Good evening from the Quiet Lakes. Getting you an early report, as I will be at the Fishing Has No Boundaries event tomorrow from early morning until late. We had a good day out there today, albeit a warm one. I think we got up to around 80 degrees with a pretty good breeze. Tomorrow looks to be similar with a high of 75 and plenty of sunshine. Then we get a big cold front and possibly severe thunderstorms Sunday and Monday. Rain on Tuesday and a high of 48 is sure to keep the fish scattered even more than they already are. Water temps are still pretty cool and while anglers are finding fish in the areas they should be located for the time of year, the bite has not been great. From what I am hearing water temps are varying pretty significantly from lake to lake. On The Chip, I am hearing up to around 60-degree water temps, while on the Quiet Lakes, I am hearing low to mid-50-degree temps.
Before I get into the species report, I do want to add one quick note. We received a call from the DNR Wildland fire service guys today and they said absolutely NO fires of any kind (including in fire pits). We have been too dry and windy, and fires can get out of hand quickly.
Musky– We finally got a Musky put on the board in the bait shop. I do not believe the angler was musky fishing, but he caught one nonetheless! Musky should be fairly shallow and related to weeds and weed beds. Most panfish are in up shallow and musky will be close by. Smaller musky jerkbaits or bucktails worked over emerging vegetation would be a great place to start to target ‘skies.
Northern pike– Some of the anglers at FHNB today did well catching pike on jigs and crawlers. Pike are in shallow feeding on crappie/bluegill/ and perch and are eating any easy meal they find. Smaller bass-sized spinners/jerkbaits/ and crankbaits can all be effective as can live bait. Look for pike anywhere from 3-10 FOW right now.
Walleye– One of the area guides told me that walleye are “where they should be” for this time of year, so depending on the lake you fish you should find walleye where you expect them. On most lakes, that will be on mid-depth rocks/sand off of points or mid-lake reefs. On some lakes, walleye will be around weed edges on the deep side. Walleye will be pushing shallow towards evening and low-light conditions. Jigs and minnows have been the ticket as well as hard baits such as Rapala Husky Jerks.
LMB– I have not heard much of a largemouth bite, but a few of the anglers at FHNB caught some nice largemouth up shallow as they were targeting panfish. Bare hooks or jigs rigged under a float with chunks of nightcrawlers seemed to do the trick to catch them. Spinnerbaits would also be a good option to catch aggressive bass right now.
SMB– Smallies are on deep rocks right now and anglers can catch them on jigs and minnows or plastics. Look for deep rock edges anywhere from 12-20 FOW either on points, mid lake reefs or outlets of bays extending into the main lake.
Crappie/Bluegill/Perch– All of the panfish are up tight right now in skinny water seeking out a few things. Warmth from shallow weeds, forage that is hatching from lake beds, and cover from predators. Gills and perch seem to be keen to chunks of night crawlers under floats either on small bare hooks or jigs. Crappie seem to favor minnows, but are in the same areas anywhere from 3-8 FOW right now.
Have a great weekend, if you are in the Northwoods for the weekend/week, stay dry during the storms Sunday and Monday and we will talk soon.
Greg