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Unstable weather and constantly changing barometric pressures have walleye all over the board. One thing that has been consistent is the bite is best when there is a little walleye chop. On most of the area lakes, folks are finding the walleye suspended just off the bottom at around 15-20 feet. But that depth rule is not set in stone; many are reeling ‘em in consistently in 6-8 feet of water. Presentation-wise, leeches and swim baits are still your main go to. Work your presentation around points, main lake breaks and sunken islands. You can also troll Rapala’s, Reef Runners, Berkly Flicker Shads and spinners.
You can find smallmouth bass in 5-15 feet of water on rocky flats or the edge of weed beds using leeches, top water crank baits and swimbaits, like the Keitech and Rapala Crush City. Large mouth bass will hit the same presentation but be a tad shallower, 2-8 feet of water and preferable shallow, weedy bays. If you are fishing lakes with docks, cruise the shoreline and work your lures around the docks and shoreline structure. Many are reporting the top-water hit is on fire for all bass. Of course, Whopper Plopper’s are a sure-fire option, but give the LunkerHunt Lunker Frog and the Booyah Pad Crusher Frog a try; they have been getting some big hits!
Crappie are sitting in weed-beds of about 10-15 feet of water. Crappie minnows under a slip bobber or tipped on a jig are a great option. Other effective tactics are Thumper Jigs and Beetle Spins. Larger panfish will be hanging out with the crappie; use a leech or night crawler under a slip bobber for the most consistent bite.
Northern pike, like most times, are relatively shallow. A large sucker minnow suspended in 8 feet or less of water under a large bobber is an easy approach, lending time to casually enjoying a refreshing beverage as you fish. You can also cast anything large, flashy and noisy to entice a strike. Concentrate your efforts at river mouths and shallow weedy bays.
Lake trout are deep. Jig large Tube Jigs, or large, flashy jigs in silver, copper or fire tiger.
