Fishing Report 4-12-10

Well gang, spring is upon us, and with it comes the usual run of changing weather patterns.

River fishing has slowed down dramatically. Walleyes are still biting, but most of the action has been contained to small feeding windows or anglers who are putting the time in at night. For the Rock River, this is textbook post-spawn behavior. Some anglers are reporting catching a few whitebass, but it looks like the cooler weather has held off the bulk of the spring run for now. Stay Tuned.

Local lakes are in the mid 40's to low 50's. Warmer water in shallow, dark bottom bays or boat channels along the northern shorelines is where the action is right now. Look for green weeds, wood or sand/gravel transition areas, especially on the warmer, sunny afternoons for crappies and bluegills. Areas which have these conditions adjacent to areas with good current are excellent.

For Bluegills, wax worms, spikes, leaf worms or plastics tipped with live bait are great options. For crappies, try tailhooking a small fathead under a bobber, plastics tipped with waxies or spikes, crappie tubes or small hair jigs. Fish will be anywhere from 18 inches of water to 20 feet deep depending on water clarity and weather conditions.

Stay tuned, its only going to get better.

CT