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Posts: 112
Location: algonquin Illinois | Has anyone fished these bodies of water.
Going this spring/ summer just looking for
some advice. Has anyone troll on them.
Tolling is permitted. |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | Trolling is permitted on High Falls only.
Great Lakes! Throw Orange, and hit timber and Rocks. |
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| The locals call both the dead sea. Caldron (no trolling) would be the better casting bet of the two. The number of fish being caught each year has been going down since about 2000. High falls has sucked since Wisconsin Public Service & WI DNR decided to lower high falls (twice) 10+ of feet to kill off the weeds...that worked GREAT!!! It killed off all the weeds and it still isn't remotely close to good. Tried trolling High Falls off and on for years, had one maybe hit many many years ago. |
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Posts: 80
Location: Clintonville, Wi | Caldron is the best bet, dont even waste your time on High Falls. Caldron has some pretty nice fish, I like the river stretch, crane bay and the rock humps by the island in the middle, in the spring. Try anywhere there are stumps especially on a bright sunny spring day. I've done good on green or orange tails.....perch colored twitch baits can also be productive. |
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Posts: 2112
Location: The Sportsman, home, or out on the water | I have to disagree with the "dead sea" statement. Took my wife and my dad out there in late Sept. last year. That lake made us all believers in the Weagle! And that was the first time my dad ever threw a musky bait in his life! four fish, over 40" in a two hour span of throwing weagles. Good, lucky, whatever. River flowages, like the Pesh, the WI, the Flambeau, Chip, Jump, Thornapple, etc harbor good fish, threw drawdown or no.
Did not mean to disrespect, but maybe increase optomism.
Good luck in 08! |
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Posts: 999
| Rob, i'd love to see the pics if you could post them!! That would be great! I love the dark green musky's with the black backs that come out of there!!
Mr Musky |
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| None taken Mr. Muskynightmare and none intended. Each person it entitled to their opinion, this is supposed to be a free country.
Congrats on the great success.
The only question I have is if that was your first trip of the season or ever to high or caldron? Or do you fish there regularly?
Like I said the locals call it the "dead sea" maybe it is just sick. 
Yes, you can have multiple fish days out there. In my honest opinion it's just that fishing isn't what it was many years ago.
The drawdown also took a hit to the walleye and bass fishing.
Biggest problem with high falls now are the number of recreational crafts out there. When people start water skiing at 7 AM it's just ridiculous. Now that Public Service has sold off a ton of lots on high falls it is just going to get worse. It's not uncommon to see 100+ boats out there on a summer weekend. That's not counting the fisherman. Worst part is that the recreational boats usually don't have a clue what they are driving over or respect for other people. Go ahead drive in less than 3 feet of water at full throttle. Let me know how many props you go through.
Dealers must be happy. That's probably why the town board shot down the idea of a water skiing hour limit on high falls. Can't PO the tourists. Skiing hours equal less time on the water and more time in the bar. More time in the bar more money spent...must be fuzzy math.
Unfortunately people have already died out there, and it is only a matter of time until it happens again.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from fishing there, that's just how it is.
Whitetails, if you're looking for spots to cast or troll grab a Hotspots map. That will give you a good idea. If you can find the OLD WI DNR maps from many many years ago that might give you an idea of where the river channel runs.
Agreed, that orange is good color to start with.
Be careful and keep your stick on the ice. |
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Posts: 170
Location: Chicagoland | Cauldron is an excellent lake. Not necessarily for size, but you are, I can almost guarantee, that you will get some action... |
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| fished highfalls a few times last year. largest being 45.5" definitely get the hotspots map. if u can try to fish during the week, as stated before watercraft on the weekend is crazy. have had luck with topwater and mepps. even when the fishing is slow there is some nice scenery. best of luck. |
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Posts: 16632
Location: The desert | Guest - 1/31/2008 10:08 AM
None taken Mr. Muskynightmare and none intended. Each person it entitled to their opinion, this is supposed to be a free country.
Congrats on the great success.
The only question I have is if that was your first trip of the season or ever to high or caldron? Or do you fish there regularly?
Like I said the locals call it the "dead sea" maybe it is just sick.
Yes, you can have multiple fish days out there. In my honest opinion it's just that fishing isn't what it was many years ago.
The drawdown also took a hit to the walleye and bass fishing.
