North Central Inland – May Report

Forest Fishers, our world seems to have been turned upside down in the last couple months.  Everyone is adapting to the changes in our daily lifestyle, and I’m proud to say that our community has done an awesome job of following the safety guidelines, while remaining calm and civilized during these stressful times.

That being said, a lot of us have plenty of free time on our hands.  Lucky for us, fishing is one of the few activities we’re still allowed to enjoy, and let me tell you; it’s been extremely enjoyable.  Water levels are down a couple feet, but the fish haven’t minded one bit.  Every body of water is still easily accessible, and with less flooded backwater, finding the prime spots is easier than ever.  Just cruise along the shoreline, casting  at each pocket and point you see. Once you start getting bites, you’ll notice that one of the two (points/pockets) is where most fish are feeding at that time.

For bass anglers, this is one of the most exciting times of the year.  The spawning process is physically demanding, so they lose a lot of body mass/weight.  Once they’re finished, they feed like crazy to put weight back on.  They are far less picky and will chase after almost anything moving.  It’s not uncommon to see multiple bass fight over one topwater, all the way to the boat.  So rig one rod up with your favorite moving bait, and another rod with a trickworm or senko for when the bite slows. Easy-Peasy.

Now for the anglers looking to fill a cooler, blue-gill are the target species.  Gills spawn right after bass, and will even use the old bass beds to do so.  Most of the spawning in each lake will take place all in the same area; usually around shallow brush piles.  As far as bait and tackle go, you can use whatever you want once you find where they’ve all gathered.

What else can I say?  The fishing is great, and it’s right in our backyard.  So round up the kids, pick a lake (there’s hundreds nearby), and go have a blast.  I know I surely am.