Chasing Water Temps

Joe & his brother Charles were with me today for another good day of fishing. We began on almost flat calm waters with a slight NE wind. Soon after setting the first lines, the wind just died and the morning became still. Apparently so did the fish, as we covered a lot of water with very few bites! The water temps weren’t helping much as they were down around 66 degrees causing me to fish slower than I really wanted.

After scouring an area and having more short strikes than fish landings, I decided to make a move in search of warmer waters. It was here that I actually hit temps in the 70’s. In fact at one spot I had over 74 degrees! Well it didn’t take long to get the reels firing and numbers of pike & walleye were landed. No short strikes here! Joe & Charles boated plenty of fish and were even able to put 3 nice keeper walleye into the well. All the others were overs and had to be released!

With flat calm conditions and blazing sun, it wasn’t long before the roof was erected! We spent the remainder of the day in the shade and were thankful for the relief! The fish bites slowed down some but we managed to pick at them throughout the afternoon until we were done. Ironically, the last hour or so saw the winds increase and we actually had a few more aggressive bites when it did. A straight west was blowing and made for one to two foot chop where we were. It also blew the warm water out causing me to chase the temps again!

The day wasn’t a banner one but with several adjustments, I kept them on fish throughout. I’m sure that with the water warming the fish activity will increase too. The next couple of weeks should have them setting up into their summer areas and more & more fish will arrive, making for a better drift & casting bite. I should be trading in the trolling rods for a more hands on approach soon. Drop shotting here we come!