Jarrid Houston column: Wisconsin fishing opener down, Minnesota is coming

The “open” sign flashed brightly for the state of Wisconsin’s annual fishing opener last Saturday, and now it is Minnesota’s turn.

We think things are shaping up to be a good one. Despite an early ice-out this spring, water temps have been able to stay on the cooler side. A mix of cool days, as well as off-and-on recent rain showers, have kept water temperatures from spiking. That is good news for anglers because that should make for a longer-than-usual bite timeline. Still, this is fishing, and any avid angler knows you can be humbled.

With that said, let’s all be optimistic and hope for the best fishing opener ever. As of now, the weather looks to be decent, so let’s keep our fingers crossed for that. For the Wisconsin opener, we had to fish in the cold rain, which wasn’t ideal.

Let’s dig into the next big holiday we call the great Minnesota fishing opener:

Lake Superior anglers have had on and off days depending on what Mother Nature has provided. We can report that boat marinas are filling up with vessels, and boat traffic is picking up a tad. From Ashland to the North Shore, we will start to see more and more big water boats out trolling. Best fishing continues to be trolling shallow running stick baits in a few different colors that can change daily.

This week, it sounds like bright orange was best for getting some coho bites. Fish locations are not as concentrated as we were seeing a month ago, but that is typical as many spring rituals are in motion. We are just coming off a pretty decent smelt haul, and humans were not the only ones harvesting some tasty morsels. Best depths targeted for coho have been in and around the 80–120-foot areas, but similar to changing bait colors, these can vary often too.

For the charter captains about to take to the waters, have a great season, and we look forward to hearing what’s happening out there.

Stream fishing continues to be going decent for some anglers. The streams from Two Harbors up the North Shore are seeing a few good fish being caught. Fan-casting fly rods with float indicators over fly lures continue to get a few bites. Water levels have risen, and flow is going pretty decent at this time. We expect to see some canoe and kayakers taking to the streams as we move farther into May.

The St. Louis River Estuary will be one of the busiest places for walleye anglers for the next several weeks. We expect to see many anglers launching boats throughout the system. Water temperatures, as mentioned, are still on the cooler side, hovering around the 50-degree mark, which should be good. The big girls should be heading back toward Lake Superior, but as usual, some lucky anglers will have a hook-up with these big, beautiful fish.

Please make the right decision on harvesting. I have often heard people say old walleyes can’t reproduce, and that is absolutely inaccurate. And, I promise, if you take a fish out of the water, it will 100% have no chance to reproduce. Keeping a few fish is OK, just make sure to know the rules, and please, please only keep fish of the juvenile type — say under 18 inches.

For success on the lower river and harbor, I would look toward the channel edges and work a slow bait. Crankbaits can be ideal, but spring fishing is usually better suited with live bait rigs. Lindy rigs, spinner rigs, dead sticks, or one of my favorites, “corking” (bobber fishing), will all be good tactics. Your fishing electronics will certainly show a bunch of fish, but not all will be active. Once a big group of boats with several baits start infiltrating fish schools, they can turn off pretty fast. The point is, don’t be afraid to find areas of the river with less traffic.

On to the inland lake fishing bite. Let’s start with Wisconsin, as we have been on somewhat of a bite to start the season. Fishing started slow on opening weekend but has picked up a little since. Water temperatures are just over 50 degrees in many areas we have been fishing. Walleyes have seemed to be better morning, and later evening biters for whatever reason. Usually, during the early part of May, we can get them pretty consistently throughout the day, but not this year as yet. Pike have been easy picking working weed edges around the 10-foot depths. Some beefy fish can be tackled this time of year, so if the walleye bite is a little “off,” don’t be afraid to cast out some stick baits or spinner baits toward shorelines.

For panfish enthusiasts, we are just getting rolling on some nice crappie bites near deeper breaks. Wind-blown shorelines, cork and split shot, with a crappie minnow, is a good recipe for some crappie fishing. The sunfish will be going in the shallow, warm water soft bottom areas. Using a bobber and a worm chunk is a good bet.

For Minnesota opening morning, if you are looking for walleyes, don’t overlook the big flats near substrate transition areas. Rock to sand is hard to beat. We look forward to hearing of some success from all of you. Man, is it great to be back to fishing! Everyone have a safe and enjoyable week, and we will most definitely see you on the water.

Jarrid Houston of South Range is a fishing guide ( houstonsguideservice.com ) on Minnesota and Wisconsin inland waters, the St. Louis River and, in winter, on Lake Superior.