After a few dealer calls and back on the road a noticable absence of ice in a matter of hours most lakes were clean.The few that still had some ice the wind was making quick work of.
With the Minnesota opener stil 45 days away and the Wisconsin opener a month away the local rivers will be the early battleground for game fish as most lake will crowded with pan fishermen. I counted no less than 4 trailers at my local landing today.
Good bets this time of year is to stay out of the wind on near the first major drop of. whether you are fishing amouth of a bay or a protected shore line you will find fish at or near where you last caught them on ice.
If you were catching fish in a basin and the basin leads towards a bay and the bay is on the North and or West side of the lake chances are you will easily find your quarry. Many times the crappie will move into the remnants of last seasons Lily Pad beds searching for warmer water which attracts bait fish and starts that spawning clock ticking.
For the most part you can throw conventional wisdom out the door this time of year ,when as far as specific spawning temperature I have found this can fluctuate considerably.Trust your gut and if the wind is howling yard work is my choice, if the day is fair and I feel I can read the water I will for go the chores and head to the lake.
My bait choices are Beetl Spins and plain hook and minnow under a float.
