Out In It: April snow brings May optimism

The last couple of days of April I’m scheduled to be chasing cohos and browns on Chequamegon Bay out of Washburn, Wisconsin. If you have spent any time outside the last couple of weeks, you will recognize the potential problem — we may still be iced up. In fact, the marina dockmaster recently reported 48 inches of ice in the harbor! This spring is shaping up to be one of the coldest in recent memory. But it’s not all doom and gloom — the late spring could have a positive impact on area fishing.

Lake Superior, particularly around Duluth, should provide a multi-species opportunity prior to the walleye opener. Much of the annual spring fishing is focused on the smelt run. The smelt storm Park Point or gather along the mouths of rivers, triggered by water temps and not a particular date on the calendar. Without a warmup in the near future, this run will be a little behind this spring. The later the smelt run, the later into May the fishing will remain strong for the trout and salmon keying on the masses of spawning baitfish. I also suspect the schools of coho salmon will stick around a little later into June, comfortable with the colder water before working their way up the North Shore.

Turning our attention inland, walleye fishing could prove to be fantastic. The closer the spawn is to the fishing opener, the more concentrated the walleyes will be. Last year, fish were spread out up and down the St. Louis River for the opener. I’m betting this year the fishing could be lights out from Boy Scout Landing up to the Highway 23 bridge the first week of the season. Inland lakes could also hold large concentrations of spawning or post-spawn walleyes, especially around shallow bays adjacent to moving water. These fish will be particularly susceptible to night fishing, as the May full moon falls on the Sunday of opening weekend.

My boldest prediction for the late spring? I have a nagging suspicion the

17 ½-pound state record walleye could be challenged. I know it’s been 40-plus years, and most chalk it up to an unbeatable record, but if there were to be a year … this could be it.

If you are wondering where this record fish might be caught, I would look to waters across the top of the state. Somewhere between Lake of the Woods and Lake Superior, a 35-inch walleye is currently working its way toward moving water, under a thick layer of ice, in preparation for the spawn. This walleye, on any given year, would drop her eggs long before the throngs of fishermen descend for opening weekend. This year, with the miserable cold spring, this same fish — laden with pounds of eggs, and bulked up for the spawn — could push the boundaries of the long-dormant state record.

At least, these are the stories I tell myself. Staring out into the rain-and-sleet mix of another gray day, I need to find the bright spots in a dark and dreary April.

Bret Baker is an award-winning outdoors columnist and lifetime resident of Cloquet. He is a proud husband, father, educator and outdoorsman. Email him at [email protected] with fishing questions or story ideas.