Guide Wade Watson "Kab Fishing" gives you the weekly update.
Lake Kabetogama is blossoming into the summer season. Fishing has been overall great! Weather, wind, rain, and mosquitoes have been the challenge to recent guests of the area.
Seems resorts are full, area restaurants are busy and the tour boat is just about to start running.
Water temperatures: 60-64 degrees (surface temp). Wind is becoming the key factor...follow the wind, you follow the food.
I would call this time of year a "transition period" moving from Spring patterns to Summer Patters: Walleye Spring-Summer Transitions LINK
Walleye transition means these walleyes in general are moving from shallow shad and chasing minnows to moving deeper and moving to rocky points and mid lake reefs. Key for me is the baits we use...Minnows have been the primary walleye bait for the early season, we know move to leeches and crawlers.
If you're looking for a good starting spot for walleyes, begin with "Lindy rigs" or live bait rigs. I'm using a 1/4 oz. walking sinker above a swivel, and below that swivel I use 24-30" leader with a plain hook or hook and spinner. These walleyes will not SLAM it, the suck the bait in and you NEED to feed them line for 5-10seconds...after that, reel in slack line and set the hook- FISH ON!
If you are not a live bait fan, I would urge you to try perch color crankbaits along weed lines in 7-12 feet of water, I think this will produce some nice walleyes. Another technique we've mentioned a few times is "Slip Bobbers", which can be deadly when used with a leech and the right depth. Here is a link to set up you SLIP BOBBER.
Other fish: Bass are moving onto spring beds. This means, shallow sand, and I'm using plastic worms like "ring worms" or long twister tails. I'm a big fan of B'fish'N and their MOXIE plastics LINK
Smallmouth fishing on Kabetogama and Namakan has been excellent in the past few years, let's keep it that way and release these spawning fish for the next 2 weeks.
Pike- Northern pike will become more aggressive with the warmer water and bait swimming freely. Weed lines and isolated rock piles will be my targets. Bigger baits and suspending baits like Husky Jerks will work well.
Saugers have been biting in 25-30 feet of water. 3/8 or 1/4 oz jigs tipped with minnows will work well and occasional produce some walleyes as well
Perch are biting as well. Perch can't seem to leave a night crawler alone. Lindy rigs or live bait rigs with nightcrawlers pulled slowly along weed lines will produces some nice perch.
As always, I'm open for comments, or opinions... kabfishing.com or kabfishing@yahoo.com
Thanks Wade Watson
Voyageurs Adventures
26 years guiding on these waters...
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