Good morning, crazy weather thus far for spring! And to think 2 weeks ago we still had snow on the ground! Weather looks like it will settle a little bit next week as far as temps go, with some rain later in the week. I am hearing good crappie fishing on all 3 lakes closest to us here at the bait shop. Walleye has been pretty good too and hearing some bass are in the mix when jigging for walleye.
Walleye–Walleye fishing has been pretty good, with most fish I am hearing reports on coming from a jig and minnow up pretty shallow. Keeping it simple, just pitching a jig and minnow out and working it with twitches back to the boat. Look for 5-10 feet of water where weeds are starting to emerge on the lake.
Northern Pike–Not much to report on Northern, but they will eat anything you are throwing right now. They will eat jigs and minnows, minnows under bobbers while crappie fishing or spinnerbaits while fishing for bass! If you want to target Northern Pike, I would go with spinnerbaits, inline spinners such as a smaller Mepps or even slowing it down and using walleye/northern suckers under a bobber. Crankbaits such as Rapalas can also be good.
Largemouth–I have been hearing reports of some nice bass being caught while pitching jigs for Walleye. Largemouth will be in these same weedbeds as they are gearing up for spawning in the shallow sandy bottoms of the lake.
Smallmouth–Smallmouth can also be caught while jigging for Walleye as they sort of mimic the same patterns throughout the year. The smallmouth will be holding a little tighter to rocky points that extend into the basin. Jigging with minnows or casting deep cranks can catch fish.
Crappie–The crappie bit has been pretty good with lots of people catching fish on minnows on smaller plain hooks/jigs tipped with crappie minnows. Look for emerging weeds in 7-10 feet of water.
Bluegill/Perch–Worms under a bobber off of the pier is a timeless classic for Bluegill and Perch. Shallow water and nightcrawlers/leaf worms or small plastics under the bobber will always catch fish.
Greg