How'd Everyone Do?

For Opener? My buddy and I hit the water at midnight and trolled 12-16′ on the north shore breakline until dawn. We got about three dozen eyes, zeroed in on UV green and orange (fire)tiger pretty quick for colors. After daylight we caught another couple dozen on shiners and jigs, continuing to mostly fish that breakline, although we did try some offshore humps and one flat, didn’t do anything there. We got off the water around noon, figuring 12 hours of fishing and 51 fish in the boat was plenty when faced with heavy snow. We pretty much stuck with that program for Sunday and Monday, with another 55 fish Sunday, and only 20 on Monday. We found most of our fish on the deeper side of the break, in 14-25′. Biggest was 26″, with a few in the 24-25″ range, as well as a very healthy looking 35″ pike for a kicker. We did get one 19″ bass as well. Honestly, probably 90% of the fish were right on either side of that 20″ mark, so I assume that 2013 year class is still chugging along nicely, and hopefully the next few years should see some very good spawns, now that those fish are getting into their prime.

We fished the same break line during the day on Saturday and through the blizzard. It honestly didn’t matter what we threw at them. They bit on Lindy rigs with leeches, fatheads, or worms. They bit on bobbers with minnows or leeches. And they bit on jigs with leeches or minnows. It didn’t seem to matter if we were deep or shallow. Not a real helpful report but that’s how it happened for us.

If anyone has a youngster that you want to get excited in fishing, but tired of catching the little gills off the dock, this is the time to get them out on ML. You’ll get them hooked on fishing for life in one day out there.