Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, water temps have been warming considerably and I am hearing reports of some area lakes already into the mid 40s. The forecast shows chances of rain tomorrow, Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and then a fantastic opening weekend. Sunny and a high of 64 Saturday and sunny and 70 on Sunday!! Water levels seem to be in pretty good shape as well and the more rain we get the better to start the season. Folks might try some of these areas for fish next weekend……
Walleye–Anglers should find walleye just off of breaks, particularly at dusk and into the first hour of dark. These past couple of weeks they have been in shallow spawning and most likely won’t be too far from those spots. They will still be coming into those shallows at night to feed and throwing baits such as jigs/plastics, Rapala rippin raps or husky jerks and other crank/minnow baits will be excellent choices for opener. Live bait rigged on jigheads such as fathead minnows or walleye suckers are also a opening weekend option that has been tried and true.
Pike–While most anglers won’t target pike for opener they will no doubt be present and harassing any baits that come in close proximity to them. Anglers will most likely see pike in and around weeds anywhere from 5-15 FOW. Crankbaits, inline spinners and spinnerbaits would all be great choices to target pike. Crappie minnows and fatheads or suckers on jigheads and jigs under a bobber will also catch pike.
SMB–While anglers cannot harvest smallmouth bass yet, they may see them mixed in with walleye, particularly on breaks with rocks. Points, mid lake reefs, and bottom transitions with rocks or boulders will hold both smallies and walleye. Anglers will most likely catch smallies on the same baits they are using for walleye as well.
Crappie–Crappie should be staging up to spawn in weed beds or big weed flats. Traditionally, a crappie minnow rigged on a #6 gold aberdeen hook under a spring or slip float accounted for all of the crappies in our boat while drifting through weed beds. With today’s rods, anglers can cast small jig/plastic or livebait combos through weeds and catch them as well. There are some really cool plastics out there specific to crappie and panfish and rigging them on a 1/16th or 1/32 oz jighead can catch piles of fish.
Bluegill/Perch–Bluegill and perch should also be relating to weeds right now and they can all be caught on the above mentioned baits.
Spring is a great time to fish for anything as it can be a truly mixed bag of what anglers can catch on any bait! The next report will be opening day, but most of what I said above should still apply to the current bite. If anything drastic changes I will keep everyone posted, but it shouldn’t change much at all. I know I didn’t cover all species, but these are most likely to be fished in the next few weeks. Have a great weekend, good luck to all anglers who come up for opener, and we will talk soon!
Greg