Park Falls Area Chamber of Commerce - 800-762-2709; 715-762-2703
e-mail: pfcoc@ballcom.com
Naomi K. Shapiro, Creative Brilliance  715-794-2186 phone; 715-794-2180 FAX;
E-mail:  cre8vads@win.bright.net;  website: http://northernwisconsin.com

In the Park Falls area, walleye action is pretty good, in both
the Flambeau River and the area lakes.  Leeches and crawlers are both
working.  In the lakes, fish the edges of the weeds and in the weeds in
5 to 12 feet of water.  In the River, fish AROUND the weeds in 5 to 12
feet of water.  Average fryers.

Musky are active, but nothing big.  Topwaters are still working and
suckers (yes, suckers!) are starting to be used.  Fish 5 to 12 feet
around weeds, where the musky are coming in to feed.  Musky are going
mid to upper 30s.

Crappie, surprisingly are doing nicely.  Fish 8 feet of water over and
around cribs.  Minnows are working.  Depending on the "school", you
hit, you'll either latch onto mainly small ones, OR, you can limit out
on some nice, big slabs, to 14 1/2 inches.

Largemouth up to 21 inches are hitting in the shallow, thick, lily pads
and weeds.  Use plastics.  Try to find weedless lures, or you'll hang
up real quick.

Smallies are chomping spinner baits dragging  leeches or crawlers in 5
to 8 feet of water over rock or sand bars.  Smallies are going 10 to 20
inches, but there's excellent action.

Gills are zero right now.  A few teensy-weensy still hitting in the
shallows, but generally, don't bother.

Perch are suddenly going nuts, particularly on Butternut Lake.  Hitting
crawlers, while anglers are going for walleye in 5 to 12 feet of water
in and around the weeds.  Perch are going to 11 inches plus, and limits
are common.  Some annglers are grumbling, because they'd prefer
walleye, but locals are most excited, since perch have not been a
factor, of late.

Cats to the almost 20 inches are being taken regularly in the Flambeau
River, below the dams.  Live suckers are the only thing that will
work.

Northern?  Generally, northern are not prolific and are not fished
heavily in the Park Falls area. 

Outdoor/Fishing Report for Park Falls, Wisconsin, for Week of
June 26, 2000

In the Park Falls area, walleye are slow.  Fish the shallow
cabbage or along the cabbage/weed lines, 4 to 8 feet, using a 1/32
ounce jig and a chunk of crawler.  You'll work for whatever you get,
and what you get will be just of average size.

Musky are real active.  Use topwaters over shallow cabbage.  Some good
strong hits, with less follows and short strikes than recently, BUT
what you'll get will only be legals "plus" on size, but nothing much
bigger.

Smallies are doing fantastic in the Flambeau River, on spinner baits. 
Fish the shallow weeds.  Excellent action, with the smallies averaging
18 inches.

Surprisingly, very little largemouth action reported.

There is still some crappie action, unlike most other northern
Wisconsin areas, in the Park Falls area.  Fish the shallow weeds, 4 to
6 feet, using a minnow.  The crappie are only going 10 to 12 inches,
which sounds "nice," but the crappie are smaller than the bigger slabs
that were rule, until recently.  Action "decent," but not great.

Nice sized jumbo perch are being taken in the weeds and on the weed
edges on Butternut Lake and the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage.  Use crawlers.
 The perch are in the 10 inch range, and limits are fairly common.

Cats up to 30 inches are being taken with regularity below the dams on,
and in the holes of the Flambeau River.  Use fresh cut-up suckers or
whole, live suckers.

Remember - - there is not a big northern population in the Park Falls
area, so don't be surprised if you don't catch any. 

Outdoor/Fishing Report for Park Falls, Wisconsin, for Week of June 19, 2000

In the Park Falls area, the weather is acting up, and is
relatively cold for this time of year, but fishing remains fairly
"warm".

Walleye fishing is great.  Limits are common.  Fish 5 to 12 feet,
depending on the body of water being fished.  You'll have to try
various depths until you latch onto the walleye, who are fairly
aggressive.  Fish the weed edges.  Use two baits ONLY:  A leech or a
fathead chub.  That's it.  No substitution will "work" for you.  The
walleye are almost all average eaters, but some large ones are biting,
with a 31 incher going 9 pounds just taken.

Musky are slow and small!  Fish the shallows, using any type of
artificial that is small.  Bigger baits will get you nowhere.  As it
is, you won't get a lot of action, and what you'll get will be on the
small side.  Your retrieve should be slow.  The musky are real
lethargic.

