With the progression of spring, local waterways have come to life.
Geese and their goslings can be seen exploring shallow bays and
shorelines, Painted and Snapping Turtles are sunbathing on logs, and
Great Blue Herons are busy patrolling back bays and marshes. In
addition, a myriad of fish species have become more active as seasonal
temperatures have returned.

The earlier cool weather this month has kept surface
temperatures in check, and subsequently, there are numbers of both
bluegills and crappies yet shallow. A simple float and a hook baited
with a piece of night crawler or minnow suspended off bottom will work
just fine. Tiny jigs baited with Gulp or Powerbait also work well under
a float, and are a bit more convenient to use then live bait. Brighter
colors such as orange, pink, or chartreuse have been best of late.

Smallmouth bass have been very aggressive, and like the panfish,
are available in good numbers in shallow water. Surface lures in the
prop-bait or chugger-style families worked in a slow to medium speed
retrieve are starting to account for good numbers of fish relating to
shallow rocks, gravel, or sand. In-line Mepps spinners such as the
Aglia and Black Fury in sizes 2 and 3 have been effective search baits
as of late. Where flow is present, fish have been relating to current
breaks such as those produced by rocks, sand bars, or stumps. Docks
have been holding fish during sunny mid-day hours; try skipping a 4”
Mister Twister FAT Tube in Firetiger, Grasshopper, or Watermelon
Crawfish underneath the dock and retrieving in a subtle hopping motion.

The early arrival of spring this year means that weed growth has
been accelerated locally, and as such, there is ample habitat in which
to pursue northern pike. Plastic swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and in-line
spinners have all been working well. The bite has typically been best
during mid-day hours, with the pike showing preference for metallic or
brightly colored lures. With the water temperatures continuing to
increase, the largest pike will soon be vacating the shallows for their
cool deep-water summer haunts.

Despite low water conditions, local streams have been very
productive for Brown, Rainbow, and Brook Trout. Again, in-line spinners
such as the Mepps Aglia and Aglia Long have been solid producers, with
sizes 0 and 1 seemingly the most productive. Fly-fishermen have also
been reporting success with both wet and dry flies, depending on the day
and stream conditions.

Musky season opens next Saturday, May 29th, and given the
current status of local waterways coupled with the extended forecast,
the opener looks like it will be very good. Water temperatures,
depending on the body of water, should be nearing the onset of
“summer” conditions. Combined with the early spring and
subsequent advanced weed growth and early spawn, conditions truly will
be prime for musky action. Our area continues to produce some of the
largest muskies in the state, and 2010 should be no exception; in fact,
a near 50 pound specimen was captured and released just this spring by
DNR personnel in our area – THAT picture (located on our website),
truly is worth a thousand words!

Joel DeBoer
http://www.wisconsinanglingadventures.com
Wisconsin Angling Adventures
http://www.wisconsinanglingadventures.com
715-297-7573
“Fishing’s our business… and business is good!”