Friday, May 19, 2006

Fishing Report

With almost a week of fishing behind us, it's time for a fishing report. Walleyes have been a little slow so far. Part of it is probably because the ice went off Gunflint so early. Another part is probably due to the fact that we don't have a lot of night fishermen. Bruce and I (now that we are retired) enjoy going out at night but we pick our nights. If the weather is nasty, you might as well put on all your winter clothes for night fishing. Even so, you will freeze. After the beginning of June, we'll try to get away for a couple nights.

The same early ice-out made for great lake trout fishing this spring. It always takes at least a week and sometimes two weeks for the trout to start bitting after the ice leaves. Everyone has been having good luck on trout with almost any kind of bait. There is also quite a spread as to the depths that trout have been found. Generally speaking they like around 50 degrees of water temperature. That's why you find them so deep in the summer months. Finally lake trout are caught easily during the daylight hours when most of our fishermen are out.

Another good biting fish so far has been the smallmouth bass. These are really fun fish to catch because they fight so hard. When you eat them, they taste just a little sweeter than walleye and not as rich as lake trout. These fish will continue to bite well through their spawning period the second and third weeks of June.

Eventually, Bruce and I will get out for a little fishing. This retirement life is just too busy right now. Meanwhile, I can dream about fresh fish for dinner.

2 comments:

Phil Rolfe said...

What kind of water are they catching the walleye in and what rigs and bait are they using? Thanks.

Sue Kerfoot said...

Fishing guide Bruce Kerfoot says that they are using minnows and leaches in about 15 feet of water. Guides, naturally, give rather terse answers to specifics of what they are doing.

Sue