Wind, rain, snow, very cold water, very little sunshine and a shortage of rainbow minnows was the big takeaway from opening walleye opener.
Anglers who were brave enough to venture out endured cold temps, very windy conditions and substantial amounts of rain and even periods of snow; but most of the those who braved the conditions were rewarded with a decent haul of walleye.
Despite the cold, water temperatures have warmed several degrees in the last week, rising from the high 30s and low 40s to mid to high 40s. That slight rise in water temperature has not only intensifiedthebite,ithasalsohelpedthe baittrappersactuallyharvestrainbows, which were in short supply the first few days of the season.
Walleye anglers reported the most success in the river mouths and rocky structure closer to shore, 8-10 feet. A few thoughdid say up on Basswood they had great success on rocky humps of about 15-18 feet rising from deeper depths. The arsenal of choice was of course a minnow tipped jig and this coming week thesametacticsshouldapply.Rainbows, shiners, fathead chubs or even smaller lite pike suckers on a jig or under and slip bobber will work very well. If you prefer artificial go with the same jig and use soft plastics like Keitechs or Rapala Crush City of crank baits like Rapala’s, Reef Runners or Berkly Flicker Shads. Color choice is going to depend greatly on the water you’re fishing, but the time-proven standbys of white, pink, chartreuse and Wonder Bread are almost always a winning bet. Try heading to river mouths, anchoring and throwing out ajig or one of the other tactics mentioned.
As with the walleye, bass, both large and small mouth are going to be shallow andtargetingminnows.Likely,asyou’re fishing for walleye with a minnow, you will also be catching the occasional small mouth. Alternatively, throw buzz baits, spoons or crawfish crankbaits. Concentrate your efforts in the shallow weed beds or rocky flats.
The shallow pattern continues with northern pike. Find shallow weed beds and use either a large minnow under a large bobber or an obnoxiously loud or flashycrankbaitorspoontoenticeapike strike. Even if the pike are not hungry, loud, flashy obnoxious crank baits tend to trigger territorial strikes.
