Fishing Report 05/17/10

With the progression of spring, local waterways have come to life. Geese and their goslings can be seen exploring shallow bays and shorelines, Painted and Snapping Turtles are sunbathing on logs, and Great Blue Herons are busy patrolling back bays and marshes. In addition, a myriad of fish species have become more active as seasonal temperatures have returned over this past weekend.

The earlier cool weather this month has kept surface temperatures in check, and subsequently, there are numbers of both bluegills and crappies yet shallow. The bite over the weekend was a bit lighter than expected, although it will improve now that warmer weather has arrived. A simple float and a hook baited with a piece of night crawler or minnow suspended off bottom will work just fine. Tiny jigs baited with Gulp or Powerbait also work well under a float, and are a bit more convenient to use then live bait. Brighter colors such as orange, pink, or chartreuse have been best of late.

Smallmouth bass have been very aggressive, and like the panfish, are available in good numbers in shallow water. Surface lures in the prop-bait or chugger-style families worked in a slow to medium speed retrieve are starting to account for good numbers of fish relating to shallow rocks, gravel, or sand. In-line Mepps spinners such as the Aglia and Black Fury in sizes 2 and 3 have been effective search baits as of late. Where flow is present, fish have been relating to current breaks such as those produced by rocks, sand bars, or stumps. Docks have been holding fish during sunny mid-day hours; try skipping a 4” Mister Twister FAT Tube in Firetiger, Grasshopper, or Watermelon Crawfish underneath the dock and retrieving in a subtle hopping motion.

The early arrival of spring this year means that weed growth has been accelerated locally, and as such, there is ample habitat in which to pursue northern pike. Plastic swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and in-line spinners have all been working well. The bite has typically been best during mid-day hours, with the pike showing preference for metallic or brightly colored lures. With the water temperatures continuing to increase, the largest pike will soon be vacating the shallows for their cool deep-water summer haunts.

Despite low water conditions, local streams have been very productive for Brown, Rainbow, and Brook Trout. Again, in-line spinners such as the Mepps Aglia and Aglia Long have been solid producers, with sizes 0 and 1 seemingly the most productive. Fly-fishermen have also been reporting success with both wet and dry flies, depending on the day and stream conditions.

Musky season opens next Saturday, May 29th, and given the current status of local waterways coupled with the extended forecast, the opener looks like it will be very good. Water temperatures, depending on the body of water, should be nearing the onset of “summer” conditions. Combined with the early spring and subsequent advanced weed growth and early spawn, conditions truly will be prime for musky action. Our area continues to produce some of the largest muskies in the state, and 2010 should be no exception; in fact, a near 50 pound specimen was captured and released just this spring by DNR personnel in our area – THAT picture (located in an earlier post), truly is worth a thousand words!

Tight lines,