Fishing Report 04/30/10

The opening of fishing season is always a much anticipated and joyful event, plans have been made months in advance, tackle has been meticulously cleaned and prepared, flies have been painstakingly tied and rods, reels and lines have been cleaned and lubed - well you’re almost ready anyway - right ?

Opening weekend of fishing season is usually not much to write about, BUT this year everything is different!

We have had a very long gradual warm up this spring (with several notable setbacks), but many lakes have been ice free for over a month already - giving us one of the earliest ice-outs in recent time!  This means the season is accelerated.  Most fish spawn on 2 factors, day length and water temperature, since we are gaining about 4 minutes of daylight per day at this time of the year, that isn’t as big a factor as water temp right now,  AND the water temps are the warmest I have ever recorder for the beginning of May!  With lake temps already in the mid to upper 50’s (in some cases in the 60’s!), expect lots of activity in the shallower waters of the northeast bays and wind protected coves, especially as the day warms through the afternoon!  Cold nighttime temperatures have kept the fish from completely over running the shallows. 

Northern Pike - usually spawn under the ice, so they have been done for quite some time now and are really causing havoc on the perch and bluegill populations in shallower water.

Walleyes are done spawning - there will be more big “post spawn” females cruising shallower water looking for minnows and small perch.

Panfish - Crappies are already done spawning in most area waters (a good 2 weeks earlier than usual).  Bluegills are massing in shallow bays in anticipation of spawning in the next couple of weeks - also very early.  I have even noticed some bluegill beds on some of the smaller shallower “carry-in” lakes in the area (very early)!

Largemouth Bass - many are already in shallow water feeding on anything that moves - and there are lots of frogs out already - I have even seem a few turtles sunning on logs - extremely early!

Smallmouth Bass - some are cruising the shorelines feeling the “urge” to commence spawning, and are feeding  on smaller minnow and leech imitations.

You can bet there will be plenty of smaller Muskies caught this weekend on a jig & minnow combination, more than usual because the Muskies are also done spawning!  This means by the end of May when the Muskie season opens the fish will have already established themselves in their favorite places - you’ll find more and bigger Muskies active in the coming weeks, but many males will be “hot to trot” right now!  It will still take the bigger females a few more weeks to really get on the move.

Trout - insect hatches are a good 2 or 3 weeks ahead of schedule, the fish love it, but the water is very low and we will be in serious trouble if we don’t get some significant rain soon!

Where to go

Just like previous years, the best fishing lakes right now are the ones that warm up the quickest, those lakes are always the smallest or the shallowest ones around.

 

In the Boulder Junction region, these lakes will have the best fishing opportunities this weekend:

Boulder (Manitowish River inlet and outlet) -  Northern Pike, Walleye

Palmer - Northern Pike, Panfish, Walleye, Bass

Little St. Germaine - Northern Pike, Panfish, Walleyes, and some Bass

Lost Lake - Northern Pike, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, & some Walleyes

Van Vliet - Walleyes, Northern Pike, Panfish, and some Bass

Ballard & Irving Lakes - Northern Pike, Panfish, Bass, and some Walleyes

Allequash - Northern Pike, Panfish, Bass, and some Walleyes

Whitney - Northern Pike, Panfish and Largemouth Bass

Mann - Northern Pike, Largemouth Bass, Panfish and some Walleyes

Wild Rice Lake - Walleyes, Northern Pike, Panfish, Largemouth Bass 

Island Lake (Manitowish River Inlet and Rice Creek Inlet) - Walleyes, 

  Northern Pike, Bass and Panfish

High/Fishtrap Chain (Manitowish River inlet and outlet) - Walleye, Northern Pike, Panfish, Bass

Effective Patterns:  Typically I use Tongue Depressors and other types of fairly heavily weighted flies to get to the bottom and fish them slowly, BUT this year I think the fish will be a bit more aggressive due to higher water temps, therefore I suggest you try some Deceivers, Bunny Bugs, Double Bunnies and a variety of other streamers that you can fish in skinny water - I think most of the fish will be in 5 feet or less water this weekend and take an aggressively fished fly - don’t rip it through the water, but a faster than normal retrieve (for this time of the year) will probably catch more fish than one just twitched or jigged along the bottom.

Log onto my web page at: http://www.wetieit.com/blog/index.php?category=2  for more information on early season flies, leaders and techniques for Pike/Muskie.  You can also see how I tie my Titanium Bite Tippets for Pike & Muskie and how to tie the fly to the wire on You Tube - search “wetieit”.

Trout:

Trout Fishing is excellent right now - A plethora of hatches are coming off daily.  Dark Hendricksons, BWO’s, Black Stones, Midges, Slate Drakes, Gray Caddis, Elk & Green Caddis and Mahogany Duns are all hatching at once it seems!  I have been on the South Branch of the Paint and noticed strong hatches of at least 5 different insects at once in the past few days!  Mid day to early evening is the best time to go right now.

Find a good riffle at about 2:00 pm and you may not have to move for another 4 or 5 hours while you’re catching fish with almost every cast!  

Most of the Steelhead have left the rivers and headed back to Lake Superior, except for perhaps Sparrow Rapids and below Agate Falls (both these places are very far inland and the Steelies tend to hang around there a bit longer). 

This Year’s “Opening Weekend” Trout Fly List:

Streamers - Gray Ghost, Black Nose Dace, Mickey Finn, Black or Brown Buggers, Black or Olive Zonkers, Muddlers. 

Nymphs - Beadhead Pheasant Tail, Beadhead Prince, Zug Bug, Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear, Beadhead Little Black Stone. 

Dries - Gray Caddis, Gray Midge, Griffith’s Gnat, Adams, BWO, Dark Hendrickson, Red Quill, Yellow Sallie, and Royal Wulff.

Weather forecasts predict temperatures in the 60’s along with cloudy skies and perhaps a little rain on Sunday.  We have missed out on most of the rain that has fallen to the south, coupled with very little snow fall, we are extremely dry here in the Northwoods.

There are plenty of Black Flies around and the ticks are out in force right now, take along a good supply of appropirate repellent!

 

PLEASE USE EXTREME CAUTION WITH FIRE WHEN AFIELD

- MORE NEXT WEEK -

Bill Sherer’s We Tie It Fly Shop

5570 County Rd. M

P.O. Box 516

Boulder Jct., WI 54512-0516

715-385-0171

www.wetieit.com

wetieit@wetieit.com