Mostly targeting panfish—crappies and bluegills, as well as some hybrid sunfish.
We’ve been on a variety of different lakes and it can vary a little, but the 15-20 foot zone has been the most consistent. Mostly edges of basin breaks or holes, also a some mid-depth gravel turns around saddles. While on one lake they are heavily relating to structure, the other lake they are wandering open areas. We have a lot of snow and slush on the lakes, so the really shallow weed growth has taken a toll this year, so I’ve seen a more consistent pattern of fish moving out a little deeper than years past.
We’ve been using a lot of micro spoons, primarily the 1/32oz Pinhead Pro from Clam Outdoors. It’s worked well for both crappies and bluegills, as well as tying into some bonus walleye, bass and pike. We’ve also leaned on a few different tungsten jigs as well… namely the Drop Kick, Swirl Drop and Half Ant Drop from Clam Outdoors. Glow Red, Wonderbread variations and black have all been working. When the sun peaks out we’ve switched to gold and have done really well, too. Some finesse plastics like the Maki Mino and Maki Maki have both done well when added to the tungsten as well.
Biggest Tip: Move and fish aggressively. Sample the fish before hunkering down to make sure it’s what you want. Utilize your electronics… Vexilar, underwater camera, etc, to your advantage. Also plan your day BEFORE you get to the lake…. So do your homework the night before and take a look at a lake map so you have a plan.
Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson Outdoors
www.mattjohnsonoutdoors.com