Ice on the smaller lakes is still in good shape despite the rain and warm spell. Thinnest I’ve seen is 5-6″ on a small spring fed duck pond, while most lakes are covered in 7-11″ of clean ice. Lake Bemidji is getting there in a hurry. 11-12″ of clean ice.
Bluegills have been really off or on. Seems like the nicer days are really getting the fish active, and bright sun really puts them into overdrive. 10-16′ of water has been good on one lake, while 24′ of water has been producing well on another. Both spots I’ve been fishing have one thing in common… they are on significant turns in the structure.
While everyone else has been chasing crappies over the basins and doing well, I’ve found the fish and fishing to be excellent on the flats. While working over the bluegills, we stumbled into a pod of 12-14″ crappies in 18′ of water on a soft to hard bottom transition, and we never left that spot the rest of the night. Darters out-fished small jigs and waxies 6-1. On another lake we found fish holding on a 24′ hump adjacent to deep water….
Like most years, the fish seem to be in all areas. Find your personal preference, and work ’em over!
