Rice Lake Area Fishing Report 05-21-12
By Local Outdoorsman Frank Zumpf
Well, we haven’t had to worry about the rain cutting into our fishing—it’s been the wind. It’s one thing to have a good walleye chop on the lake, but the whitecaps are too much.
The walleyes have been slow. They are still in the 10-12 foot depth on the outside of the weeds. Some fish have been caught out on the flats, so if you can’t find active fish check out all your options.
The bass are in a pre-spawn mode and are cruising the shallows. It seemed like every dock had a bass fisherman casting spinners to it last week. Don’t forget to try structure out on the lake humps and sunken islands.
The crappie activity is slowing up, but you should be able to find a few late spawners. The bluegills have started to make their beds in the shallow bays. Things should be good as long as the water temp stays up. The surface temp was up to 63° but the wind cooled it back down to 58° one day later. If it’s a warm day all you need is a fly rod or spinning gear with a bobber and a worm. This should get you enough gills for a meal or two.
I was surprised to see six boats north on Twin Lakes this week. Such a small lake shouldn’t have so much pressure. Since we are blessed with so many lakes it would be better to try options B or C if the lake is crowded. Just two miles would have put you at Red Cedar where there is plenty of water to fish. Just a thought...
For information on Rice Lake area lodging, dining, entertainment and more outdoors, connect with www.ricelaketourism.com or 715-234-8888 or nicky@ricelaketourism.com