It is certainly starting to feel like fall with morning temps in the balmy 40 degree range and fish becoming much more aggressive as forage bases are changing. Water temps have dipped into the mid to upper 60s.
 
 

Walleye

 
For the most part the walleye fishing has been great. Some days can always prove to be tougher as we are in the begging of a transitional turnover period, thus uniform water temps can make locating fish tricky. The fish have been very active once you find them. Forage is changing from larvae to perch fry; keep in mind this will not only affect location but also behavior! Snap jigging has been triggering bites on a ton of fish. Shiver Minnows and Fireball jigs with large minnows have all been productive. Sand/rock in 22-28ft has been the most consistent range to key in on. As a cautionary note, know the size of the fish you are targeting or avoid walleye fishing in deeper water to avoid barotrauma on your smaller fish. On calmer days or when I can’t quite get on a nice concentration of fish I switch over to Lindy Rigging crawlers. I have heard good things from anglers dragging cranks with leadcore as well. Fish the conditions, come rigged for various techniques, and be mobile to ensure success out there!
 
 

Pike

 
On the western basins of the lake pike fishing has been good. Finding deeper cabbage edges with your side imaging and working those areas well with swim baits or chartreuse spinners is a good choice. Casting larger minnows on livebait jigs along said edges is also a go-to.
 
 

Smallmouth

 
I have been finding larger bass on primary structure such as fingers and points with large isolated boulders. The 8-15ft range has been the most productive for me, however there will be fish shallower as well. As far as artificial’s go, creature and crayfish type plastics on a jig or 3.5” tubes are mainstays. Rigging suckers or larger minnows will catch fish as well.
 

Jarek Wujkowski
Rodsbent Guide Service
info@rodsbent.com
(715)-892-7048