Ely area fishing

Ely area: decent fishing in the area, with walleyes taking minnows in 6-8 feet of water. “White Iron Lake is doing very well, and Shagawa, too,“Some guys are getting big northerns up to 42 inches using suckers for bait, and I got a report off of Newton Lake of some 14-inch crappies being caught by some folks who were fishing for walleyes using jigs and minnows.anglers casting Rapalas along the shorelines have been having mixed results catching smallmouth bass

Jig fishing is great on Leech Lake

When fishing, look to the shorelines and points that the wind is blowing into and start shallow, 5-10 feet in sandy and gravel areas. Live bait is great on the opener; I prefer to use spot-tailed shiners, rainbows or fatheads.Jig fishing is great on Leech Lake this time of year but Lindy rigs also work great. With the water so clear on Leech Lake, the jig colors I prefer are chartreuse, dark green and multicolored.When fishing in shallower water depths, stay with an 8-ounce jig or weight on your Lindy rig. Drifting is a preferred way to fish on Leech Lake, but if there is not enough wind, trolling works well also.If it’s very windy, a drift bag can make a huge difference in your ability to stay on fish. Always be safety-minded and watch out for other fishing boats.

Broken Bow

Broken Bow: April 26. Elevation above normal, water 67. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass good on Alabama rigs, spinnerbaits and plastic baits at 4-8 ft. along flats, weed beds and shorelines. Crappie good on grubs, tube jigs and minnows at 3-5 ft. along weed beds, standing timber and shorelines. Flathead, blue and channel catfish good on crawfish, sunfish, stinkbait and live bait at 10-15 ft. along channels, the river mouth and river channel. Some of the best panfish angling of the year takes place around opening weekend. Crappies are usually in the shallows and are frequently in the spawning mood. Bluegills are also shallow and will readily suck in small jigs under a bobber.
For the first time, opening day anglers will be able to target both largemouth and smallmouth bass on a catch and release basis. This option provides a great opportunity for anglers who want to feel the tug on a line more than they want to clean and eat fish.

Conchas Lake

Conchas Lake: Fishing was fair using minnows for crappie. Fishing was good using tubes, chigger craws, jerk minnows, crank baits and jerk baits for smallmouth bass and largemouth bass. Fishing was good using crank baits and grubs for white bass. Fishing was fair using crank baits and jig and minnow combinations for walleye.  We had no reports on other species. The surface water temp was in the high 50s.

Chittenden Reservoir

Vermont except Lake Carmi, Chittenden Reservoir and the Connecticut River, walleye and sauger have an 18” minimum length requirement and three-fish daily limit. The open season is from Saturday, May 2 to March 15, 2016.
Lake Carmi has a slot limit for walleye because of the lake’s high rate of natural walleye reproduction and high fishing pressure. The minimum length is 15 inches, and all walleye between 17 and 19 inches must be released. The daily limit is five walleye, but only one may be over 19 inches long. The season is open May 2 through March 15.
Chittenden Reservoir has special walleye regulations in order to produce large walleye that can help control its over-abundant yellow perch population, and provide anglers with an opportunity to harvest a trophy walleye. The minimum length is 22 inches, the daily limit is two, and the season is open June 1 through March 15.
Connecticut River walleye fishing rules are set by New Hampshire. No walleye between 16 and 18 inches may be kept and the daily limit is four fish, of which only one may be longer than 18 inches.
Excellent walleye fishing opportunities occur each spring in the lakes mentioned above as well as in Lake Champlain and its tributaries: the Missisquoi River, Lamoille River, Winooski River, and Otter Creek.

Sandusky River

Sandusky River, has started as the walleye run is winding down.
But the weather has kept some anglers from getting out and slowed the bite, said Bernie Whitt, owner of Anglers Supply in Fremont, in his fishing report.
“White bass started out great earlier this week and slowed up with the cold and wind,” he said. “Walleye seem to be pretty much done for the season.”
A few walleye have been spotted on the river, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources reports there are still fish to be caught. White bass fishing should improve over the weekend, according to the ODNR’s Fish Ohio report.
Most anglers are fishing between the Miles Newton and State Street bridges.
For walleye, they are using Carolina Twister Tails, and bright colors usually work best, according to the ODNR. For white bass, they are using small jigs, and spinner baits and jigs tipped with minnows.
Meanwhile, fishing on Lake Erie was excellent until the temperatures dropped and the wind picked up earlier this week.

Mille Lacs Lake

2015 regulations for Mille Lacs Lake are:
• Walleye: Limit of one and the fish must be 19- to 21-inches long or longer than 28 inches. Night closure from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. May 11 to Dec. 1.
• Northern pike: Limit of 10. One fish may be longer than 30 inches only if two fish shorter than 30 inches are caught on the same trip and in possession.
• Bass: Limit of six smallmouth and largemouth bass in combination. Only one smallmouth bass may be longer than 18 inches.Mille Lacs' 2015 walleye safe harvest level was reduced from 60,000 to 40,000 pounds in 2015 so more fish potentially survive and spawn to improve the walleye population. State anglers can harvest up to 28,600 pounds of walleye. The eight Chippewa bands with 1837 Treaty harvest rights can harvest up to 11,400 pounds of walleye.

Last year, Mille Lacs anglers could keep two walleye 18- to 20-inches long or one longer than 28 inches.A night fishing closure, enforced from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., will begin Monday, May 11, and extend to Tuesday, Dec. 1.

Sandusky River and Maumee River walleye

Western Basin
Walleye: Walleye fishing continues to be excellent for anglers trolling, mostly around the eastern and northern cans of the Camp Perry firing range. Fish have also been caught by jigging on the reefs of the Camp Perry firing range and nearshore around Turtle Creek and Wild Wings. Anglers trolling have been using crankbaits (Rapala Deep Husky Jerks and deep diving Reef Runners) at speeds from 1.0 mph to 1.6 mph; anglers jigging are catching fish on hair jigs and blade baits.
Sandusky River and Maumee River walleye fishing update
MAUMEE RIVER: The river is normal to slightly low at this time and wading to Bluegrass Island is possible; water visibility is limited and water temperature is 56 F. Fishing pressure is high with anglers using all access points; a few limits are being reported and most anglers are catching several fish. Sampling by the DOW has shown a lot of new fish have moved into the river and a few white bass are now showing up. … Anglers are catching fish at all locations at this time.  We are past the peak of the walleye run at this time but there are still large numbers of fish in the river with a fair number of females to present; the fishing will continue to be excellent through the weekend. A few white bass are being seen. Most access areas are now open to anglers, except Buttonwood Park. For the latest updates on Side Cut Park, please check the Toledo Metroparks web page (www.metroparkstoledo.com).  Most anglers are fishing between the Hays and State Street bridges.  We are past the peak of the walleye run but walleye are still in the river; anglers will still be able to catch them for a little while longer. The white bass fishing has started and will continue to get better over the weekend.