Asthesummerbeginstowinddown, the walleye bite is spinning up quite nicely! The hot bets for live bait this week have been nightcrawlers and minnows.Again,trollingacrawlerona two-hook spinner is agreat approach, or you can jig or simply suspend a minnow or crawler under a slip bobber. Talking with anglers the last couple of days we received a lot of great success reports, all with consistent locations and structure. Everyone reported their catches in 12-15 of water at transition lines and pointsoroverclassicwalleyestructure. Besides live bait, deep dive Rapala Shad Raps in natural perch, chrome or white / pink fire tiger have been producing fantastic catches.
Big bass are sitting just off the bottom at about 8-10 feet with some weed cover. Minnows are working best for live bait. For artificial, soft plastics like paddle tails, Mooch Minnows or Whacky rigs fished in weed cover are sure to produce a hefty haul.
Crappies are often going to be found in 10-12 feet of water in heavy, tall weed cover. The best approach for crappie and large panfish is a crappie minnow under a slip bobber set at 6-8 feet. You could also cast small Rapala’s, Mimic Minnows or Beetle Spins.
Big Northern pike are hunting in 3-6 feet of water. Use big presentations, large Rapala’s, Salmo’s, Berkley Flicker Shads or large, flashy spoons. Try a top-water approach with a buzz-bait or similar loud, obnoxious top-water lure. If you can find large sucker minnows, put one under a slip bobber and will not disappoint.
Lake trout are still deep, 30+feet. Using lead-core line or a downrigger, troll large, deep-diving Salmo’s, Laker Takers, or Doctor Spoons. You can also jig the spoons or use large bucktail or tube jigs. Stream trout are shallower, anywhere from 12-20 feet. again, trolling Salmo’s, (albeit smaller), Mepps Spinners, small Rapala’s or small Little Cleo Spoons will be a great approach.
