5/7/2025

I spent opening weekend on a large, deep clear lake. The water temp was a brisk 43 degrees, the walleye were spawning at night and weren’t cooperating well. This is the hardest time of year to catch them long lining, the best time of year is coming at the end of May for these big lakes. The trophy females will be done spawning and prowling around looking for food to recover from their exhausting spawn.

On Smaller lakes, the water temp is soaring into the 60s. Crappie and panfish are roaming the shallows on these long, sunny hot days, with pike, musky and walleye not far behind. Look for weedy drop offs near sandy/weedy shallows and cast big crankbaits. Fish are hungry right now and color doesn’t matter so much right now, they want SIZE!

The lakes are churning out some real trophies as of late. Management strategies and catch and release efforts are paying their dividends! Get out and land a lunker! Included is a useful diagram showing different types of structure and methods to try this summer! I