When the weather is nice most days the boats going out are catching fish. Lake Sharpe, as always, is very current dependent, so if they run the amount the walleye prefer, the fish go.
 

I have not been on the water this year, so I’m relying on info from guides that are. From what I’ve been hearing, jigs/minnows are accounting for most of the catches.
 

I choose not to guide this time of the year as many of the fish being caught are females full of eggs. By the 1st week of April, that starts changing mostly to males as the females get real hard to catch during the spawning run. I believe waiting it out helps the fishery. This is a controversial statement because (#1) some biologists think a few females spawning is enough, and (#2) you pay for a license that entitles you to a limit of 4 fish and if GFPS thinks it matters, they would close the season pre-spawn like Minnesota etc. does.
 

I spoke with John Cooper, former head of GFPS, about the early fishing several times and he told me he personally limits his boat to two female pre-spawn fish and hopefully get the rest in males or practices catch and release. I have adopted that policy myself but it is very hard to charge money and then tell the customers they have to throw any females over two back so I just wait until the spawn gets in full swing (Usually mid April) and fish for the males as they are usually the ones biting.
 

With warm spring days going sometimes early it is real hard to stay off the water and most anglers like me are wanting to catch some supper so maybe a selective harvest like Coop suggests might be a way to create more eggs hence better spawns. I am not trying to stir up any negative thoughts about early pre-spawn fishing but I am passing catch and release thinking on the females full of eggs as much as possible.
 

If you are headed to Pierre this time of year remember to keep your eyes to the sky as weather is always a real big factor in the early spring fishing. See you in MNLPS if you are going to the show and want to visit. I will start with every three day reports as soon as I get on the water probably around mid April.
 

Kent “Hutch” Hutcheson
Hutch’s Guide Service
(605) 220-2844