Fishing Report

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, yesterday was a soaker and from our rain gauge we got almost an inch of precipitation over the last couple of days.  It looks to be over for today, but we have possibilities on Monday and Friday this week.  Today looks to be another chilly one for June, with a high temp of 57 degrees.  The rest of the week looks to warm up into the mid 70s which will hopefully bring the water temps up a few degrees and get fish more active.  I was out on Thursday and we had water temps of 66 degrees, but the rain and cloud cover may have dropped that a little bit as of right now.  

Musky–I would not say the musky bite has been hot, but anglers are seeing fish and getting some in the net.  Smaller baits seem to be working better overall, but a few anglers have moved fish on bigger rubber baits as well.  Fish had been holding to typical summer spots, but this cold front may have pushed them just off of main areas of focus.  As the weather warms up, we should see fish move back up into these summer spots anywhere from 5-15 FOW on rocks, weeds, and mid lake reefs.

Northern PIke–Pike have still been active, and we managed one little hammer handle Thursday night.  He ate a small bucktail, but I have heard reports of pike eating most anything hitting the water.  Look for pike in 3-15 FOW in and around weeds, shallow bays, and anywhere else with structure.  

Walleye–The walleye bite has been hit or miss, fish are where they should be for this time of year but they have been mostly neutral or negative as far as aggression towards baits.  Live bait seems to be working best, and jigs and minnows are still working better than leeches.  Look for walleye on deeper rocks or those deeper bottom transitions.  Deep weed lines can also be good spots on certain lakes.

LMB–Largemouth have been active, mostly on artificial baits.  They haven’t quite moved up into shallow weeds and anglers are catching more suspended fish vs. the top water bite.  Live bait such as crawlers or bigger minnows may catch fish in and around weed beds as well.

SMB–Smallies have been on typical spots such as deeper rocks off of points and reefs, and a few anglers have found them up shallow and catching them off of docks.  Kind of depends on the lake you are on and the typical structure of that particular lake.  Night crawlers and leeches seem to be most effective for smallies right now.  

Crappie–The crappie bite started off pretty good early in the week, but as the rain and cold moved in they scattered and anglers struggled to find them.  It sounds like they are still mostly relating to weeds more so than the basins.  Crappie minnows or small plastics under a float seem to be working best right now, as well as small baits such as beetle spins or mimic minnows.  

Bluegill/Perch–Panfish have been in and around shallow weeds and that should continue.  Docks and shorelines with vegetation can also be great spots this time of year for gills and perch.  Small jigs or hooks tipped with waxies/plastics/crawlers or minnows are great options for bait.  

That is all I have for this week’s report.  These weather patterns have the fish kind of all over the place, but we look to be on an upward trend for temps and that should help the fishing a bit.  We here at the bait shop wish all of the dads out there a Happy Fathers Day tomorrow!  Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, it looks like we are in for a wet week.  Chances of rain Sunday, Monday, Thursday and Friday.  Temperatures look to be in the upper 60s and mid to low 70s moving forward which should help bring water temps up.  Water temps have been holding in the low to mid 60s from what I am hearing.  The fishing has been pretty good lately, but some warmer water will definitely help some species to get more predictable as far as a bite pattern goes.  

Musky–The musky bite has been pretty slow to start the season to be honest.  Lots of fish being seen, but a lot of lazy follows and neutral fish that aren’t aggressive towards baits.  If the water temps warm up just a few degrees we should see fish getting more active and more patterned.  Musky should be in and around shallow weeds chasing baitfish, and lures such as bucktails, glide baits, and dive and rise jerkbaits are good choices to throw right now.  

Northern Pike–Hammer handle pike have been eating everything thrown in the water over the last couple of weeks and that probably won’t change.  Anglers should do well throwing small inline spinners, hairpin style spinnerbaits, smaller crankbaits, and live bait such as walleye suckers in and around weedy bays or weed beds.  Look for pike anywhere from 3-12 FOW in these areas.

Walleye–The walleye bite has been kind of hit or miss so far this season for many anglers, although we should start to see early summer patterns taking shape for walleye.  Leeches may start to work better than say walleye suckers or minnows, but any live bait is a good choice.  Anglers should find walleye off of deeper rocks or weed edges adjacent to deep water basins.  

LMB–Largemouth have been somewhat active, but they too should get very active with warmer water temps.  Right now anglers are finding largemouth in and around weed beds and catching fish suspended.  Once the water warms up we should see topwater action take over and the bass bite get very good.  Spinner baits, live bait such as nightcrawlers and minnows, and plastic worms are all great choices for largemouth right now.

SMB–Smallies have been active for anglers, and most of what I am hearing is that fish are off of deeper rock.  Whether that be main lake reefs or points, anywhere weeds transition to rocks, or shorelines drop off to deep water from rocks seem to be holding fish.  JIgging with leeches, and minnows or slip bobbering close to the bottom has been working best from what I understand.

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–All of the panfish species seem to be holding to cover yet, mostly weeds on the lakes in our area.  Some lakes may have shallower timber or deadfall that can hold panfish as well.  Small jigs, tipped with waxies/plastics, chunks of nightcrawler, or crappie minnows can all work great right now.  Run jig setups cast out alone and reeled back in or under a float.  Look for fish anywhere from 3-10 FOW and fish in and around the structure.

Nothing too exciting going on as far as fishing goes right now, but that could change if the water warms up.  Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg