Well here we are. The walleye bite is amazing. The smallies are transitioning towards the shallows and starting to bed. Muskie opener is Saturday! Now the question is? What species of Mille Lacs lake giants do you want to catch?? I may not be able to tell you what to fish for, but i can give you some pointers on whats be crushing fish in my boat.
Walleye
What fantastic walleye fishing we have going on the big lake right now! Possibly the best fishing i have ever seen on Mille Lacs lake! Those of you that remember 2002? Yeah its that good! Fish of all sizes (we had fish from 8 inches up past 28 in my boat last week) showing up in basically all depths. My two favorite tactics this week have been fishing the boulders from 6-12 feet using a 3/8 jig and a keitech easy shiner. The jig head i'm using is white. And the swimbait color is crystal shad or ayu. many others are working but thats whats worked best for me. Bomb as long of a cast as you can. Let bait sink to the bottom. And slow straight retrieve to the boat. When the fish smashes it you smash him back and hold on! My Second tactic for the week was the slip bobber. Long a Mille Lacs lake favorite and still a top producer always on the big lake. There is a reason most of the top guides spend a lot of time with the bobber rods.. If your looking to put numbers of fish in the boat there is no better way then with the slip bobber. The fish are hungry and aggressive making for fast bites. We having been running
Bass
The smallies are on the move. this last week we saw the fish spread out a bit making for slightly lower catch numbers. We have some fish in the
shallows and others still staging out deeper (4-10 feet). Lots of big fish and tons of fish in the 3 pound range. This week i expect to see the rest of the fish move up shallow and be bedding. I am not against fishing beds but i do not hover and hammer them all day. Move in. Catch a fish or two. Move on to the next spot. Remember these fish are spawning and we want more baby fish to replace our older fish.. sinko, fluke stick jr, hair jigs. those are my top 3 for bedded fish. Anyone in my boat or watching will also see my boat roaming around the shallows casting xraps and swimbaits for the pack fish. Sight fishing is the name of the game for this week! Should be a fantastic week for small mouth bass fishing!
Muskie
Musky opener is Saturday! I simply cannot wait! Sunday will be my first opportunity to fish for the biggest beast that swims in the sea of giant fish we call mille lacs. I expect to be fishing the cabbage in the 4-8ft range and using lots of small bucktails and crankbaits. Dont overlook topwater... I bet a couple of giant mille lacs muskies will get there pictures taken after eating a slow moving topwater bait like a hawg wobbler or slowly worked creeper. Baby ducks are in full force on the big lake and thats always my topwater indicator..
To all heading out on the big lake this week be safe and have fun! Don't forget you camera you will be making memories for sure!
Keep your rods bent.
Matt