Open water season is finally upon us. Ice out on many of the lakes in the Ely area was just within the last week to week and a half with very cool temps and more snow returning after our brief warm-up, keeping water temps very cold.
If walleye are what you’re after, start your search relatively shallow, 8-10 feet andworkshallower.Trollspinnersover rock outcroppings, rocky humps and quickdrops.Minnows,(rainbows,shiners, lite pike and fat heads), and crawlers are going to be your best live bait bet. If you’re fishing artificial, Shad Raps, Berkley Flicker Shads, Rapala Ripstops and swimbaits like Rapala Crush City or Keitech Easy Shiners. Jigging is also going to prove effective. Tip your jig with a fathead minnow, rainbow, lite pike sucker, shiner or even a crawler and fish over the earlier listed structure or just outside the main currents of a river mouth.
Northernpikearerunningtheweedy shallows and river mouths. Typical pike tactics will work just fine; casting flashy spoons, Mepps spoons and buck tails, buzz baits, really anything flashy and obnoxious, or simply a large sucker minnow under a large bobber.
Bass should be making their way up shallower with warmers days coming later this week. Start looking in about 8-10 feet of water. Some great tactics for bass, both large and smallmouth are plastics fished in a variety of ways; Whacky Rigged, Ned Rigged or Texas Rigged.LiveTargetCrawfishandZ-Man Crawfish will also prove very effective in triggering hard hitting strikes.
Crappie and large bluegills will be found right along with the bass. Crappie minnowsandnightcrawlerunderaslipbobber will be the easiest approach, but crappie will very eagerly hit retrieved Beetle Spins.
Things are shaping up to be a great fishing opener! Get out there and wet a line.
