FISHING WITH THE GUIDES with George Langley - Week of 5/3 to 5/10/26

What an opening weekend we had up here!  The Chain was in good shape, the landings saw traffic at first light, and there were plenty of happy anglers moving around by mid-morning. With the cold start, we saw a lot of lake-hopping as the water temperatures varied from lake to lake so much this year. While the bigger, colder lakes to the north were seeing temperatures that still sat in the 40’s, places like the chain had water in the mid-50’s. Regardless, we had beautiful, sunny weather for the weekend.

The opener brought the typical excitement around walleye, and for the most part, they didn't disappoint. Most of the action was in the shallows — 4 – 10’ — on rocky and gravelly shorelines where the fish had been staging. Whether you were finding pre- or post-spawn fish depended a lot on the lake. Jigs tipped with fatheads or small Lindy rigs with crawlers were both working well, fished slow and low. The evening bite both Saturday and Sunday was good, with low-light conditions doing what they always do for walleye this time of year. The fish were there, and anglers who got out on the water in those final couple of hours of daylight were well rewarded. It’s fair to say now that they’re done spawning on most lakes up here and are beginning to trend toward emerging weeds for feeding on smaller faire.

Panfish continued to provide solid action for the opener, too. Perch have been active along weed edges and shallower mud flats (this is where the walleye will move to), and crappies are starting to show up more consistently in the protected bays as the water warms. Bluegill are staging near the warmer, darker back-bays and weed pockets — a small jig tipped with a waxie or piece of crawler under a slip bobber remains the go-to. All three species are still responding best to the warmest, most sheltered water you can find. At this time of year, a degree or two of water temperature difference can completely change your results, so it pays to move around until you find the warmest bay you can.

Northern have been feeding heavily and provided good fun for those looking for action. They’re hanging out in the greenest weeds you can find. Bass have been active, too, with largemouth up shallow with the panfish.

The muskie opener also arrived this weekend alongside the general opener, and it's worth repeating what we said last week: now is not the time. Their biology hasn't changed, and they’re either actively spawning or recovering from it. The combination of new technology and increased fishing pressure makes this a genuinely critical time for the population. If you hook one incidentally — and it can happen — please have the right tools in the boat and get that fish back in the water quickly and carefully. We'll all be better off for it come summer.

Looking ahead to the coming week, we’ll be honest: it's going to be cooler than we’d like. That will affect the fishing, especially on the smaller, shallower lakes that were really warming up nicely. Cold fronts following a warming period often shut the bite down for a bit, but the fish still need to eat - and it looks like we’ll have good sun later in the week to start that warm-up again. The best windows during a cold snap tend to come in the afternoon, after a sunny day.  

This is a good time to fish smart rather than hard. Pick your two-hour window in the best conditions for the day you’ve got, fish your proven spots, and go home while you're still having fun. The bite will bounce back as we get deeper into May and temperatures rebound. But we suggest you get out there now, while the lakes are still quiet. It was a busy weekend up here, but that’s nothing compared to what’s to come!

Good luck and good fishin'!      

                                            Wisconsin Fishing Information

                                                                                                                           

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