Early Season Tips-walleyes
This Season For The Most Part Don't Spend Alot Of Time In Or Around Traditional Spawning Areas. Walleyes Will Be Well Past The Spawn And More Than Likely There Will Be Just A Few Small Males Hanging Around.the Exception Can Be If Shiners Or Other Baitfish Have Moved Into The Same Areas To Spawn.
A Key Even Though Water Will Be Warmer Than Most Years The Warmest Water Will Still Be Key,even Just A Few Degrees Can Be Huge Especially If It Is On The Northern Or N/w Shores Or Sides Of The Lake As These Areas Will Have Been First To Warm And Will Have The First New Weed Growth Emerging. Bays And Flats With Emerging Weeds,downed Timber,shoreline Connected Bars And Points Especially If Any Combo Of Grass Or Weeds With Them.
,sand Bars With Grass Or Weeds In Especially Those In Bays Will Be Great Starting Areas.
Watch The Wind,if It Has Been Warm/sunny Go To The Windward Side As The Warmer Water Will Have Been Pushed There. This Time Of The Season The Warmer And Sunnier Many Times Will Bring The Fish Even Shallower.
If You've Gone Through A Cold Front For Several Days Or More With Dropping Water Temps Once The Sun Comes Back Many Times The Lee Side Will Be Protected And Warm Back Up Quicker And You'll Find More Active Fish And Once Surface Temps Come Back Up Go Back To Chasing The Windy Spots. Tyically Under These Conditions You'll Find The Fish A Bit Deeper In The Morning Coming Up Shallower As The Day Progesses And The Warming Water And Thermal Heat Starts To Work It's Magic.
Keep Your Tackle Lite 6-8# Test,med Light Rods,clear Or Green Mono Or Floro Like Berkly Floro Or Vanish,if You're Using Super Lines Use A 4-6" Floro Leader.
You Can Keep Your Presentations Simple You Only Really Need A Few Basic Presentations To Catch Fish After That It's Being Where They Are Thats Most Important.
1.jigs- Round Head,stand Up And Weedless 1/16-1/4 With 1/8 A Good Alround Choice In A Selection Of Dark/neutral Colors And Some Bright Colors,don't Forget A Few Plain Lead Jigs They Can Be Deadly Especially In Clearer Water.
Tip These With Minnows And Have Some Plastics Like Gulp Minnows,flukes,paddle Tails,and Twisters.
2. A Few Shallow Cranks In Minnow,perch,and Firetiger Patterns
Stickbaits Like Raps,rouges,yozuris,etc And Some Shad Bodys Like Shad Raps And Frenzy Shads In #5,7,9 Will Cover It
3. Some Spinner Rigs #2-4
4.plain Octopus Or Circle Hooks #4-6 In Red,chart,gold And Some Assorted Sinkers Of Shot,bullet,and Lindys From 1/16-3/8
5. A Good Asortment Of Healthy Fathead And Dace Minnows
2-4" Though This Season You Might Want To Have Some Leeches And Crawlers As Early As End Of May.
There's Alot Of Other Stuff Out There But If You Have These Basic Presentations And Are On Active Fish You Will Catch Them,if You Can't Then It's Time To Move.
That Is Also Something To Remember,since Most Of Your Fishing Will Be Shallow It's Easy To Spook Fish Especially If You Beat Up On Them Or Lose A Few. Once It Slows Leave And Come Back And You Will Usually Find Them Right Back In The Same Spots.
Never Spend Alot Of Time In A Spot If It Isn't Happening,stick And Move.
When The Bite Is Off A Bit Sometimes Just Dragging The Jig Or Rig Is What Will Work Best Other Times Especially When When You Get Into A Warmer Water And Fish Competting For The Forage They Are After Snap Jigging Will Tear Em' Up, Smaller Areas Or Concentrated Fish In Smaller Areas Jigs And Rigs Or Casting /twitching Cranks And Over Larger Areas/flats Try The Spinner Rigs And Trolling Cranks.
Good Luck!!! And Let Us Know Whats Been Working And Or What You Found.
Aml
