May 29 – June 5, 2023

Week #4 of the open water season (5/29-6/5)

Main lake water temp: 72
Water temp in the bays: 74

Walleye
Shallow, shallow shallow. In the early morning and late evening hours, locate shorelines with a sandy bottom and scattered rock. Target the 5-12 FOW areas with deep water close by. Use a slip bobber and a leech to sit on schools of shallow, roaming walleyes. The new growth of weeds are coming in and the crawfish are becoming more plentiful. Midday focus on the same area just farther down the break line. Focus on the 8-15 FOW range pitching a jig with your favorite meat (minnow or leech). There’s plenty of slot fish to be had as well as good numbers of quality eaters ranging from 14-19”. My baits of choice right now are a slip bobber and leech, jig and minnow, and a double tailed twister.

Bass

The bass are shallow. With the spawn in full swing there are still some fish on beds in shallow sandy areas and some fish out roaming looking for their next meal. Locate wind blown points at the mouth of bays to find schooling smallmouth. Large, scattered boulders in 2-6 FOW are always high probability locations for finding big female smallies. My favorite baits for these footballs include soft plastics in green pumpkin or watermelon colors, small spinners (Mepps work great), and shallow diving crankbaits. It is the best time of year to catch your new personal best smallmouth bass!! With that being said, this time of year is extremely important to keeping a healthy Bass population in Lake Vermilion. I strongly encourage catch and release of all Bass until July.

Check back in next Monday (6/12) to see next weeks fishing report!

Zach Hrvol
Fishing with Z Guide Service
(218) 404-9200