Fishing Report

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, looks like another warm weekend and another big cold front coming in on Tuesday, with a good chance of rain and then average temps through next weekend.  Water temps are slowly climbing back up to where they were a couple of weeks ago and I am hearing reports of water temps in the low 60s right now.  The fishing has started to pick back up a bit and anglers are finding fish in pretty normal places for this time of year.

Musky–I wouldn’t say the musky bite has been on fire, but it has been pretty good and anglers are catching them on a wide range of baits from small bucktails up to 12″ suicks.  Fish are up pretty shallow anywhere from 4-12 FOW off of points, weed beds, and shallow bays.  

Northern pike–The pike bite has been hot lately, and pike are eating anything and everything.  Small spinnerbaits, small crankbaits and live bait are all helping anglers to catch pike.  Anglers should target pike in and around shallow weedy bays or shallower weed beds that top out off of reefs or points.  

Walleye–The walleye bite has picked back up with these warmer temps we are seeing and should be good through the weekend.  Anglers are finding some walleye in shallow water along weed/rock edges and others off of deeper rocks.  Vertical jigging with minnows has been working, but leeches should also start producing very soon.  

LMB–Anglers have reported seeing bass on beds, but still staying somewhat neutral when sending baits there way.  Sounds like they have started staging for spawning but may not have yet?  I know a couple of weeks ago they were fired up with the warming water temps, but I think the cold front we had really messed with them.  Anglers should try nightcrawlers, plastic worms rigged in any style, and even spinnerbaits or chatterbaits thrown into slightly shallower water or inside weed edges.

SMB–I have not heard too much about smallies as of late, and even the guys doing well on walleye did not say anything about seeing smallies mixed in or near the walleye.  They may also be in shallow water either spawning or just at post spawn depending on the lake.  Anglers may find them on shallow rocky bottom areas of the lake.

Crappie–The crappie bite has picked back up a little bit as well.  Anglers are finding them in weed beds anywhere from 6-10 FOW right now.  Crappie minnows and small plastics on jig heads either cast out or set up under a float seem to be working best.  

Perch–Anglers are finding some perch mixed in with the crappie, although mainly on the deeper edge of the weeds and not so much in the weeds.  Minnows and plastics have been the ticket for perch as well.

Bluegill–I helped put in some docks yesterday and saw a bunch of smaller beds on the sandy shoreline we were working near.  My guess is the gills’ are setting up beds to spawn, but they should definitely be in a pre spawn yet as we haven’t had consistently warm water temps yet.  Anglers should find gills’ in the weeds near those spawning areas, and throw chunks of nightcrawlers, redworms, or even waxies to catch them.  

Have a great weekend and we will talk soon.

Greg

Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, a beautiful holiday weekend on tap for the Northwoods with temps in the mid to upper 60s and touching 70 on Monday.  We may see some rain Tuesday and Wednesday, and then a warm up into the upper 70s and 80s by next weekend.  The fishing should heat up as the weather does, this past week was not great at all.  Big winds and rain to start last week really dropped water temps and shut the fish down for the most part.  From what I was hearing throughout the week, the water temps dropped back down to right around 60 degrees.  

Musky–MUSKY SEASON IS BACK UPON US!!!!  In my opinion the absolute best freshwater fish to chase, musky should be active and found in and around weed beds in anywhere from 6-15 FOW.  Musky will be chasing perch, bluegill, and crappie naturally so baits that mimic those forage species should be in every tackle box.  Some lakes have cisco as well and baits in silver/white patterns will work well too. Bucktails, crank/twitch baits, and even top water baits thrown at dusk would be great options this weekend and to start the season.

Northern pike–You know fishing is slow when the pike bite gets slow, and from what I have heard over the last week, this has been the case.  Pike should also be in and around weed beds and eating smaller bucktails, spinnerbaits, and Rapalas or other similar baits.  Look for pike also in that 6-15 FOW range.

Walleye–Anglers should find walleye off of deeper rocky points or reefs, or on deep weed edges or hard to soft bottom transitions.  Jigs/minnows have still been producing fish with walleye suckers working as well.  As the water warms back up, leeches should start to get nice eyes’ into the net.  

LMB–Largemouth have pushed into slightly deeper water and found cover over the past week, but they should start to find shallower sandy shorelines or lily pads as the weather and water temps warm.  Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and live bait such as crawlers or larger minnows are great choices to target largemouth right now.  

SMB–While anglers still can’t harvest smallmouth bass yet, they can find them relating to the same areas walleye should be in right now.  Deeper rocks or rocky shorelines that drop off into deeper water.  Jigs/minnows or plastics or deep running crankbaits can be great choices to throw for smallies.  

Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–The panfish bite slowed down considerably with the cold front last weekend and nasty weather we had last week.  It sounds like panfish had pushed into weeds and cover and were holding in 8-10 FOW or around that depth range depending on the lake.  Minnows  on small jigs or under a float seem to be working best right now, but small leeches, crawlers and waxies will also start to get good as the water heats up.  

That is all I have for this week’s report.  I hope everyone takes some time to reflect on what the weekend means and the sacrifices made so we can enjoy all of our outdoor hobbies/ventures.  I hope everyone also thanks a veteran for their service, for keeping this the greatest country in the world! 🇺🇸 THANK YOU veterans past, present and future! Have a great weekend and we will talk soon!

Greg