Old man River is slowly pulling out of the trees, warming up and the fish are responding by turning on! The mudline which develops as water comes out of the trees can be nothing short of remarkable–and it changes by the hour. Ultra-clear pockets which i fished yesterday have clouded up, while cloudy ones almost to the point of chocolate milk have become ultra-clear–so clear that i had to tie 6′ floro leaders at the front end of the presentation.

Today the fish wanted mostly chatterbaits, spinnerbaits and the ol’ reliable Rat-L-Trap.

Weeds continue to grow as the River drops. Areas where the weeds were a foot below the surface last week now have weeds sticking out of the water by several inches. This makes fishing the Trap tough. But if the weeds are still at least a foot down, holding the rod tip high and reeling fast continue to make this a hot bait.

The weatherman says ‘hot’ is will be taking on a new meaning by the weekend, with highs forecast in the mid-90s.  This will mean getting on the water by 6 a.m. and heading in by about 10. Hot humid weather also means buzzbaits will be a great choice for bass and pike.  The more humid it gets, the more pronounced the bubble line in a buzzbait’s wake and usually the better a buzzbait will work. For walleyes, chatterbaits, swim jigs and a fluke on a light weedless jighead will catch these fish–once you find them.