Another Fishing Opener has gone by with the weather stealing
the headlines. Cold temps and high winds
made it difficult for the few anglers that braved it on Saturday. Water temps dipped to just 50 degrees by
mid-Saturday. But, as conditions slowly
improved, the bite did as well. We have
had some good walleye reports for the few days since the opening day. While those out in the late evenings or early
mornings have had success fishing in less than 8 feet of water, there have been
a surprising number of reports of walleyes being caught late afternoon into the
early evening between 14 to 18 feet of water.
Jigs with fatheads or leeches have been working, and not surprisingly,
slip bobber fishing with a leech has been productive. Areas like Kegs Reef, North Reef and Harms
Point are a few locations to have success.
Don’t hesitate to fish the points of Coney Island as well, as they are
worth hitting up. So far we’ve had a
couple of 3 pounders, a 5 pounder, and a 28 incher reported, along with several
in the 17 to 18 inch range. Not a bad
start considering how difficult Saturday was!
As for the crappie bite, just like the walleyes, it was
tougher over the weekend. However, as
water temps have climbed into the upper 50’s to low 60’s again, we are seeing
more action happening! Waconia Bay and
the Pillsbury Reef area continue to pump out decent keepers on crappie minnows. The north side of Coney Island has been great
the previous few years, and would be a good option as well. Along with the
crappies are mixed in sunfish. While the
sunnies aren’t quite spawning yet, if the water temps stabilize in the mid-60’s,
we’ll see an influx of beds appearing in the shallows. Wax worms or a chunk of
night crawler or angle worm would be a great choice to pair with your jig/hook
and bobber rig, or small spinner.
Bass have been very productive since the warm-up, as they
usually are in the spring. If you’re
trying for any of the above mentioned species, you will likely have a bass bite
or several. The favorite bait for bass
generally is leeches, but they aren’t too picky at the moment. Keep in mind, as of now, it’s still
catch-and-release only for largemouths.
The bass season opens on May 27th.
Our shop hours have extended since the Opener. We are now open Monday thru Friday from 8 am
to 8 pm, and on Saturday and Sunday from 6:30 am to 8 pm. We will further extend our hours starting Memorial Day Weekend!
Our fishing boat and pontoon rental season has started! We have anxiously waited for some
consistently nice spring weather, and we now have it. Call (952) 442-2096 to reserve and get on beautiful Lake
Waconia for some good fishing or relaxation!
Here is a link to the Pontoon Prices: http://www.intownemarina.com/Pontoon%20Rental%20Prices.pdf
Here is the link to the Boat and Motor Prices: http://www.intownemarina.com/Boat%20&%20Motor%20Rental%20Prices.pdf
