Finally, the whirlwind of up and down weather conditions have passed us by and right on time! Fishing on the “Big V” the past week has been nothing short of awesome for all targeted species. This may sound cliche, but as a guide this is always my favorite time of year to fish the lake because of the multitude of great action across the board. Get out while it’s hot! Water temps are in the mid 60s with stability in the extended weather forecasted.

Musky

Pick your poison at this time of year. Lots of ways to target the toothy critters now. Tossing blades and glidebaits on primary structure is always a go to in the early season. Many fish are in recovery and are just starting to fire up. I’ve seen fish in shallow, on the daily. Your open water stuff is always an option now too as fish begin their transition.

Walleye

Fish have been hitting the net left and right in the last week. However, I will preface this by saying that the bite is very light now. Remember the old “match the hatch” adage? This applies now more than ever as walleyes don’t have to work very hard to slurp down bug larvae. Early summer is always my favorite time to walleye fish on Vermilion. The shallow water action has been hot and heavy. Dropping big leeches or crawlers on jigs or under slip bobbers has been a staple in my boat. Keying in on primary fingers and points, and some smaller secondary structure has been the ticket, for me at least. I like to look for big boulders near mud flats at this time of year. Mayflies are just starting to pop up with hex on the way soon as well; this means there is plenty of larvae drifting around down in the depths; therefore making the wind a factor is very important in locating fish. Lindy rigging crawlers in deeper water adjacent to structure will put fish in the boat as well.

Bass

Bed fishing for bass the last few days has been great. Shorelines and other primary structure like fingers and points with a sand/gravel bottom have been the ticket lately for smallies. Some great largemouth fishing also is present in a lot of your coves and estuaries with emergent vegetation. Casting Gizit tubes and senkos on beds will rile bass up as will topwaters if the weather allows. For those seeking a more simpler approach, bobber fishing with leeches in this areas will see plenty of action.

Pike

I’ve caught plenty of pike in 1-3ft of water in the last week. With water temps in the mid 60s I expect bigger fish to remain cruising the shallows for the time being. Many cabbage beds are beginning to fill out so targeting weed edges with big minnows or casting jerkbaits should also yield results.
Jarek Wujkowski
Rodsbent Guide Service
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(715)-892-7048