The lake is at 600.8 or just barely above normal summer pool. Water color is very clear due to almost no rain. Water temps. about 75.

As most of you know I am full into walleye fishing for the next few weeks. Once we get closer to very hot summer like weather and tons of pleasure boats I tend to switch back to crappie/ white bass combo trip. Simply because the walleye tend to start feeding more at night and I can’t do those trips and day trips as well.

We have been having pretty good success on the walleye this year. Been catching anywhere from 10-20 a day sometimes less sometimes more. I have had three trips where we caught excess of thirty. You get a lot of fish just short of fourteen inches but that is fishing. Currently I am at 157 walleye/ sauger since May 15th or 16 guided trips. The non targeted species are the bonus. We catch a ton of crappie and white bass so very busy all day.

I started out casting 1/4oz. Deep Ledge Jigs and either a three-inch twister tail or paddle tail both Powerbait. Some are still doing that but my fish seamed to go deeper. So now I am pulling a 1 1/2oz. bottom bouncer and a hand-tied single hook spinner rig. Number four or five blade in pink and white or chartreuse and orange. Also just been pulling a rig with just three beads on a slow death hook something new. Both tipped with a minnow. Would use crawlers but it would slow down my non-species bite like crappie.

I run these on line counter reels simply because of my confidence in my Garmin traditional sonar. I know from running these for years that at 1 mph and 25-27ft. of line out we are fishing 15-17ft. deep. My Garmin has been showing me schools of white bass out suspended in deep water and I tell clients to start pumping their rod and we get four hooked up all the time. I am cleaning about forty a day plus about twenty-five crappie and of course the walleye.

It is all about ledges off big flats especially those with stumps right on the drop. I make my spinner rigs short only about 18 inches so we can get through the stumps and not snag. I also tie mine with 15-20lb. Fluorocarbon line. Way tougher than store bought and no I don’t sell them. I believe there is a shelf life of fishing line so I make mine fresh.

I am all booked up on my walleye trips but you should be thinking about my summer crappie/ white bass combo trips. Boy oh boy do we get into them. Hundreds of fish caught sore arms, raw fingers but big smiles. If you have went on one with me you will be back. My calendar on my website is current so better grab a date. Or just call and we will get you in. 217-840-1221

Steve Welch
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