Chippewa Flowage Fishing Reports

[chirp]

Tom, any movement of the crappies up shallow yet? If not when do you think it will happen. My Buddies coming up the first week of May and hopes he will hit them.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi Chirp,

Yesterday we had temps in the mid 20's with hurricane winds and a blinding snow storm. I think the crappies are all hibernating for a few days. With the weather forecast I saw, I think the crappies will start to get active again soon. I'm going to go this weekend to see how things are. Before yesterday's storm the crappies were just starting to make a move up shallow.

Opening weekend could be a peak weekend if the weather doen't go screwy again. Good luck fishing.

Walleyemaxx

[snoozebutton]

I haven't been out on the flowage yet but I was on a smaller lake yesterday and the water temp was 50. Still a little cool for them but I'd say the 1st week in May is looking pretty good right now.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Finally got the boat out for a shake down cruise yesterday. My original intention was to target crappies, but after a few hours looking in shallow with the water temps in the 49 degree range, I couldn't find any. So I went looking for perch in some deep wood spots. There I found fish. Mailnly perch. They were biting real light on my light tackle which made it fun to try to get a hook set. I was catching lots of little ones when the action just stopped. I was just about to lift anchor and move when my bobber went down. After a short tussle, I netted a 24" walleye into the boat. I quickly cut the hook off, snapped a quick picture and lifted the net into the water and let her swim away.

Now that made my day. I had casted my other line out and when I picked it up to reel in, I had another big fish hanging on. After a short tussle, I slipped the net under a 21" and hauled her in . Again I cut the hook off, snapped a quick picture while she lay on the bottom of the boat and lifted the net with her in it into the water and let her swim away. Now that was sweet.

I took my time retying my lines back up. If this were walleye season, I would have had many more rods ready and been trying to see how many I could catch. But not wanting to target the walleye, I tied on my small hooks and baited them up and finally cast back out. The perch were back which meant the walleyes had left. I had fun with the perch again keeping 4 for the pan and releasing eevrything else which were all pretty small. For baits, I was using waxworms on one hook and a crappie minnow on the other. Of interest, the bigger walleye nailed a waxworm. The other a crappie minnow.

It had just stopped raining when I put my boat in. The wind started out real mild from the west, and the water temps were in the 49 degree range when I started fishing. By two oclock the wind swithched from straight North and picked up. Not real strong, just enough to cool things down. The water temps were 48 degrees when I left in late afternoon. It remained cloudy all day with the sun breaking through a couple of times. The air temps were in the high 40's all day but being dressed in my ice fishing clothes, it was fairly nice.

Next trip over I'll be looking for crappies again but if they don't cooperate, I know of some good perch spots. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[chirp]

Thanks for report Tom.

[snoozebutton]

What water temps did you see out there Tom? I was on Middle McKenzie yesterday and had 52. BTW, only managed a few smaller crappies in 12 to 19 FOW.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi snoozebutton,

It started out at 49 degrees and ended up at 48. Pretty chilly yet. I read a report about a couple guys catching crappie in 20 feet on the Big Chip. They are not up shallow yet. They caught a lot of them and good size. My advice is right now to fish deep wood until the water temps get back to the mid 50's. Good luck fishing.

Walleyemaxx

[Jarrid Houston]

Whats your guy's plan for opener? I think we will be doing the Minong Flowage again, but not sure. Would like to get a better spot with bigger walleyes to catch (not keep). Any suggestions? thanks!

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi Jarrid.

Isn't the Gov. going to the minong flowage for the Governors cup? If so, it could be crowded. I'll be on the Chippewa Flowage fishing the deeper wood. The conditions this year are more like early summer patterns. The crappies might be in full swing with their spawning. Saw a report of a guy catching over 100 crappies in shallow water last weekend.

If my walleyes aren't cooperating out in the deeper wood, I'll be heading for some shallow crappies. Good luck fishing.

Walleyemaxx

[Jarrid Houston]

Yeah, we are starting to see some calicos in the shallows up here, but the water temps are still at around 50. When they hit that special number 54-55-56, it can be dynamite for our lakes. I assume you are closer to them temps than we are being farther north then you. Have been catching some nice eyes, fishing for gillz, and excited to see what the weekend will bring. So Walker will be on the M flow huh? Where did you hear that? Anyway, one of these days we will have to cross paths for some fishing..Gd luck!

[Tom_Christianson]

Hey Jarrid.

I saw on the news about the Gov. I'm not to much farther south then you. The water temps are just starting to get into the 50-52 degree range. Should be a good opener. I posted my May tip of the month on my HSOforum. I talk about my plan of attack for the opener. Click on the tab below to go to my HSOforum then hit the tip of the month tab. Good luck fishing.

Walleyemaxx

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Got a late start today. Fished with my bud Steve who just bought a new boat this past winter and asked me to help him break it in right. we got out at 3 in the afternoon and fished in a steady rain/drizzle for half the time out there. When the rain stopped, the wind picked up from thre East, but not real strong. By 8 we had boated Bluegill,perch and walleyes.

