Lake Zumbro Minnesota Crappie and Bluegill Report

The weather has finally been stable for a few days and no recent significant rainfall has allowed the water level of Lake Zumbro to get back to normal, as well as letting the water gain some much needed clarity. The previous time I was on the lake was 10 days ago and we were met with high dirty water, and tough fishing. The lake was in almost normal early summer conditions today. These conditions make finding the fish much easier, and of course makes for much better fishing!

With the water temp hitting the low 70’s and being able to see down into the water a couple of feet, we opted to start along the shorelines hoping to see what might be up in shallow water. The big bluegills, or bullgills as I refer to them, were on their spawning beds usually in less than 3 FOW. Mini-mites tipped with a waxie fished 12 inches under a float were the perfect snack for these big guys. They seemed to be hungry as they usually attacked the jigs without hesitation.

I also wanted to find some crappies. They had pretty much finished spawning before the big rains that arrived a couple weeks ago, so I expected to find them on the first dropoffs. Sure enough, when we started marking suspended fish, they were crappies! I was a bit surprised to find a few dark males in the mix, but all the females had dropped their eggs already. We just used a straight-line technique fishing down about 8-10 ft. for these specks.

The weather today was great with air temps in the 80’s and not much wind to deal with. The fish almost seemed glad to see us – well, at least they were very cooperative…..

It was great to be back on the lake and spend the afternoon with my buddy Ron. Ron kept a meal and the rest went back to swim again. We also tried some small hair jigs today, but most fish were caught on mini-mites in a variety of colors. Tipping the jig with a waxworm produced many more hits than a plain jig. Sure was a great day to be back on Lake Zumbro and I look forward to a great summer of fishing ahead! Hope you have a chance to get out fishing soon!