I have only had a wet line for a matter of minutes so far this season. The project list remains long and we still are feeling a bit behind from the late ice-out. The guests have been great about sharing information and this is what I can tell you second-hand about the fishing so far….
Walleye:
Parker has been steadily producing including a healthy number of fish measuring 22″+ as well as the usual abundance of eater size fish. They are being caught in 6-10′ on lindy rigs, jigs, and crank baits. Some anglers have indicated live minnows and even salted minnows are working a little better than night crawlers. Although, I do know the two biggest fish of the year were caught on night crawlers. It’s also worth noting we saw the first mayflies of the season in camp, but I have not seen any on the water yet. They usually hatch out on Parker first.
Red Lake is improving daily, but still lagging behind Parker on numbers of fish. Fish are being caught in the 7-12′ range, but not as active as expected for early June. My best guess is the cooler water temps and late spawn have the fish still in a bit of recovery mode, but they should become more aggressive as the month progresses.
Northern Pike:
Both lakes have produced some incredible pike so far this year. This week has taken a small step back in both quantity and size and can likely be attributed to weather. It is significantly cooler this week than the first two weeks and the fish are not as active as they were. There are emerging weeds and the fish that are feeding the most are in warmer waters (near creeks or shallow bays with weed starts). Productive lures include 5-of-diamonds spoons, Silver Minnows, Mepps spinners, Thin Fins, & other crank baits. I have also been told that gold is outperforming silver thus far.
Smallmouth Bass:
We are on record pace for smallmouth bass caught in Parker. Nine have been been caught and released in the first three weeks. Some are being “accidentally” caught by walleye or pike fishermen, but this is the first time we have had anglers target bass and catch them which points to perhaps a significant population. Rattletraps, Thin Fins, Mepps spinners, and jigs have produced smallies. They also seem to be concentrated in one area of the lake which we can fill you in on upon your arrival.
We will provide another fishing update later this month and continue to share pictures of monster catches in the meantime.