Remember, there aren't tremendous numbers of northern in the Park Falls
area, so don't ever expect a lot of northern action, particularly in
the summer.

Crappie fishing is excellent, unlike other areas of northern Wisconsin.
 The crappie are in 8 feet of water outside weedlines and if the water
is nice and warm, some will come up shallow.  Use minnows.  You'll get
action, but nothing of size, at all. 

Great gill action in the shallows, with the AVERAGE gill going 8 or 9
inches.  Many larger.  Use waxies or leaf worms. 

Smallies are slow, with the cold weather turning the smallies off,
big-time.  Fish the Flambeau River, if you expect to get anything.  One
bait is as good as another, which is another way of saying that not
much is working.  The best chance of getting a smallie is by accident,
right now.

The big jumbo perch have shut-down.  Best chance to get any is to fish
the Turtle-Flambeau Flowage in the weeds using a minnow.  Depth really
doesn't matter. If the jumbos are there, they're liable to be in most
any depth, as long as there are weeds.  Most anglers are reporting only
little ones, however.

Channel cats in the 30 inch range are being taken in the deeper holes
in the Flambeau River.  Use fresh cut suckers or whole live suckers. 
No other bait will work well

Outdoor/Fishing Report for Park Falls, Wisconsin, for Week of
June 12, 2000

In the Park Falls area, good numbers of mid-40s musky are being taken both on the Flambeau River and in the lakes.  As the water has warmed, the action for bigger musky has dramatically increased.  Use asmall to medium bucktail or crankbait, and keep your lure action slow.  The musky are still not responding to rapid retrieves, with "rolling," follows and short strikes the rule for impatient anglers.

Walleye are hitting on leeches and crawlers.  Minnows are not working well.  Fish the lakes along the shallow weed edges, and in the Flambeau River fish the deeper holes, 12 to 19 feet.  Average sized fryers, but excellent numbers.  The evening bite is best.

Lots of real big slab crappies are hitting in the weeds, 5 to 7 feet of water on minnows or Beetle Spins.  Excellent action.

Limits of bull gills in the 10 inch range are very common in the shallows.  Use waxies or worms, with anglers going for crappie nailing bull gills on Beetle Spins.

Good smallie action in the shallows using Berkley Power Baits or a Beetle Spins.  All catch-and-release, as season is closed.

Cats in the 25 to 30 inch range hitting in the shallow warm areas of the Flambeau River on live suckers or freshly cut-up suckers.

Large numbers of trout (browns, brookies and bows) in the 12 to 14 inch
range hitting in the creeks.  Use crawlers.  Best trout action of the year.

You'll get some decent sized perch, but mainly while fishing for walleye or crappie.  The perch are scattered.

Forget northern.  Very little action.  There are not great numbers of northern in the Park Falls area, with warm weather action fairly slow and insignificant. 

Outdoor/Fishing Report for Park Falls, Wisconsin, for Week of June 5, 2000

In the Park Falls area, musky action is excellent.  Lots and lots of smaller musky, between 27 and 36 inches being taken in the shallows, using smaller surface lures.   The bigger musky are just following, but not real active right now.  A 51 1/4 incher was taken on the Flambeau River, so the bigger musky are around, but they need warmer weather to become more active.  Sorry to report that the 51 1/4 incher was not released.  Most all musky anglers in the Park Falls area normally release their musky after taking a photo.

Some big walleye are being caught on the Flambeau River in the wood. fish 5 to 12 feet of water.  On the lakes fish around the weed edges in 5 to 12 feet of water.  Jig vertically with a minnow.  The lake walleye tend to be average fryers, and smaller than those caught on the Flambeau.  Decent, but not great action for walleye right now, wherever you fish.

Slab crappies to 15 inches plus are being caught in the shallow weeds on minnows.  The action is not bang/bang, but what you'll get will be "primo."

Smallies of average size are being taken in the shallows on the lakes, with the Flambeau having slowed way down.  Leeches and floating crank baits working best.

Gills in the 9 to 10 inch range are hitting real well in the shallows.  Use worms or waxies.

Cats are hitting hard below the dams on the Flambeau River.  Use suckers.  The cats are going into the upper 20s.

Northern, curiously, are real slow.  Only area in northern Wisconsin where the northern are not hitting big-time.    Perch are also "zero," right now.