Rice Lake Fishing Report May 21, 2013
Considering the late ice out, the lakes are warming at a fast rate. Some of the bigger lakes around here are in the low to mid 50's for water temperature and some of the smaller and dark colored lakes are already in the upper 50's. The lakes are changing fast and as fisherman, we need to do the same and adapt to the water temperature. It’s easy to get caught up in knowing when the ice went out and saying the fish should be doing this, but in all reality, the water temperature drives the fish and that will tell us where the fish will be and what they should be doing.
The bass are at the stage of moving into the shallows. Some are sitting in the middle of the water column just outside of the structure waiting to move in. Sitting in deeper water and casting into these areas are a good way to pull some fish. Blade baits and jerk baits seem to be putting some fish in the boat on several area lakes. Find the long underwater points, or the irregular jump out off of the shoreline and hit these areas.
The Walleyes are being very unpredictable right now. With the late ice out and the water warming fast, you can find fish in the shallow water, or out into the deep off a steep drop off. Last week I was catching fish in as shallow as 2-4 feet of water with a jig and minnow combination. Over the weekend, we pulled fish from as deep as 43 feet of water hovering over wood structure as we dropped a jig and minnow on their head and worked over them vertically. Fish were caught in about every water depth between the deep and the shallow as well. Good thing is, the holiday weekend should allow anglers to use their go to tactic to catch fish as they are scattered in various depths around the lake. Jig and minnow combinations are the go to tactic right now, but don't be afraid to hunker down and slip bobber, or throw stick baits in the low light hours. Have a safe and happy holiday weekend!
Good luck fishing and remember, introduce someone new into the outdoors, they will appreciate it for a lifetime.
Jordan Marsh
Marsh Outdoors
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