Good morning from the Quiet Lakes, a “cool” week to officially start summer as we will see temps topping out in the low 70s. Cool nights in the 40s and 50s and some more chances of rain mid week will certainly help keep water temps down. From what I am hearing, water temps are anywhere from the mid to upper 60s on most lakes right now, and with the couple inches of rain we had this past week, water levels on the lakes should be in good shape as well. Fishing has been pretty good with many species getting active in the cooler water.
Musky–Musky action has picked up and our first musky board at the bait shop is about three-quarters full. Anglers are catching all sizes of musky right now which is great to see and they are catching them on faster moving baits, such as bucktails and spoons. Baits such as Mepps #5s on the smaller end of the bucktail spectrum all the way up to double 8s and 10s are catching fish right now. Work these baits in and around weeds, off of main lake points, bays, and bars. Pro tip–Have another rod rigged up with slower moving baits such as gliders or dive and rise jerkbaits to throw back at following fish that didn’t commit to the faster moving option.
Northern Pike–Pike action has been consistent on pretty much everything from plastic worms, to live bait, to crank/stick baits. Work shallow to mid depth weeds for pike right now.
Walleye–The walleye bite has been pretty good lately with anglers finding nice fish on typical “summer spots”. On some lakes in our area that is deep weed edges, and others that is deeper rocky areas. If using live bait leeches on jigs either under a slip bobber or just vertically jigged are great choices to go after dinner or trophy fish. Jerkbaits such as Berkley hit sticks or Rapala countdowns or husky jerks can be excellent worked through weeds. Look for walleye anywhere from 8-15 FOW on lakes with more of a weed bite, and work anywhere from 12-20 FOW on lakes with a deeper/clear water rock bite.
LMB–The largemouth bite has slowed down a little bit, most likely due to the water temps cooling down. Anglers should fish slightly deeper in the water column or closer to the bottom of shallow weeds to target bass right now. Spinnerbaits are always a good choice and stay pretty weedless through the water. Wacky rigged plastic worms can be excellent too, just let them sink to the bottom and sort of slowly jig them back to the boat or shore.
SMB–Smallies have been active, and anglers are having luck with simple jig/plastic or jig/live bait set ups. Work these baits anywhere from 4-12 FOW or deeper depending on the lake and structure they favor. I am not sure if the topwater bite for smallies has started yet, but in recent years we have had a few week window in early summer where anglers absolutely crush smallies on top water baits such as Whopper Ploppoers or poppers.
Crappie/Bluegill/Perch–Anglers will find all manner of panfish up in weeds, around fallen timber/cribs, or underneath and around docks. Nightcrawlers and leaf worms take up a bulk of the duties catching panfish throughout summer off of docks and the shallowest structure, while minnows still get the bill for crappie/perch that are scattered in and off of deeper weed edges. Jig/plastic combos have really become more prominent in the panfish game as well and anglers should have success using them on those same pieces of structure as well.
That is all I have for this week’s report. A wonderful start to summer in my book, as anyone that knows me knows I am not a fan of 90 degree heat…Have a great weekend, enjoy the long days and we will talk soon.
Greg