Whilewearestilldeepinthedogdays of summer, we are cruising toward fall. Mostofthetime,thedogdaysofsummer spell slow to no fish biting. While the bite hasn’t exactly been on fire, many anglers are still having great success if they put in the work.
Reports keep coming in from many of our fishermen of atypical walleye behavior. During the height of the day, the walleye are holding a bit deeper, 12-18 and sometimes up to 25 feet, just off the bottom on rock piles and main lake breaks. But in the very early mornings and late evenings, even with very warm water temps, walleye are being caught in 4-5 feet of water. If you can find leeches, they will still work, though most of the leeches found now are quite small. Nightcrawlers are still doing very, very well fished on a spinner, jig, or under a slip bobber. The minnow bite is not quite as good yet, but it is getting better by the day. A good-sized rainbow or shiner jigged or under a slip bobber will prove a solid option. Of course, soft plastic swim baits trolled or jigged will also work quite well, along with the classics like a Rapala, Flicker Shad, or Reef Runner trolled or cast over structure.
Top-waters are still the name of the game for smaller pike, largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Cast over rocky flats and weed beds with aloud topwater or willow-bladed buzz bait. Daytime hours are going to find the fish holding in 8-10 feet of water, and early morning and late evenings move in to 3-5 feet of water. More aggressive artificial presentations have been producing more than live bait over the last for days. Big pike are still deep, 18+ feet. A large spoon, deep-diving crank bait or large sucker minnow and patience are your best presentations for success.
Panfish have been very active as of late. The crappies are suspended at about 8 feet in 10-12 feet of water in heavy cabbage cover. Beetle spins (white and red or black and yellow), a night crawler, or a crappie minnow are working best for most people right now. Also worth a try are small Mr Twisters on a small jig.
