in shallower w**ds, but they can be tough to catch in the slop. Walleye should push up into shallower water or onto the tops of structure at dusk or dark and anglers can catch them with slip bobbers and crawlers or jigs and plastics then.

LMB--Largemouth have been active and anglers have done well on mainly plastic worms. Wacky rigged senkos really seem to be working right now and anglers are tossing them in w**d beds and letting them sink and wait. Most fish are picking them up off bottom in 6-8 FOW.

SMB--Smallies can be anywhere right now, and in some lakes they may be in 12-20 FOW off of deep edges, while in some lakes they can be in as shallow as 3-6 FOW. Last year in the 1st week of September I caught a tank of a smallie on a paddle tail swimbait off of a point in about 2 FOW so fish anything and everything! Jigs and plastics are good, as well as tube jigs, or crankbaits or live bait.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch--The panfish bite has been decent lately and anglers are finding most of the panfish related to w**d beds or cover. Crappie anglers have done well in 6-10 FOW in and around w**ds, mostly catching fish on minnows or plastics. Waxies on small jigs have been producing too. Gills have come largely on crawlers or leaf worms, mostly just on bare hooks or jigs under a bobber or float. Perch have been on the deepest edges of w**ds or even rocky transitions that head off into the basins. Minnows such as fatheads or tuffies have seemed to be best to catch bigger perch and keep the small ones from harassing anglers lines.

Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

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