Last May, with the general statewide fishing opener at hand, I fixed some bait and cast a line into the readership.

A column I wrote offered up a selection of notable Wisconsin waters (one local and one worth a drive) from which to pull fish.

Some readers devoured the piece; others spit out the hook.

To recap, recommendations included:

• Lake Monona and the Eagle River chain of lakes for musky;

• Lake Mendota and the Hayward area for northern pike;

• Lake Mendota and Manitowish Water area lakes for smallmouth bass;

• Lake Wisconsin and the Mississippi River backwaters for largemouth bass;

• Crystal Lake near Lodi and Lake Redstone near Reedsburg for crappie;

• Lake Kegonsa and the Chetek chain of lakes for bluegill;

• Lake Mendota and the Boulder Junction area lakes for yellow perch.

One reader's response certainly was a keeper.

"First off, I much enjoyed your article today on where to fish, blah, blah, blah ..." the reader's e-mail began. "Having said that, let me (be) like the (type of) cruel dog owner who offers his dog a bone and then hits him over the head with it."

The reader, a Madison-area resident whose name — like a prized honey hole — shall be held to secrecy, was in agreement with the inclusion of the Chetek lakes/Rice Lake and Eagle River. He was less impressed by the inclusion of Hayward as a worthy destination.

Then he climbed into the boat and all but threw me and my comments back with one muscular yank.

"How in heaven's name ... could you omit Wausau? It is so spectacular, so 'unknown' as to almost beggar comment. I do not exaggerate when I say that a 'stiff' like me has limited out each and every time I've gone there, and on any number of occasions (my wife) and I have caught and released over 200 walleyes on a single outing.

"I haven't discussed the 9- to 10-inch (blue)gills, the 40-plus-inch northerns or the 44-inch musky I landed going for smallies (dozens in the 3- to 5-pound range DAILY). And I haven't discussed the catfishing. ..."

The reader went on about the vast possibilities a Madison-area angler could experience merely by taking a 2-hour drive north on Interstate 39 to Marathon County.

"It's literally like Canada 'right in the middle of town' (no exaggeration) — the walleye and smallie fishing, the 14-inch crappies and (blue)gills, the PROBABLE catch and release muskies and northern will blow you away.

"Don't forget walleye, bass and northern seasons NEVER close up in the Wausau area."

So, with that polite rebuke in mind, and with Wisconsin's general inland fishing season having opened this weekend, suffice it to say this year the waters are getting their due respect.

So where are we talking about?

Phil Schweik, part of Hooksetters Fishing & Hunting Guide Services (www.hooksetters.biz) out of Mosinee just south of Wausau, was raised on the waters in and around the area. He said he favors the waters related to the Wisconsin River system — referred to by some as the hardest-working river in America — local jewels Lake Wausau, Lake Dubay, Little Eau Pleine Flowage and Half Moon Lake.

Lake Dubay, located south of Mosinee and feeding south into northern Portage County, is a 6,700-square-acre drainage lake with a depth of 30 feet.

Lake Wausau is a 1,918-acre drainage lake with a mean depth of 7 feet and a maximum of 30.

Half Moon Lake, north of Mosinee, covers 800 acres; Little Eau Pleine Flowage, located further south and west, is a tiny, 495-acre water.

Schweik, 42, noted the waters offer a variety of quantity and quality all across the spectrum of game fish.

He mentions muskies, walleyes, small and largemouth bass, a number of panfish, crappie and blugeills, as well as catfish. 

"When I take someone fishing, it's a mixed bag. You throw out a line and never know what to expect," said Schweik, a former factory worker who started the guide service in 1999 and in his spare time has posted 15 victories on major musky tournament circuits.

He said catching 15-inch crappie is not uncommon and walleye fishing is exceptional.

And he doesn't even mention the other waters around Wausau, including the Rib and Eau Claire rivers, Big Eau Pleine Reservoir, Mission Lake, Pike Lake and Big Bass Lake.

Sounds like heaven.

"It is. I took 66 muskies ... last year with my clients. Had eight over 45 inches, 40 over 40 and one over 50. Most are in the 38- to 42-inch range," said Schweik, who can be contacted at 715-693-5843 or by e-mail at info@hooksetters.biz, along with guides Glenn Moberg, John Sparbel, Craig Lemmer and Justin Gaiche.

I asked him if he could name a better fishing location in Wisconsin.

"I've thought about that. That's a funny question, and, no, no I couldn't," he said. "I wouldn't (go elsewhere) because of the diverse fishery, year-round fishing ability and because it's such a central location here.

"From Madison, for instance, you're talking four, five hours to reach some places. I'm fortunate that I can go just about anywhere in the state and be there in a few hours."