Fishing in
Eagle River
Fishing Report
Updated 5/18
The second weekend of the season wasn’t quite as good as the first, but all in all it’s been a great start. We’ve got a bit of a rollercoaster of weather coming this week with highs from the mid-70’s to the mid-50’s predicted and some lows in the 30’s. Water temps are coming up nicely, though, with some warm bays on the chain already up in the 60’s.
Perch
Perch fishing has been very good also. These fish have been hanging in areas with cover along the shorelines. Fathead minnows seem to select the larger of these fish and this is a great way to spend a warm afternoon on the lake at this time of the year.
NORTHERNS
The Northerns, as always, are aggressively feeding at this time of the year. They are the first to spawn in the spring and are in recovery mode now and aggressively feeding. Many walleye anglers can be frustrated by these guys, as they are hanging out in the same places as the walleye.
CRAPPIES
Not to be outdone, some crappies have started to move into their areas in the bullrushes and weeds. It is hard to tell at the time of this writing how the cooler weather will affect these fish as there have been many years that these cold fronts chase the fish out, only to try again when it warms up. There are years when this happened repeatedly that some of the crappie population just gives up and does not spawn.
WALLEYE
Walleye fishing has been pretty great. There has now been some weed growth and these fish, when they leave the shorelines after they spawn, will very much locate to these weeds and do some considerable feeding into June. Jigs and minnows are working well – use the large fatheads (Tuffies) for best results with the lightest jigs the wind will allow. Most commonly 1/8 ounce jigs work the best. It's not the worst idea to start on structure such as downed trees on the shorelines, and then work deeper if you don't find them there.
And while Musky season doesn’t open until the end of the month, we’ve seen them up on the shorelines spawning on many area lakes, which is an indicator of a great season to come. The bass are starting to locate on shorelines for their spawn. Even before the spawn, you'll find large females cruising the shores “inspecting” for their spawning site, and these females are pretty voracious in feeding on anything they find. These fish will be spawning on all lakes for weeks. Time for the annual sermon about releasing the fish quickly after catching them to let them finish the spawn, and a reminder that smallmouth bass are only catch and release until June 17. Another thing you can do is to pinch down the barb on your hooks to make for faster release.
What a season we have to look forward to. With some cooperation from the weather Gods, we’re moving into the best fishing of the year. Get out there and enjoy it!
Good luck and good fishin'!
Report courtesy of Eagle Sports Center
