Lake Level is 601.22 and falling. Normal summer pool is 599.7 about two inches a day.
Water temps are around 71 and visibility is very good about 6in. easily.

Walleye have gotten so hit and miss I put my spinner rigs away and switched back to crappie. We would get three or four then go two days with nothing. Then the white bass disappeared that we were catching while pulling spinners. The lake constantly rising and falling this spring had to have a lot to do with this. All my buddies who both guide and fish for them are way behind last years catches. I know in my boat last year we try and keep track of every one caught both over and under fourteen inches and we had 187. This year 76. It is a big lake and there are not millions of them in the lake like up north. If your heart was set on walleye and you have a trip coming up soon this happens every year I am just not catching them. So back to slip bobbers for the crappie we go.

White Bass are chasing shad up on the big flats and once it warms up we will start to see busts again. I am throwing my slab spoon at them in areas I was catching walleye which are areas on flats close to ledges. Let the spoon go to the bottom then abruptly pop it off and allow it to fall back. I simply love doing this you will catch everything that swims. These rods will be in the boat until late October. Those along with my slip bobber rigs for crappie.

Crappie are absolutely on FIRE. They are feeding up on shad after their spawn. Cubes, stumps, brush up in about ten-feet or shallower and a boat load of minnows. My trips are simple set the Livescope at 50ft. scan around looking for a stump then look around it for fish on the bottom. Toss a buoy on said stump then turn the boat to the side set the slip bobber rig to the proper depth. Stay about 25ft. or more away and let your slip bobber drift by said stump. We are using about 15 dozen minnows or more each day and my clients are boating about 100-120 crappie daily counting all you throw back. Plus two or three huge channel catfish that are up on the flats spawning. This should go on for a few weeks then I will have to move to deeper water. But for right now we are having a blast!!!!!

Steve Welch
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