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Saturday, June 28, 2014

Fishing Report 6-28-14 (Quickie update edition)

I was out a bunch this week.

A couple of things of note...

1.) Baitfish are back. This spring presented a difficult situation with baitfish, but that problem seems to have worked itself out with some fairly large hatches recently. I've seen everything from pin minnows, to wild shiners, to juvenile panfish and perch this past week. Bait had been harder to come by this season, but not anymore.

2.) Weeds are up. The weeds had a slow start after the tough winter, but growth is rolling now. Big patches of everything...especially milfoil are up and growing.

3.) Panfish are still spawning...but they are almost done. Crappie are out on the weed edges and suspending over deeper structure. Shallow bluegill beds have been pilfered, but there's still plenty of fish out deep...and some bigger schools are starting to suspend.

4.) Smallmouth fishing was tough this week, but the largemouth bite was on fire. Fish are still roaming the flats, but they are also starting to setup in deeper water.

5.) The best bite has been from about 7am-10am.

Talk to you next week.

Cheers,
CT


Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Fishing Report 6-24-14

I've been out a bunch, and here's the latest.

Panfish are still spawning on many (most lakes) but most people are fishing way too shallow for the keepers. I'm catching some monster sized pannies out of 12-18 FOW, especially out of the sand. Panfish leeches and big redworms have been great presentations.

LM bass are starting to move out deep, but are also starting to use docks, pontoons and slop. Early morning the bite has been a little tough, but the mid morning bite has been red hot. Wacky, jig and chunk, flapper grubs and skirted grubs up shallow....jigworms, dropshot and cranks are working out deep. Catching a bunch of fish pulling lindys with live bait along outside weed edges as well.

SM have really turned on. Morning has been best as fish come up onto shallow areas to feed, but you can get at them in deeper water with texas or carolina rigs and with a dropshot or tube bait. Deep gravel has been on fire the last batch of days.

Walleye have been on fire, but you have to be ready to adjust to them...not just day to day, but hour to hour. Fish have been moving in and out of the shallow weeds and I'm catching them as shallow as 6 FOW and as deep as 23. Slow trolling/drifting with lindy rigs has been a great way to find fish, and then jigging with large/jumbo leeches once you're set up on area. Fish have been tight to weeds, but on the deep edges.

Pike have been slow but steady. Typical action for this time of year...shallow weeds holding smaller fish that can be taken by casting lipless crankbaits, buzz baits or spinner baits. Out deep, live bait (small suckers or large/jumbo shiners) on slip sinker rigs have been better for the bigger fish.

Talk to you Friday.

Cheers.

CT