|
The fishing opening weekend was not very pleasant as far as the weather was concerned, but I heard some very promising reports from the end of the Trail.
Walleyes were biting great on Saturday and Sunday, but the action came to a screeching halt on Monday. This time of the year fishing is very weather dependent. Fishing can range from excellent to skunked, depending solely on conditions. Walleyes are finishing their yearly spawning ritual and can be quite lethargic when it comes to the bite. Theywill feed aggressively when the conditions are just right.
Roger Campbell reported a good day trout fishing on Saganaga trolling crank baits. His group filled out with some nice three pounders, but could not get the walleyes to cooperate.
I have not wet a line yet since I just returned from a brief vacation to Des Moines, IA to visit my family for Mother’s Day. It was a very short vacation, but probably the last chance I would have had to get out of here once the summer schedule kicks into full gear.
The mosquitos are already a nuisance here on the Trail, and I am sure the black flies will be swarming very soon as well.
There has been a young black bear hanging around our place lately. I apparently am the only one who has not seen it. I was told it has an orange band near the neck and I wonder if the bear had been tagged or previously trapped for some reason. I still have not seen the young scavenger. We seem to attract a lot of bears in our area since the dumpster site is only a few miles from our house.
Unfortunately, this is the best time of year to dig holes and work in the yard because the ground is actually very soft. This is unfortunate because it is cutting into my time on the water. I keep telling myself that eventually I will have some free time again, but I still cannot see any light at the end of my tunnel. I love building our house, but it seems like the more work I do, the more work I create.
The walleyes are not going anywhere, and I will be into full fishing mode very shortly. Shallow muddy bays are the key this time of the year since the water temperatures are much warmer, and slow live bait presentations are typically the best. Don’t be afraid to fish the same spots over again within the course of a day. Thisis the time of year that the guides talk about "picking each other’s pocket." There is a dual meaning to this phrase since most of the fish are found in key pockets along the shorelines, but also because you can enter a pocket and catch fish right after another boat just left.
I find that many times the fish should be in a spot, but just have not decided to bite yet. If any change in conditions occurs such as the wind picking up or some rain clouds moving in, those fish will magically begin to feed in the same spots that you could not buy a bite in previously. Certain wind directions will dictate which spots "turn on" since walleyes like that chop on the surface.
Good luck fishing this week, and I will hopefully have some good reports for next week’s column.
Cory Christianson, a 2000 graduate of the University of Iowa, has worked as a fishing guide at Seagull Creek Fishing Camp for eight years and worked for Almost There Charters in Key West for nine years. If you have any fishing reports or stories to share, send an e-mail to christiansoncory@ hotmail.com or call 218 388-0315.
Leave a Reply