From Famine to Feast
We began the week with winter, then we had 1 day of spring, and then it turned into full on summer.
Last week we struggled to get out of the 30s and this week we reached 90. The change in fishing was no less dramatic. The big pike moved into the shallows, the main lake walleyes are finishing up the spawn, and the bass are headed to the skinny water. The fishing was on Fire.
With very little wind and blazing sunshine, the surface temps climbed into the high 60s on the main lake and into the 70s in the back bays. The consensus of the guide crew is that the pike spawn is effectively over. Big spoons were by far the most effective presentations. Some guides preferred big Doktor spoons, others liked the Williams Whitefish, and when the pike went super shallow in the stumps, the Johnson Silver Minnow was the first choice. For the week, we caught and released 76 pike over 37 in., including 17 – 38s, 12 – 39s, 4 – 40s, 2 – 41s, 4 – 42s, 1 – 43, 1- 44, and 1 – 45. The volume was also crazy with several guides reporting 50 – 100 fish days.
Silver Water Wheel is located in the central main lake basin of Lac Seul. In the spring, we monitor two distinct populations of walleyes; river spawners and main lake spawners. The river spawners migrate 20 – 60 miles to spawn in several of the rivers that flow into the main lake. Those fish typically spawn 1 – 3 weeks earlier than the main lake spawners. Once the fish in the rivers complete their spawn, those fish quickly make another long trek and head back to the main lake. Specifically, they roam until they find the warm water pockets around the main lake basins. The main lake spawners search out areas with current and fist to head sized rock. At the beginning of the week, the guides focused on the main lake spawners, but with surface temps soaring, we also have seen the return of many of the river fish.
Light jigs (1/8 oz.) with minnows were the most productive presentation this week. Even though we found walleyes in 1 – 20 ft. of water, the fish down deep were not aggressive and required a slow, finesse presentation. The shallower fish were typically more aggressive so we used the lighter jigs to move quickly to avoid snags. For the week, we caught and released 33 walleyes over 27 in., including 4 – 28s, 3 – 29s, and 1 – 30. Big fish numbers were more impressive than volume. Guide sheets averaged 25 over 18 in. per boat per day. Especially for the main lake spawners, it was common to catch 5 – 10 small walleyes for every fish caught in the slot or over.
At the beginning of the week, we caught a few smallmouth bass that remained deep on main lake sunken islands. By the end of the week, all the bass had moved shallow. I don’t know if the In-Fisherman writers coined the term “fountain effect,” but it is a vivid description of the mass migration that we see the bass make from deep to shallow in the spring. The instant summer conditions amplified the speed. In the next week or two, we will target bass specifically, but this week they were mainly by-catch while we were walleye fishing. For the week, we caught and released 9 smallies over 19 in.
When I book May fishing trips, I tell all my guests that this time of year is a gamble. The key variable is the weather. If winter holds on, it can be tough, but when sun shines, it doesn’t even feel like the same lake. This was probably the most dramatic shift that I have ever seen – from “Famine to Feast.”
