Anglers across the north are eagerly anticipating May walleye fishing. Whether you’re participating in a traditional fishing opener or simply wetting a line for the first time this season, finding fish against the backdrop of an unusually late ice-out will be critical to success.

In typical years, the walleyes would have spawned and been well into their early post-spawn recovery phase—which means we’d find smaller male walleyes active in shallow water, while larger females recuperated a bit deeper.

In a cold spring with late ice-out, however, staging areas outside of the spawning grounds become extremely important. I look for flats in 15 to 20 feet of water, where walleyes rest between spawning bouts or congregate before and after the spawn.

Sonar can help you spot bottom-hugging walleyes in such areas, but in many cases it’s best to scout by fishing. Live baits such as minnows, leeches and crawlers excel right now. My go-to delivery systems include a slip-sinker live bait rig, ball-head jig and stand-up jighead.

With all three, cover water by drifting or slow-trolling, keeping the rig or jig on or very near the bottom. When you mark fish on sonar, hover overhead to give them time to take the bait.

To check shallower water in windy conditions, a light jig or split-shot rig is hard to beat. Let the jig or rig trail behind the boat, with a minnow or leech fluttering above the bottom.

One added benefit of a split-shot setup is you can quickly convert it to a live bait rig without retying, simply adding a Quick-Change Roach Walker Sinker.

Whichever fishing method you use, don’t get discouraged if you don’t strike walleye gold on the first cast. Or the second. Early season walleye fishing often involves plenty of search time, trial and error.

Keep your chin up and try different potential fish-holding areas and presentations until you dial it in. While you’re at it, remember that finding the warmest water available is often a big plus in cold springs. Likewise, the fishing often picks up as the day wears on and the water temperature rises.

Since the late 1990s, Mille Lacs Lake has become an increasingly popular destination for anglers who want to catch trophy-sized smallmouth bass. Until now, it wasn’t known how many of these fish – prized more for their fight than their fillets – called the lake home. A population estimate completed in 2018 shows there are some 67,000 smallmouth bass in the 128,000-acre lake.

DNR Report

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Not that many years ago, it was relatively common practice for anglers fishing sturgeon on Lake of the Woods and Rainy River to hoist big fish up by the gill plates and hold them vertically for photos.

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