Angling 101

The feedback I receive on my angling articles covers the spectrum. Most people appreciate my stories along with the technical information I share. Others enjoy my articles, but the minutiae of specific techniques can be hard to follow. It’s a good reminder angling doesn’t always have to be overly complicated.

With the Minnesota fishing opener fast approaching, this week I will focus on Angling 101. I will discuss species, locations and simple methods for angling success.

The first decision is what species to target. Minnesota has an amazing array of angling opportunities. However, some fish are easier to catch than others. If I were to create a list, it would look like this, from the easiest to the hardest to catch:

Panfish: sunfish, bluegill, rock bass, yellow perch, crappie

Rough fish: carp, burbot, bowfin, sucker

Bass: largemouth and smallmouth

Northern pike: little ones are plentiful, 40-plus-inch fish pretty rare

Walleye and sauger

Trout and salmon: lake trout, brook trout, browns, rainbows, steelhead, loopers, cohos, kings, Atlantic

Lake sturgeon

Muskellunge

For the best odds of catching some fish or getting kids into some action, I would focus on the top half of this list. Rough fish tend to gather in specific and predictable locations throughout the year. We will save that discussion for another day.

Panfish and bass can be easily targeted with minimal electronics, simple gear and, in many cases, from shore.

As the water warms, the panfish and bass will push shallow. Usually by the end of May, the shorelines and weedlines are packed with a combination of sunfish, bluegills, perch, rock bass, crappies and bass. Some are up shallow to spawn, others to feed. Fishing piers at Big Lake and Chub Lake are good early-season locations from shore. Additionally, DNR boat landings with docks are solid locations for shore anglers.

From a boat, 99 percent of my fishing during this time period is visual. I position my boat 20 feet or less from the structure I’m targeting. I will cast to pods of fish I see positioned under overhanging trees or tucked under a dock. More often than not, I’m targeting individual fish. For example, from Memorial Day til about mid-June, each crappie I hook has been picked from the shallows — first by my eyes, followed by my bait.

Once a location is established, you need to decide how you will target these fish.

All panfish can be fished with the same gear. I recommend ultralight rods — the longer the better — paired with light line: four-pound test is a good all-around choice. For live bait, a tail-hooked minnow or a chunk of nightcrawler suspended below a bobber is hard to beat. On the other hand, I haven’t bought live bait for panfish in years. There is a wide variety of soft plastics on the market I have complete confidence will outfish live bait day in and day out, mostly because of efficiency. I spend my time fishing instead of digging in the minnow bucket or trying to corral a worm.

My two top producers are both fished on 1/32- or 1/64-oz. jig heads. The first is a 1-2-inch curly tail grub. This presentation horizontally covers the water column. Cast the bait to visible pods of fish and swim it through them. The second is a 1-2-inch tube jig. This setup is dropped directly on individual fish. Hold it slightly above the fish, and you will get bit. Color is not the biggest factor in the equation. Size and precise presentation determine bites.

If you want to tangle with a cruising bass you will need to upsize equipment. A 7-foot medium or medium-light rod is perfect. Eight-pound test or larger is sufficient.

Once again I rely on two main approaches.

One is to cast floating crankbaits. Cast close to the structure or over the top of emerging weedbeds and twitch the crankbait, pausing after several quick twitches. Most bass this time of year will come out of shallower than five feet of water. Some will push so close to the bank their backs cut the surface as they cruise the shallows.

The other, and my favorite, offering for spring bass is a wacky worm or Senko. Hook a 2/0 or 3/0 hook through the middle of a 5-7-inch Powerworm or Senko. Cast as precisely as possible to the bank, downed tree, overhanging branches, dock, floating swim deck, or any other piece of structure. The bass will utilize these structures to ambush passing prey. Keep focused on your line: if it twitches sharply, or begins to swim off in any direction, set the hook.

By concentrating on easier-to-catch species and keeping techniques straightforward, early spring panfish and bass can be targeted effectively by bank and boat anglers alike. If anything on my list below bass is your target of choice, don’t worry; I will focus on more-difficult to catch species as the season progresses.

Bret Baker is a lifetime resident of Cloquet. He is a proud husband, father, educator and outdoorsman. Bret began guiding fishing trips when he was 16 years old. Today, in his 40s, his passion is to introduce people to the tremendous outdoor adventures available in our region.