Fishing on the Big V the last couple weeks has had its ups and downs for many, however those willing to grind it out have been rewarded with plenty of fish hitting the bag. Catch rates have remained fairly consistent even with the unstable weather conditions. The rain may put a damper on you but not the fish’s appetites!
Walleye
With daily highs ranging from the upper 40’s some days to the 70’s others, the fish can be very moody. Major feeding windows have been short lately, so consistency and sticking with it pays off. If you are on a concentration of fish you know are the size and species you are targeting, stay on top of them and wait for them turn on. Many times I will come back to spots I have utmost confidence in 2-3 times during a outing. Walleyes on Vermilion are ALWAYS on the move. Now factor in the wide variation in weather patterns, and increasing number of bug hatches beginning and you will find fish in a different area on any given day. Anglers that are mobile and have a keen understanding of their electronics remain the most successful. My Humminbird’s Side Imaging itself has accounted for several successful outings lately. My boat has seen fish of all year classes in as shallow as 7ft and as deep as 34ft. The bite has been light and most fish have come lindy rigging minnows and leeches. Snap jigging minnows has also produced. With warmer temps projected here in the coming week I expect the shallow water bite to pick up. When this happens one of my favorite ways to fish is to drop down the Minn Kota Talon, fan cast swimbaits, drift down and repeat.
Northern Pike
Fishing for pike has been awesome as of later. Find your small patches of broad leaf vegetation and work them good. Often I will pull several pike off of a very small area of green stuff.
Smallmouth
The shallow water bite is on! Primary structure will hold most of your fish now tight to shorelines. Jerk baits have produced the most smallmouth in my boat as of late however I would not rule out a lot of your plastics now either.
Crappie
The western basin of the lake has shown good catches of crappie in 3-8ft faster warming back bays, however, I really want to stress the importance of catch and release on your smaller fish. The crappie fishery on Vermilion is VERY fragile and can be decimated very quickly. Last season was a great year for size as well as numbers but I can already see that changing. The mindset should be conservationists first, anglers second.
Water temps are hovering around the 56-58 degree marks. I expect this to change very rapidly here in the coming week as well as the fish behavior. I still have a few openings left for June, while the remaining summer months are filling up quickly. Good luck!
Jarek Wujkowski
Rodsbent Guide Service
info@rodsbent.com
(715)-892-7048
