Hi folks,

WOW – as bad as the weather has been at the beginning of the season, is as nice as it has been this past week.  Temperatures have soared to the 80 degree mark, and not a breath of wind to be had.  In 48 hours I went from wearing 7 layers of clothing to shorts and a T-shirt and getting burnt to that crackly crunch.  As dramatic of an effect as the weather has had on me, it has also had this effect on the fishing.  WALLEYES slowed down with this nice weather and with all the sunny, flat weather this is something I expected.  There is still a pretty good bite going on though, and when we get that perfect walleye-chop day, things are going to go crazy.  I’m still finding fish in that 7-8 ft. depth on virtually all waters from semi-clear to dark and it doesn’t matter if you’re in timber or weeds.  Jig-and-minnow combinations are still working the best.  I’m using a combination of both fatheads, dace and medium redtails.   You need to take a variety as the best bite tends to be on one of these 3 minnows every day – you just don’t know which one is going to be the best until you start.  Now I’ve been floating a leech on a slip bobber every day and we can’t buy a walleye on this setup.  During this upcoming weekend, if you’re walleye fishing, start taking a couple of crawlers with you – as water temps have soared from 48 degrees a week ago to 72 degrees when I ended the day Wednesday.  This is a huge change and fish should start looking at meat (crawlers) any time.

Warm weather and water temps have triggered an explosion of fishing activity in other species.  BASS are beginning to pile up in search of their nests.  We’ve been catching quite a few, both small and largemouth, while looking in shallow waters for a walleye bite.  CRAPPIES have also moved in rapidly to shallow water to begin their spawn on many lakes in the area.  We’ve been catching quite a few really nice crappies in the 10-12” mark using a hook-sinker-bobber setup tipped with a small minnow.  NORTHERNS have also put on a rampage. We’re finding them EVERYWHERE – both in the shallows and a little deeper water.  We are also finding some pretty nice-sized walleyes this year.  The biggest so far was caught by my clients Wednesday – this was a very chunky 36-incher that was plaguing one of my favorite walleye spots. 

It’s supposed to get even warmer throughout the weekend with temps approaching 90 predicted.  If you’re going out, pack your sunscreen and your bait – you should be in for one heck of a good weekend of fishing.  Enjoy yourself on the water as I’m taking a couple of days and going in search of a turkey !  When I come back, the walleyes will be in a trouble again.

Good luck fishing.  Jeff Winters   www.jeffsguideservice.com