Summer has unofficially kicked off with the Memorial Day weekend and it couldn't have been much nicer! It also marked the 2010 Bass opener and there were plenty of fish to go around. The water temps are hovering around the 75 degree mark which have pushed the bass off of their spawning beds for the year and left a lot of the 2.5 pound fish, and some larger ones still in the shallows. The majority of the anglers have reported success deep in the pencil grass and weed beds on the north side of the lake. The key baits seemed to be soft plastic stick baits and unweighted flukes. The bass have started to move into their summer patterns, weed lines and weed beds in 8-14 feet of water will become their main territories. Leeches, Crawlers, and suckers are a few live baits that will be productive in the summer months. Some places to try for deeper bass are Cemetery, Center, and Anderson's Reef.The Walleyes are still biting with many reports of 16-20'' fish being caught. The best approaches have been a jig & Fathead combination along with a Slip bobber and a leech. Harm's Point, Kegs and Cemetery Reefs have been productive in 8-22 feet of water. Just rem
ember that during the daylight hours many of the fish move deeper, while in low light conditions they will move shallower onto the flats to feed.
The Sunfish bite has really picked up in the last few days while they are on their spawning beds. Wax worms, crawlers, and pan fish leeches are all working on the pan fish. The key is to locate a group of beds, which can be found all over the lake, in depths less than 10 ft. Some spots to try are behind the weed beds on the north side of the lake, on the south side of the island along with Wagner's Bay. This is the time to get out on the lake with the younger ones, as the fishing is fast and easy!
This next weekend (6/5) is the start of Muskie fishing and it is shaping up to be excellent. With the warm water temperatures being higher than normal the fish should be snapping. We now carry a small selection of Musky Mayhem Tackle including Double Cowgirls and Double Showgirls. Stop in the shop and we will be happy to put you in the right area to get onto some big muskies! Handling these fish is a crucial part and here are some pointers to remember
Muskie Handling Tips
-Practice CPR (catch/photo/Release)!
-Having the right Equipment
-Make sure you have a good set of pliers, a large enough net or cradle, a jaw spreaders and most importantly a good set of hook cutters
-Releasing the Fish
-Try to have the fish back in the water as fast as possible
-The hook removal process should be done in the water in minimal time
-Grab the fish right in front of the tail and push and pull it forward and backwards in a slow motion (make sure not to pull the fish backwards to fast as it can end up doing more harm than good)
-Have Fun!
