Opener/early season strategy

[Wakemup52]

Given our late spring and with ice out looking more and more promising for opener, I wanted to get a thread going and talk about some early season strategies for walleyes and smallies.  I am planning to spend quite a bit of time with the electronics trying to figure out where the walleyes are at and then either jig, lindy rig, and maybe slip bobber fish. 

This year, I am lucky enough to get up and open the cabin during opener and put the boat in the water. I've never had the luxury of fishing opening weekend (usually I don't get to wet a line until Memorial)!

Can't wait to be back up in God's Country! 

 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Wakemup,

All good tactics That will work on opener and most of the early season! You may just have to shift locations as the season advances.

Cliff

[Tripp_315]

Hello Wakemup and welcome...I look forward to reading more about your scouting and findings.

Keep your fingers crossed for water temps above 50 degrees asap

~Tripp

[toddrun]

Wakemup,

If the water temps are still low, below or around that 50 degree mark, when you are watching your electronics and following the first or second drop off edges from typical spawning areas, try swinging out over the deeper water off the last drop off and look for suspended Walleye.  When the water is cold like that, you will find schools of Walleye suspended over deeper water just off the edges of the spawning beds.  Harder to find, but if you find them, drop your jig down and have some fun.

Be safe everyone!

[guideman]

Don't be afraid to fish deep flats in the main lake if the ice is gone. Not all Walleye spawn in shallow water and typically you can find some good action as deep as 30ft in the spring.  Jigs with a minnow and slip bobber rigs, especially in the evening hours are my faves. Trolling cranks and pulling a plain lindy rig can also be very effective.  I live on Pike bay so I typically start there and if the action is good I might stay in Pike bay all day. I do however also fish Big bay and Stuntz bay on the opener. It just depends on where the best action is.  

"Ace"  

"It's just fishing man"   

[Fish Head]

Anyone know how the local bait stores are doing with minnows?  Pleanty of shiners, rainbows, and fatheads? 

[Spearing Machine]

Not sure about shiners but they are stocked up with fatheads and rainbows. 

[CigarGuy]

Lucky 7 in Cook has shinners, rainbows, crappie, light Pike, fatheads, crawlers and leaches..... Didn't check Northwoods....Part of our crew is here, let the fun begin!!!!!

[CigarGuy]

That should be "shiners" .  They need to add an "edit" feature on here! 

BTW, coming up from the cities we had 4 or 5 different areas where 35 was down to one lane.  It's going to be a rough summer-travel wise!  Not to mention in about 2  weeks, the construction of the new "roundabout" in Cloquet is going to start. 

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Seems to be plenty of bait at the local bait shops right now. Even a few shiners!

Cliff

[Wakemup52]

3 hours ago, CigarGuy said:

That should be "shiners" .  They need to add an "edit" feature on here! 

BTW, coming up from the cities we had 4 or 5 different areas where 35 was down to one lane.  It's going to be a rough summer-travel wise!  Not to mention in about 2  weeks, the construction of the new "roundabout" in Cloquet is going to start. 

Cigarguy, I think if enough of us from the cities band together, we could get our own float plane and fly up each weekend

I thought the last 2 summers were terrible for traffic and I think this one will be worse. I drive form the cities north each day for work and exit in Forest Lake on 97, that stretch is usually as much fun as a stick in the eye due to the split and now it'll be real rough.

[CigarGuy]

10 hours ago, Wakemup said:

Cigarguy, I think if enough of us from the cities band together, we could get our own float plane and fly up each weekend

I thought the last 2 summers were terrible for traffic and I think this one will be worse. I drive form the cities north each day for work and exit in Forest Lake on 97, that stretch is usually as much fun aanes a stick in the eye due to the split and now it'll be real rough.

Couple more years I won't have to worry about it, I'll be retired . I take a lot of Fridays off and head up Thursday after work.  Only have to deal with Sunday driving home.  Holiday wknds, I take Friday and Tuesday off, makes the trip more bearable.  Fishing was slow tonight, only 2 crappies for 5 of us. Black Bay was busy tonight.

[partyonpine]

Caught on opener, 28 inch 8.5 pounds.  Big Marine Vikinig his biggest ever, went back in the lake

[CigarGuy]

Found a few crappies tonight. Steak and fish at 11pm. First cast out, we had a double...crappie and a 22" walleye in 3' of water!  Son-in-law and I with the double!!

[Raven77]

Nice Bill!  I'm going to have to start following you around!

[CigarGuy]

11 hours ago, Raven77 said:

Nice Bill!  I'm going to have to start following you around!

Even a blind squirrel can find a nut every once in a while . Only took 3 days for them to move into this particular spot! I like spring, it makes me feel like a "real fisherman". Like I've said many times, this lake has humbled me".

[Stephen L Johnston Jr.]

[Wakemup52]

Heading up tomorrow! Goal for tomorrow is to get the place opened up and if I can get the boat in the water for the evening, that’ll be a bonus!

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Still biting this morning but a much slower bite.

Lindy rig /chubs in 26' to 29' depths.

Even got 3 bonus perch today!

Cliff

[StillFishin']

Nice!

[DLD24]

Had a good time out on the big V yesterday, couldn't ask for better weather and the fish were biting... We had to sort through a lot of little ones, but we managed a 3 man limit of 14-16" and a 23"... Deep was best for us, 25-33ft... Cliff I was one of the guys in Phil's boat, I thought that's pretty cool how you guides work together to find fish.... I'll be back up Friday, I can't wait

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Nice fish!

Even Phil manages to get a fish on occasion!

Cliff

[K-dub]

We “all get by with a little help from our friends”!

 

 

[vermilionfox]

On 5/15/2018 at 2:01 PM, Cliff Wagenbach said:

Still biting this morning but a much slower bite.

Lindy rig /chubs in 26' to 29' depths.

Even got 3 bonus perch today!

Cliff

Looks good Cliff! The perch look mighty tasty!