Hope everyone’s enjoying summer and including lots of barbequing, swimming and of course fishing. Weekend traffic continue to see a lot of people heading north to escape to the wilderness and beautiful waters we Northlanders call home. This past week has finally brought us some much-needed rain to help water levels. Still a long way to go, but it is a start.
Fishing continues to be pretty good depending on where and what you are fishing For. Anglers have been finding good bites on all different types of fisheries. Water surface temperatures on most inland lakes have been in the high 70s for the most part the fish have been seeking cooler parts of the water columns. That means it is best to concentrate your efforts in the mid-depth to deep waters. Of course, time of day continues to be a big variable as well
Area lakes have given up good multi-species bites. Some lakes have been producing good catches on live bait rigging. Large-basin fish have been caught drift jigging or lindy rigging with both minnows, plastics and worms. Look toward areas with mid lake reef humps. Best to concentrate efforts around early mornings or late afternoons into dark, especially if your target is walleye. Do not be afraid to fish after dark as this time of year it can be produce some good fish.
Along deeper weed edges, anglers have been getting good sized panfish by jigging smaller 1/16 oz. jigs tipped with crappie or fathead minnows or plastics. Largemouth bass and northern pike can be found in similar areas, but working larger baits will be best to catch them. Largemouth will also be found in the vegetation and around docks. Topwater baits like frogs, leeches or worms will produce.
Oh, did I mention musky action is still slow. Only a few being caught and mostly small ones.
On a side note, we are now in the midst of summer, so a little tip to help keep fish swimming strong. Keep your livewell full of oxygenated water. That way, if you get a good fish for a picture, you can let it recuperate before releasing it.