The lake level is 600.47 and dropping. The normal summer pool is 599.7. The projected forecast is they will slow down the gates this Friday May 16th. This will stop the hard current we have in the lake just totally messing up my Livescope. That and we have a bunch of pollen on the surface. I am taking my transducer out of the water several times a day and cleaning it with a vinegar solution (Hot Sauce). Seams to help.

CRAPPIE!!!
Water temps are bouncing around from 64-70 and hopefully the 46 degree nights are behind us. With the warm temps this week the crappie will really drop their eggs. But for now about every female I clean still has a lot of eggs in her.

Usually this time of the year I am hammering the big crappie on flats near stumps but right now the bluegill and yellow bass have taken over on them. Maybe once the drawdown is done things will change on that front. So for now I am fishing big brush piles and cubes with a slip bobber and minnow rig. My Livescope can look into them and see where the larger fish are holding. We set slip bobbers accordingly and I instruct clients exactly where to throw. Usually the bigger fish are right up on top but once a couple are caught they drop way down making it hard to get to them so we move on. I know where a ton of these such spots exist and we move about every ten-fifteen minutes all day long. Catching is not the problem since you can boat a hundred crappie or more every day if you want to stay on the little ones.

WALLEYE!!!
I will continue to have the slip bobber rods in the boat but this week starts my month long of pulling bottom bouncers and spinner rigs. Chasing walleye. We need two things to happen and both will soon. One stop pulling the water down. Two get the water temps up into the seventies which will trigger shad spawns. I have talked with several good anglers and nobody can find walleye yet but things will change soon. I remind anglers this lake is not Canada, walleye fishing is hard a good day is about 6-8 keepers but by pulling spinners we catch a lot of species so it makes a great trip.

Steve Welch
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