We used leeches and minnows, but all the fish came on jigs tipped with minnows. Had the bobber rod out too but nothing touched it all afternoon. The hits were all very light. The fish would just stop the jig, but not pull. Actually set the hook by just jigging. We fished the deep wood all afternoon and heard about the crappies being caught shallow. We did noit catch a crappie out in the deep wood. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[vman59]

Did good Saturday morning on eyes,3 of us were one fish short a limit. Caught many little ones which is good to see. Took a couple hrs to figure them out but found the fish on deep rocky points in about 18-20 fow. Minnows and half a crawler on a jig worked real slow was the best.kept nothing under 15 biggest being 21. Bright orange jig was the hottest color.Nothing on slip bobbers at all. I fish strictly the east side of the lake.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everupone,

Yesterday was a very slow day. Caught northern and perch and that was it. Very few bites other then that to boot. Did have the jig come back after a bite with just a minnow head. To say the fish were not active is an understatement. Fished mostly deep wood and after a while I tried a weedy hump with wood on the side. Just lost jigs, no fish! Not evern crappies.

Didn't get out until after 3:30 P.M. Waited until the monsoons stoped. we got a ton of rain-over an inch in 3 hours. I wonder if that is what slowed the bite. The wind was a steady East wind under a heavy cloudy sky like it had been for the last three days. Usually when the wind is the same for 2-3 days in a row, the bite picks up. used minnows and leeches on jigs and slip bobbers.

Guiding today for a half day in the afternoon. Will report later. Good luck eberyone.

Walleyemaxx

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Guided a half day in the afternoon. Took Dan and his dad Walter out for some walleye fishing under a partly cloudy sky with a brisk west wind that made a good walleye chop. Air temps were a pleasant 65-69 degrees and the water temps warmed up to 57 degrees. The fishing was steady as we boated walleyes and craoppies. we also lost a few fish and had many bites which would not take. Everything together made for an enjoyable day.

We caught all our fish in the deep wood on jigs and minnows. We had leeches out , but after nothing touched them and the minnows were getting all the action, we switched everyhing over to minnows. Tried a weed area but after finding nobody home, we continued on the deeper wood pattern. Supposed to have a cool down this week with frost warnings out for wednesday. Hope that doesn't turn the fish off. Good luck fishing everyone.

Just a reminder that when I guide, I use "The Walleyemaxx System" to find and catch walleyes and actually all species of fish. I explain the different patterns and how I determine which pattern will work for that day. To learn more, click on the tab below. Thanks.

Walleyemaxx

[vman59]

oh and by the way caught our fish down around tiger cat island and up in Cranberry. Not afraid to let ya know where i was at its up to you to catch the fish.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Fished for a few hours yesterday afternoon. Only caught a couple small walleyes on jigs and minnows. Saw a report about a couple of guy doing real well using leeches on slip bobbers. I'm headed out right now to test that theory. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[snoozebutton]

See anything of the crappies Tom? I was out there Thursday and couldn't find them. Like you though, I did manage a couple of small walleyes, some perch, and some small northerns. Water temps was 59 to 61 degrees depending on where you were.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Hope all you moms had a wonderfull day yesterday. You deserve it!

Yesterday under a sunny sky and cool temps in the A.M. With a moderate west wind making a good walleye chop, I used my walleyemaxx system of fishing to perfection. using leeches under the slip bobber and jig and jigging with a leech, I used a minnow on my 'shot gun' rod. I had read a tip about leeches being hot right now, and that was good info. I was catching not just walleyes, but northern and perch on the leeches. Nothing touched the minnow which explains why I did so poor on Sat. I was stubbornly using just minnows on Sat. I broke my #1 rule about experimenting and leting the fish tell you what they prefer.

I caught all the fish in the deep wood. I tried mid depth sunken wood to no avail. everything was deep. I tried one weed area just to see, but nobody home. the water temps were at 60 degrees on Sunday. On Sat. the water temps were 64 degrees, so it cooled down quit a bit in one day. I had two walleyes in the live well and just released every thing after that. I kept a 21" and a 18" for supper. After all, I am a fish eater. I caught a total of 5 walleyes throwing back 3. I was trying to make sure about the pattern on the walleyes for my guide trips coming up this week. I left for home in mid afternoon to spend time with momma. After all it was her day and I didn't take her fishing-OPPS.

I didn't fish for crappies this weekend Snoozebutton. I didn't really see any reports either, so I figure they might have been somewhat slow. But with the weather this week warming up, they should make an increaed run into the shallows. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[jeepguy]

Kind of late on my opener report here. First time I have had a chance to post since I got back a week ago. Opening day we fished the chippewa flowage. We started out in a narrow channel and really did not go too far from this particular area all weekend. Our boat had a 2 man limit the first day and the other boat in our group had 2 fish. Everything caught on jig and minnow. Fished seemed to prefer the deeper water than I usually see this time of year. Ended up with some nice eating fish, 15-17 inchers. Tossed back a good amount of small walleyes too. We even managed a few nice crappies in the deep water. Although it sounded like the crappie action was shallow.

