Fishing Report May 2012
May 24-28, 2012 Memorial Day Weekend
I had to find out if the monster size walleyes were still hanging out on my staging spot down on the Whitefish Chain, so I fished with a friend from Crosslake again on Friday to check it out. The big females were still there, just like last week. We found numbers of 4-6 lb walleyes and one 32 inch monster we estimated to weigh 12 lbs. These fish seem to hang around this spot most years after spawning, but usually only for about a 10 day window, before they disburse elsewhere in the lake. We did decide to keep this beauty for a wall mount, but like the 9 pounder from last week, we quickly release most fish over 20 inches after a photo or two. The walleyes are biting well most everywhere else, as well. I found fish relating to shoreline sand breaks and shallower sand flats (13-16 feet) on Woman Lake, and reports from Wabedo and Little Boy Lakes have been very good since the fishing opener. I have mostly been fishing leeches on a live bait rig, but I will occasionally find a bunch of walleyes that insist on a big minnow, before biting. Water temps were still running just above 60 degrees. If the weather cooperates, long line trolling of crankbaits can be very effective in the shallow flats at evening.
May 18-20, 2012
Well, I missed the walleye opener but enjoyed a wonderful graduation ceremony for my daughter. It was worth it. This weekend I found walleyes very quickly on Woman Lake on traditional shore related sand breaks. I had to dodge a regular cadence of thunderstorms, but 14-16 feet was a consistent depth. I also took a day trip down to the Whitefish Chain to check out a favorite spot that traditionally holds some real monster walleyes this time of year. This fishing location has produced many 8lb+ walleyes over the years and it did not disappoint me on this trip. We fought some high winds so boat control was a challenge, but we managed to catch a 9 lb as well as a 5 lb and 4 lb walleye fishing leeches in 24 feet of water. The water temp on Whitefish was 62 degrees, a little warmer than the 59 degrees I found on Woman Lake. Check out the Catch Photos section to see these beauties. The walleye bite should only get better for the next few weeks.
May 4-6, 2012
The local lakes are still putting out good numbers of keeper crappies as the water temperatures continue to slowly rise. We took a limit of nice crappies in the 10-12 inch range, but no real slabs over the weekend. The bass have really moved into the same shallow bays as well, so we were constantly fighting them off while searching for active crappies. The way the weather has been developing I suspect next weekend’s walleye opener will be a good one. Water temps in the main lake are in the mid 50 degree range and into the low 60s in some shallows. Bass start spawning when the water gets in the low 60's range. I will miss the walleye opener this year for the first time in 31 years, but I am definitely not going to miss my daughter's graduation from college.