Biggest problem with high falls now are the number of recreational crafts out there. When people start water skiing at 7 AM it's just ridiculous. Now that Public Service has sold off a ton of lots on high falls it is just going to get worse. It's not uncommon to see 100+ boats out there on a summer weekend. That's not counting the fisherman. Worst part is that the recreational boats usually don't have a clue what they are driving over or respect for other people. Go ahead drive in less than 3 feet of water at full throttle. Let me know how many props you go through.
Dealers must be happy. That's probably why the town board shot down the idea of a water skiing hour limit on high falls. Can't PO the tourists. Skiing hours equal less time on the water and more time in the bar. More time in the bar more money spent...must be fuzzy math.
Unfortunately people have already died out there, and it is only a matter of time until it happens again.
I'm not trying to discourage anyone from fishing there, that's just how it is.
Whitetails, if you're looking for spots to cast or troll grab a Hotspots map. That will give you a good idea. If you can find the OLD WI DNR maps from many many years ago that might give you an idea of where the river channel runs.
Agreed, that orange is good color to start with.
Be careful and keep your stick on the ice.
Guest, your opinions intrigue me quite a bit. I'm assigned to devise an entire management plan on Caldron, for all species. What my crew and I come up with will be submitted to the DNR. We will be basing a vast majority of our information off of information we have available to us in the DNR database, but we also want to hear public input/opinions on what they would like to see done. No recomendation or idea will be tossed it, all will be considered. If you wouldnt mind guest, shoot me an email at [email protected] I'd like get a contact that knows a bit about the lake. Thanks.
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Posts: 622
Location: Seymour, WI | Caldron can be a good musky lake.
The action seems to be really good in June, then it gets tougher as the cabbage weeds get choked out by algea & milfoil as the summer goes on. I've had good luck using bright bucktails & surface baits over the weeds.
I enjoy fishing Caldron, but it is getting tougher as the milfoil is getting worse each yr.
Grass
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Posts: 158
Location: Burlington, WI | How dangerous is this flowage? I've been wanting to give it a try, except that I am always nervous going on a river or flowage with the fear of damaging my boat ever since cracking off half of my skeg on my 115 Merc on a wing dam on a different river. How is the smallmouth fishing? I would like to try for some smallies before the muskie opener. Also, how dangerous is the river itself, say below the flowage. And how is the fishing in the river? |
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Posts: 999
| For what its worth back in the early to mid ninety's a person could almost guarantee themselves at least one fish boated per outing or a shot at one on Caldron Falls. Well in the late ninety's to basically present I dont know what happened but it takes alot of time on the water there just to see one now let alone catch one! I basically have switched to more productive bodies of water. I dont know if the population of fish changed or if the influence of milfoil and other species had an effect or what it is. It just doesn't seem the same. PointerPride, Mike Mladenik would be a great source of information to get ahold of for your study. He use to guide out there quite a bit for bass and musky. That could help you out a ton!
Mr Musky
Edited by Mr Musky 2/6/2008 9:39 PM
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| the flowage isn't to bad, most of the spots u have to be careful are in no wake zones. so u are going slow enough to see what not to hit. like i said before get the hotspots map it has most of the rough spots marked. as for small mouth, my best luck has come in the river. there it is a little different, depending on the water level. when its low there are some rocks to worry about, but again this is a no wake zone. so if u take your time and watch the water and trim up your motor u shouldn't have any problems, there's a rock around the pestigo river inn that usually get a couple people off ther seats. the other spot is down by the bridge on parkway. there's a few rocks down there. |
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Posts: 10
Location: WI | There are certain areas north of the bridge that you have to watch out of. As long as you stay in the middle you should be reasonably OK. When going through the slow no wake north narrows make sure you stay in the middle, the west side has some spots that can get tricky. The north side of the narrows is where someone died in a boating accident (at night) a few years back. North of the bridge is where the beach is, so that is where they water ski. You'll spend more time trying to dodge them and the watercraft. If you do hit something you are more likely to hit rock than stumps.
Early in the year that are some deadheads around, not much you can do about those.
Just don't cut corners going around islands and shore, make sure you stay in the middle. Like others have said before, get a map and you'll be ok. Not exactly recommended to drive between the islands south of the bridge. A friend took off his lower unit years back going about 60 between the islands.
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| This weekend was the ice fish-o-rama on High Falls. Not the greatest of results. Only one walleye caught.  |
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Posts: 54
| caldron and high falls can be very good at times for musky.
keep the bait in the water and good things will happen.
any info needed. shoot me an email.
dannyboys guide service
musky crazy
laona,wi
715-674-2061
www.dannyboysguideservice.com
[email protected] |
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caldren and high falls flowage