2022 Opener fishing report

Good morning,

 

A bright warm start to the opener will have fish moving!! There is still pretty low water temps as ice just went out last week.  Shallow bays on the north end of the lakes will be holding fish first as they are the first to warm up.  Towards the end of the day move to shallow sandy/rocky shorelines that have been absorbing the high sun and heating up the rocks.  Even slight temperature changes can hold fish.

Musky–Musky fishing does not open for about another month, however Northwoods Musky love Crappie and its not uncommon to have one chase or even eat a slab Crappie as you are bringing it to the boat.  Makes for some excitement to hook up on light tackle!!
Walleye–Walleye will be up in the warm shallows this time of year, especially during first and last light.  Look for rocky points/humps/bars that top out around 5-10 feet. Using jigs and minnows under bobbers works well, as does pitching jigs/minnows and hopping along bottom back to the boat.  Jigs with plastics and even a good old fashioned hair jig also work nicely.
Northern Pike–Northern Pike will be roaming all of the water pretty much all year long now.  They will eat panfish in the shallows and hide in weeds and off of deep points waiting to ambush prey.  Spinnerbaits work extremely well as you can reel them fast and keep them high in the water column or slow them down and let them sink a little bit.
Largemouth Bass–Largemouth will start to slide up into warmer bays that grow weeds first.  Not quite a top water bite yet for largemouth, but texas rigged worms, ned rigs, jigs with crawfish imitating plastics will all work.  Spinnerbaits in emerging weed cover is also a great choice.  Work both the shallow and deeper edges of the weed lines anywhere from 5-15 feet of water.
Smallmouth Bass–Smallies will be mixing it up with the Walleye this time of year. Working rocky humps/bars/points that lead to deeper basins should produce fish.  Pitching jigs/plastics, jigs/fatheads, and swimbaits on hooks is a good bet.
Crappie–I am already hearing reports of good Crappie fishing and it will get even better the next week or so as water temps get them ready for spawning.  Finding shallow emerging weeds and keeping it simple with a hook and minnow under a bobber is a sure way to catch limits of Crappie.  Small jigs under a bobber tipped with plastics such as Gulp! minnows or Tattle Tails also work great.  Drifting through the weed beds in 5-10 feet of water is the spot!
Bluegill–Bluegill will be staging in the shallow sandy water as they are also getting ready to spawn.  You can easily see spawning beds on sandy shorelines this time of year.  Nightcrawlers under a bobber in and around those beds is hard to beat.
Perch–Catching Perch while Crappie fishing go hand in hand.  They will be hiding in the weeds from predators and love stealing minnows from the hooks of Crappie fisherman.  No need to get fancy with Perch, bare hooks and minnows under bobbers will catch fish.
Greg

Fishing/Ice report for 4-16-2022

Crazy April weather is making things interesting to post a fishing report!!  There is still solid ice on the main lakes but getting out there can be tricky.  I checked the launch on Lost Land Lake on Monday night and the ice was still 8-10″ thick on the shoreline but you can see lots of water flowing into the lake from the snow melt and creek inlets.  I would have to think there could be thin ice out on some main lake spots due to the moving water.  If you are planning on heading out to fish, make sure to check ice every few steps as it can change in a matter of feet.  The tactics really aren’t going to change from here until ice out, but the lack of pressure should make for excellent fishing if you can get out safely right now.

Crappie–Weed beds in the 4-12′ range should be holding fish as they are staying shallower now and getting ready for spawn.  Using small jigs, either in tungsten or lead tipped with waxies or plastics will produce fish.  Use last light to your advantage as fish will get more active then.
Bluegill–The gills will be mixing it up with the crappie in these same areas, shallow weed beds, shallow sandy shorelines/flats that are warming up during the day.  Using the same tackle and tactics will catch fish.  Jig colors in greens, pinks, whites can be good this time of year as there is a lot of stuff changing in the water column.
Perch–Perch can be in and around these areas as well, with a focus on the deeper edges and where the bottom transitions in the lake.  Again, small jigs with waxies, plastics with appendages that undulate will attract big perch.
Greg