Sunday morning...got caught in the monsoon in the morning. W e toughed it out and ended up having to go in for lunch and a change of clothes. Granted we managed 3 nice fish during the monsoon. Our buddies managed 5 during the time as they sat nice and dry under their canopy, needless to say that thing paid for itself that morning. We went in and grabbed lunch and a dry change of clothes, went back out and finished out limit along with a couple more crappies.

I am headed back up in a couple weeks, so any reports between now and then will be greatly appreciated.

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Guided a half day today. Took two guys from Tennesee looking for some walleyes. Fishing mainly deep wood with a very stiff south wind under a bright sunny sky, we had a hard time finding them. Gary finally caught a nice one with a slip bobber and a leech. Fishing hard the rest of the afternoon, we weren't able to find the honey hole. We did catch perch,Sm. bass, and bluegills, but no more walleyes. We tried one weed area, but caught the bass there.Everything else was out in the deep wood on leeches.

The air temps soared up into the 80's and the water temps were 63 degrees. All we needed to make it better was some cooperative walleyes. I'll be out again tommorow to look for them. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Fished between the storms today.With a stiff east wind making a good walleye chop, I was able to catch and release 4 walleyes and 5 nice perch. The biggest perch measured in at 12 inches and the biggest walleye was 21 inches. Nice quality fish.Caught all the fish in the deep wood using slip bobbers with minnows and jigging with a leech.

The air temps were at a chilly 58 degrees and the water temps are 63 degrees. I think the crappies are almost done with their spawn. Hoping for better weather tommorow, but looks like the forecast is for more rain. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

First off I want to say a big 'THANK YOU' to all veterans. your sacrifices are remembered and greatly appreciated. you remind us that freedom is not free.

Yesterday I guided Mike in my boat while I positioned Joe and Gene in their boat. I do not charge any thing extra for a tag along boat, and I do allow you to bring your GPS uni to mark the spots I show you. The day started out with a bang when Mike caught a 20" walleye on his first cast. But then the cupboard went dry for the next few hours. With the weather running the gambit of sunny to cloudy to high wind to low wind, and the wind swithching dorections often, with even a brief shower, we kept at it using "The Walleyemaxx System" to relentlessly serch for and finally finding the Walleyes.

Using leeches jigging and on slip bobbers, we were able to catch 9 walleyes keeping 8, and an assortment of northerns,perch, and blugills which were all released. We fished the deep wood all day and that eventually was the ticket to catching them. The air temps ran anywhere from High 60's to low 80's depending if the sun was out or not and the water temps were up to 67 degrees.

Enjoy your time on the water and good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

With a gorgeous day with mostly sunny skies and a very brisk NW wind, I guided a Father/daughter this morning Melissa and Gary. I knew I was in the presence of greatness, then found out this young lady was an all state high school girls fast pitch softball player for three uears straight and played in colledge 4 years straight. Her athletic talent was evident in her ability to fish. She needed no instructions from me, she is talented.

If only the fish were more cooperative. It was tough sledding for most of the morning and adding insult to injury when I lost my anchor to the fishes. Oh well, a quick salute and we continued on. I didn't have a backup anchor, so we drifted the rest of the morning. The wind picked up to where we had to deploy two drift socks, but we were able to achieve the proper speed and finally started to catch fish. We wound up with 2 nice walleyes, 2 fat bluegills measuring in at 9" each and a crappie and perch and we lost a few more. Of course I just can't help myself but to drift through the nastiest cover, so we also lost several jigs.

the air temps got into the high 70's and the water temps were 65 degrees. Last week the water temps were 64 so not much of a warmup. I made a quick run to the anchor store and now have 2 anchors. Don't want to be caught short again. There are some key spots that seem to produce on a consistent basis as of late. At the top of woody humps or at the base of those same woody humps out aways. Didn't try any weed fishing, but that might be a viable option now that the weeds are growing good.Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx

[Tom_Christianson]

Hi everyone,

Guided a full day today out of Treelands resort. Had a total of 7 people from Indiana to guide- 2 with me and 5 in a tag along pontoon boat. The day started out very sunny with just a little wind from the west. The air temps rose fast and the water temps started out at 66 degrees, but warmed up quickly to 69. With the light wind, we did a lot of drifting to start. We fished deeper humps with wood and had slow going for most of the morning. Managed 1 walleye before lunch with an assortment of bluegills,crappie,perch, and even a bass.

After lunch the weather made a major change. It clouded up and the wind started up so we anchored on the spots which were more deep wood and after it was all said and done, we had 3 more walleyes with a lot more panfish and even bass.

We caught all our fish on leeches. We tried a few crawlers, but didn't even get panfish on them. All the walleyes were caught jigging with most panfish on the bobber rigs. Of interest, I saw lots of bug casings on the water indicating a bug hatch had taken place. That can make for tough conditions, but we fished hard and had a very rewarding day. Good luck fishing everyone.

Walleyemaxx