May 14 Fishing Report

Hi Folks. Extremely windy weather greeted the northwoods this week. The last nice day with low winds was Sunday, and that seems like an eternity ago. The PLUS side to this – is a torrid walleye bite. We have been catching many nice fish ranging from 16 to 25 inches. Very few dinks. Green weeds have been the key to finding walleyes on many of the smaller to mid-sized lakes. Weed growth is coming along nicely and fish have moved in there to put on their post-spawn feed. Jig-and-minnow combinations have been working extremely well. It’s been about a 50-50 split between fatheads and redtails. It seems like the larger minnows work better in the cool mornings and the fatheads will work as temperatures warm up as the day goes along. Slow presentations, again, in the early part of the day, then get a little more aggressive in the afternoons. My clients and I boated 73 WALLEYES today – 63 of them being over 16” in length! Slip bobbers are also working, especially in this windy weather. We’ve also been having good luck throwing GULP minnows. Northerns have also moved onto these weed beds. We are catching these right alongside of the walleyes. Both species of fish have come in to feed on small fry and perch. Looks like it could be a good year for perch. We’ve been catching a good number of lake perch in the 10 to 12-inch bracket.

SMALLMOUTH BASS are also beginning to stage for their upcoming spawn. GULP minnows and wacky worms have been doing very well along with some crank-bait action. If fish are not found along the shoreline in tight, we then locate them either at the first or second break leading to a depth of about 8 ft. We’ve been finding smallmouth up to 21 inches in length.

CRAPPIES are beginning to fire all over the area. I’ve been hearing good reports from Lake Content, Big St. Germain, Big and Little Arbor Vitaes – fish are being found in shallower weeds and are being caught on minnows and tube jigs.

That’s it for now. See you on the water. Jeff Winters