05/26/2026
As we quickly transition from upper 50’s on lakes to 60’s and beyond specific lakes are all over the board as far as the spawn. I cleaned crappies from two different lakes with similar temps and depth and found crappies full of spawn on one lake and completely devoid of spawn on the other. Walleyes are anywhere from shallow suspended over rock , in w**ds or down to 10-12’ over rocks. One day bass will be shallow and the next they are in deeper w**ds. That means you need to fish fast to locate fish and then slow down to fish the school. I suspect with the warmer weather and more consistent temperatures, the fish will be settling into more consistent patterns.
With the wide variety of lure selections, deciding on a selection can be overwhelming. My choice has been simple. Paddle tails from Pro Tour baits and Nomad Design have proven to be vital for success. I have used Pro Tour bait paddle tails for over 10 years. Daren at Pro Tour Baits has figured how to infuse fish oil into the plastic that make it very supple. This allows the tail to wag at very slow speeds and wobble on the drop.
Nomad Design is a company from Australia that has inserted a piece of foil in its Spectre Minnow series. This creates flash and its availability in 2.25” and 3.25” size has proven deadly on 1/16-1/8 oz heads. Crappie, walleye , bass and pike are all attracted to this minute plastic.
Lastly twitch baits have been effective in the shallows over w**ds. The retrieve is very important as it triggers fish to attack the bait as it resembles an injured minnow. Two sharp twitches followed by a pause triggers pike, muskie, walleye , bass and big crappie. XRaps, Stunnas and the new Maverick all have slightly different actions that may entice the fish to attack.
