What a summer it has been so far. Usually, this time of year we are worried about rain interrupting our plans. That’s just not the case this year. Instead, we are worrying if we will ever get some rain. It is no secret that water levels are down and we are in somewhat of an extreme drought, not to mention the spiking water temperatures.
Crazy as it sounds, the fishing has been pretty consistent throughout this whole deal. As usual, not every day is the same, but anglers certainly are catching fish on almost every outing and recently some bigger fish has been caught.
On most area lakes walleyes are getting a little trickier to come by, but if you concentrate efforts around low-light periods you will find some success. Drifting over deep basins and dragging live bait (night crawler half or leech) continues to put some fish in the boat.
Bass fishing continues to be limited to shady cover and deeper structure. Dock fishing has become a thing as we are now into the hottest days of the year. Top water baits thrown into the cover has produced some fish.
If you are looking for northern pike and musky, concentrate on mid-depth waters adjacent to vegetation. Casting big spinner baits or swim baits is definitely a good way to attract some fish. Musky action continues be considered slow, but few have been caught.
Crappie and the larger panfish are also relating to deeper vegetative cover lately. Anglers are picking them up 12 to 18 feet of water. Slip bobber rigs or just vertical jigging will catch some fish. Crappie minnows or pieces of night crawler is the bait of choice. Smaller plastics are working as well.