Before I write about NORTHERN AND WALLEYE, being the Wisconsin fishing opener is May 2nd, I’m posting this topic a week early on locating and catching post spawn fish.

BEING THE OPENING DAY FOR MICHIGAN IS MAY 15th, I WANT TO REMIND ANGLERS THAT ON WISCONSIN’S OPENING DAY, PANFISH ARE THE ONLY FISH THAT CAN BE CAUGHT LEGALLY ON THE MICHIGAN LAKES, ON THE CHAIN, 

There are some anglers that won’t fish at this time because they believe in letting the fish recover after or while spawning. I totally understand their reasoning and, in some instances, I will agree, (more on that below). That being said, others don’t get on the water right after spawning because they believe fish are too hard to locate, and you might hear fish won’t bite during or after spawning.

The truth is, you CAN not only locate and catch fish at this time, but this could be the SECOND-BEST of the year fishing you ever had. I believe the highest catch rate for not only quality, but also the quantity of fish is in the fall because 1) Many species want to fatten up for the winter and are more aggressive. 2) The baitfish are abundant and knowing their migration pattern definitely helps. But that will be a subject at a later date,

When I wrote about water temperatures and spawning locations last week, did you notice spawning similarities?  Weeds and rocks, right? I also mentioned not all fish spawn at the same time, so I would suggest fishing in sequence of spawn. Meaning, start with NORTHERN PIKE, then WALLEYE, followed by PERCH etc.

After spawning mostly in shallow bays over vegetation, bigger female Northern Pike will usually move to the deeper part of that bay or the first drop off near the spawning area. When they are done recovering, they can move back to shallow water and will begin feeding aggressively, even on their own species. The smaller male and female NORTHERN won’t move far from the spawning area because baitfish are there eating and I always said, big fish eat little fish, so these fish are catchable.

Another great location to reel in decent size Northern would be medium to large (8 to 12 feet) windblown bays with vegetation. Northern Pike have also been known to spawn over gravel/rocks, so same as above, if baitfish are present, Northern could also be there. But remember, when their forage moves, post spawn fish will follow.

Before I write about WALLEYE location, right or wrong here’s my opinion on post spawn fishing. If you are lucky enough to catch a walleye (over 24 inches) PLEASE TAKE A PICTURE AND MEASUREMENTS AND HAVE A REPLICA MADE. I constantly hear anglers say, I caught over 10 walleyes, but all were under the legal limit of 15 inches. Why do you believe that is?

It’s this simple. A SMALL TO AVERAGE WALLEYE WILL PRODUCE 25,000 EGGS, WHILE THOSE BIG OLDER GIRLS CAN PRODUCE 150,000 eggs. Add GENETICS into the picture and you will also understand, BIG FISH MAKE BIGGER FISH AND LITTLE FISH PRODUCE LITTLE FISH. So, like it or not, it’s only my opinion, but I would like to see our lakes return to what some folks would call the good old days. Ok, I’m done preaching.

Once walleye recover from spawning, they will look for these two things, WARMER WATER and FOOD. By the opener, depending on water temperature spawning is usually over, and walleyes could/should be feeding aggressively, but not ready to head back to their summer homes. One location could be the northern part of the lake, because this is where the water warms the fastest. Windblown shorelines will attract baitfish and guess what’s going to be there, yep post spawn walleye. Shallow shorelines with ROCKS and or GRAVEL (hold heat) that drop off to deeper water could be another location.

Even though locating walleye in this area can be challenging, large flats (10 to 12 feet) should not be overlooked. The flats that are closest to where the walleye spawned and has access to deeper water should be your first choice. In this area you’ll have new vegetation, baitfish and walleyes favorite food, schools of perch. This is where watching the water temperature on your electronics can really help. Find the warmest spots and the walleyes will be there.

This can be a long shot, but there is a small possibility walleye could be in or near fallen trees (again, holds some heat) closer to drop-offs to deeper water because perch will be there dining on baitfish. If not, you might catch some nice perch for dinner. If you’re heading out this Saturday for the opener, I hope this week’s topic helps you locate some nice fish.

As of this writing 4/26 the water temps are hovering around 50 degrees.

PLEASE RELEASE WALLEYES OVER 24 INCHES. THESE BIG GIRLS PRODUCE MORE EGGS AND LARGER WALLEYE IN THE FUTURE.