Another beautiful day saw me on Lake Zumbro with friends Jim and Bruce. The water temp is now above 80 and an algae bloom has the water stained green. The fish are in deep water and usually suspended at least half way down, which equates to 8-15 ft.
We used mini-mites jig or small feather/hair jigs tipped with a waxie. The bite was very light and often you needed to give a slight lift to your rod to determine if there was something there. When you felt any extra weight, it was time to set the hook. Those bruiser panfish can really put on a great fight on ultra-light equipment!
The best areas are adjacent to deep water from the main channel, but also will offer some cover like submerged wood or docks. There is a big hatch of minnows just about everywhere in the lake and the fish are really eating well. The lake level is still very normal, but the flow is low.
Lake Zumbro is producing lots of nice panfish right now. Selective harvest is a must in order to maintain this quality fishery. Keep a few for the dinner table and release the rest to reproduce and fight again another day. Don’t be surprised to catch a nice bass, northern, or catfish either! Sure was another fun day on the water! Hope you get a chance to get out fishing real soon.
Need to borrow mine bud? 
[couldn’t resist] 
