Moving!
It was a mixed week of weather with some sun, a cold front, and lots of wind. The result was fish on the move. At one round table last week, there were reports of walleyes caught from 6 ft. in the back water slop, tons of fish on traditional transition spots, and a few big ones caught from a main lake summer spot in 30 ft. They were all over the lake.
Walleye numbers were high this week, with daily guide sheets averaging 40 walleyes over 18 in. per boat per day. The highest daily total was 75, but many guide boats were in the margins. For the week, we caught and released 51 walleyes over 27 in., including 6 – 28s, 4 – 29s, and 1 – 30.
With surface temps approaching 60 degrees around the lake, plastics became more and more productive as the week went on. Berkley discontinued the 4 in. Nemesis and that is super frustrating. To fill the void in our smaller plastics arsenal, we have been experimenting with new products. I still like the Berkley 4 and 5 in. Power Grub, but the guide crew reported impressive results from the ZMan 4 in. curly Tailz in white. There were several reports of guides pulling plastics at 1 mph with ¼ oz jigs to locate active walleyes and then going back on them with 1/8 oz jigs and minnows. There were still some fish caught on main lake structures in 14 – 20 ft., but the super-fast bites were found on transition areas in 8 – 14 ft. of water.
There are still a few big pike lingering near the spring spawning bays, but there are even more moving into transition zones. The weeds are 3 – 4 ft. tall in some of the warmer bays and it won’t be long until pike seek out the growing main lake weed beds. For the week, we caught and released 13 pike over 37 in., including 2 – 38s, 2 – 39s, 2 – 40s, 1 – 41, and 1 – 42. Covering water quickly with spoons was the go-to presentation.
At the beginning of the week, we only caught bass as incidentals while walleye fishing. By Friday, we began to have some success targeting bass on or near pre-spawn areas. For the week, we caught and released 5 over 19 in., including one 20. Covering water with a fast presentation was the key. Small cranks, husky jerks, and spinnerbaits were top producers.
The Take Away:
When the fish are on the move, we solve the puzzle faster with tactics designed to cover water and locate. We will slow down when we find a group, but we are also mentally ready for them to be gone tomorrow.
