Vilas County and Surrounding Area Fishing Report 5-15-2013
Good Fishing – Bad Weather
Hi Folks. We have entered out 2nd week of the fishing season and walleye fishing has been good, but we had a few speed bumps to deal with. The worst was our weather this past weekend. 2-1/2 inches of snow greeting us on Sunday morning. At times Saturday it looked like we were in a snow globe that was being shaken. This also brought in brutally cold temps. Monday morning was only 16 degrees when I launched – Brrrr! Despite all these changes, fishing remains strong.
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| Ray Konior of Palos Park, Illinois, caught this nice 22” walleye using a jig and minnow while fishing May 7 in Vilas County with guide Jeff Winters. | Joe Rudolph from West Allis caught this nice 31-1/2” northern while fishing with guide Jeff Winters using a jig and minnow combination May 9 in Vilas County. |
Most lakes are open now and the rest are very close. Trout Lake should open by Wednesday or Thursday. What I’ve encountered is that once the ice leaves a lake, it takes a couple of days to initiate a bite. If you’re coming up, keep this in mind. Check your local bait shops for info. If the lake you’re heading to had an early ice-out, the spawn is pretty much over and fish are either in rest mode or just beginning to move towards timber or new weeds. Many lakes will go into full spawn mode the next day or so. These waters have been dead so far, but will go wild. Check the shallow gravel spawning bars for your fish in these lakes. The lakes going out last should be prime by the weekend. All-in-all, this week and next should be spectacular fishing!
Nice 25” walleye caught with a jig and minnow combination
Jig and minnow combos have worked very well and the fish we are catching are aggressive. I plan on throwing some crankbaits today. The panfish scene has been very quiet with the cold air and water temps, but look for things to change rapidly, especially with crappies if this week stays warm. If you’re heading out for panfish, look for the smallest, shallow lakes to be your best bet.
That’s it for now. Catch you on the lakes.
Jeff Winters www.jeffsguideservice.com
Email: jeffwintersguide@gmail.com