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Fishing report 5/27-6/1
Just finished fishing Eagle Lake 5/27 to 6/1 out of Northshore Lodge. Water temps were 53-54 in main basin to 56-57 in backs of bays. A cold spell prior to our arrival brought down the temps from the 60's. Water levels were about 2' below normal levels. Early ice out (april 10th) and warm sunny weather early has contributed to much better weed growth than we have seen in recent years. Walleye fishing our first day was excellent as we found nice walleyes (17"-23") in 4'-5' of water and holding tight to emerging rice beds. These fish although active were not chasing and a very slow presentation of either small jigs tipped with minnows or spinners slowly backtrolled were necessary for success. Regardless of presentation if you were not having to occasionally clean your bait you were in the wrong place. If backtrolling a spinner I would suggest a superline that provides a smaller diameter that will help cut through the weeds and for a sinker choice opt for a bullet weight instead of split shot as this will also prevent less hang ups. If jigs are your choice use the lightest possible that still allows you to stay vertical. If your line is not staying straight up and down drop to a heavy size. After a significant cold front rolled through with overnight lows below freezing, leaving frost on the ground...OUCH!, we had to switch gears as the shallow water spawning bay bite abandoned us. We found excellent numbers of mostly slot sized fish in main lake bays holding off deeper weed edges in 12' of water. These fish were active all week and insulated us from the cold front as the water temp drop here was much less a factor as it was in the shallower bays. The only adjustment to our spinner presentation was to change to a heavier bullet weight. If you get the chance do not overlook the after dinner bite as this proved to be dynamic as the colder water temps meant slower action early and improving throughout the day. The end of the week finally brought better weather and on the last day Friday the Walleyes were once again stacked in the emerging weed beds as water temps got into the mid 60's. If the weather stays stable expect the next few weeks to be outstanding fishing for both numbers and size. I would also expect main lake structure to turn on earlier this year as the deeper bay fish transition to their early summer homes. Don't be afraid to run your electronics over these mid lake points and reefs. We found consistent Pike action fishing the deeper weed areas in 10'. Nothing huge but many slot sized fish and a few up to 37". When the walleye fishing slowed at times we just took our trolling line in a little shallower and targeted the cabbage growth in 10'. This kept us active and allowed our hands to get some exercise in the cold. The cold front all but eliminated the casting bite for us this week but with what appears to be a bumper crop of weed growth I would expect the next few weeks to be outstanding for Pike action. Rip crank baits such as 3/4 and 1 ounce rattle traps over this emerging cabbage and expect lot's of action. We saw two Musky's this week a mid 40" fish that followed a rattle trap to the boat and a low 50" fish that followed a hooked small northern. Much like the pike I would expect the Musky opener to be dynamic as they too will benefit from the early weed growth. Should you hook one incidentally prior to the opener remember to water release these fish as quickly as possible. Smallmouth action was slower than normal as they were not chasing much this week under the cold front conditions. Males were hunkered down on black streaks inside the bull rush shallows and if you got a jig past their mouth you got bit but the action was slow going for the most part. We saw much more action on Friday as the water temps pushed into the mid 60's with smallies actively cruising the shallows. Weather permitting I expect the spawn to happen soon if it has not already by the time of this writing and for the males to be on the beds for the next 30 days or so. Overall the cold weather not withstanding a solid week of fishing. The next few weeks appear set-up for some outstanding action. Thanks as always to our hosts Mark and Brenda as they always work hard to make your stay a good one. Also a tip of the cap to Julian who keeps your stay worry free from an equipment standpoint. If your headed that way you should be in great shape for an exceptional bite and if your thinking about it you just might want to make it happen as it is shaping up to be a great year.
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