Summer is finally here!
By Bill Bartusek
It finally happened, the warm weather has arrived. The rains have ceased and the lakes are moving into a summer pattern. South of the metro area things are about normal.
The sunfish have been on the spawning beds and baby ducks are hatching. Up north, things are a bit behind. The water is a lot cooler there and the bass and sunfish have yet to spawn. So what happens now? Well, the fish are certain to react to the clear skies and warm sun. Instead of biting all day long the fish will begin to favor early morning and late evening hours. They will wait for the sun to get at a bigger angle so it doesn't shine directly into the water. The fish will also work inside the weeds a bit more. They will use the shade for cooler water and the cover to ambush prey. So as an angler, I will fish a bit tighter to weed lines and I will favor the shady side of the weeds. The water will definitely warm up some and this will increase the metabolism of the fish, making them hungry and aggressive. Anglers can now target fish with a more horizontal attack. Fish will be willing to chase a lure a bite more.
Walleye and northern pike will now seek deeper water if it exists in the lakes. If it does not and the lake is shallow, the fish will go into heavy weed cover during the day. Actually, they may stay in the weeds for the rest of the summer. Anglers will have to look for them there if they wish to have any luck at all.
Activity by boaters will now increase on all area lakes. I would like everyone to drink wisely and not operate a boat after drinking. Let’s all have a safe summer!
