WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
April 3, 2008

Sunshine and 50 degrees is certainly a wonderful thing this time of the year, but with 38 inches of ice remaining on many of the area lakes, most anglers are getting worried about that opening day and whether or not we should plan on the boat or the ice fishing gear. As most years would have it, the ice will be gone, maybe not long gone, by May 10th but the water temps at this pace might be much cooler then what we have experienced over the last couple of opening weekends.

With the ice out seemingly going to happen a bit later this season, one can turn it in as a positive, at least those that like to jig fish with those spot-tail shiners. Normally, when we have a late ice out, it tends to extend the life of the spot-tail jig bite. For most of us here in the northland, that is exactly what we want. So with the upcoming season right around the corner and a jig bite being a big part of the early season success for many, no better time than now to talk about jig fishing.

Water temperatures play a key role in the Walleye activity throughout the season and it is no less important than on those openers where the water temps are cold. Keeping in mind that a fish is nearly like a human under cold water temperature, they don't move fast and are not wanting to burn much energy in finding a meal. One has to slow that jig and minnow presentation down and keep it light. The longer you can keep the jig a foot-to-two-foot off the bottom, with a slight swimming motion, the more likely you are to grab the attention of an early cold water Walleye. Keeping those jigs at 1/16 oz. or even 1/32 oz. will certainly increase your odds to catching fish.

Speeds of the presentation go hand in hand with the jig size. Most years I see most unsuccessful anglers moving way too fast and jigging way to erratically. Look for that optimum speed with water temperatures in the high 30's to low 40's to be at that .3 to .5 mph range. There are times where one can nearly be at a stand still and swimming that bait up and down nearly vertically before a Walleye will trigger. Again what would you do if you were in that cold water for more then a few seconds?

As for jigs, one can count on those Lindy Maxgap jigs in a variety of different colors, including the watermelon and the parrot. These jigs allow for better hook up percentages with the wide gap angle of the hook and the long length of the hook shaft.

So as the 2008 open water season comes upon us, try keeping it simple and keep things in perspective. Meaning what would a human do under these circumstances? Whether it is 100 degrees and calm or 30 degrees and snowing, if you think about how you typically react under those conditions, many times the fish will do the same thing.

Things to think about this season:

Cold water:

1. How fast would you move after the initial shock?
2. How willing would you be in chasing a meal?
3. Where is the warmest water on the lake?
4. Where is the easiest meal found?

Warmer to warm water:

1. I haven't eaten much over the last 6-7 months. Where is an abundance of food?
2. If your body is burning up food quickly and you're growing quickly, how often would you eat a day?
3. Where do you head when a storm is coming in?

Hot water and Hot days:

1. Where do you head when that humidity and 100 degree heat set in?
2. Where is it easy to breath when its hot?
3. Do you always like a home cooked meal or do you have a fast meal at times?

These are just a few situations that will come up. I will get to how I think about these things as they play out next week. Stay tuned as I think it will help eveyone when you start thinking in these terms and one can relate it to how a fish reacts more times then not. I hope everyone survived this flu stricken-long winter, and now the open water excitement is right around the corner! Its about time!

Get those MAXGAP jigs ready, those walleyes are coming soon!

Sean Colter
member of NMGL
seancolter@seancolter.com