Fri, Jun 16th, 2023 - 11:55am
March 29, 2021 - 9:00am | By James McCarty
The Flag Outdoors Expert Steve Carney has your weekly Outdoors Angle right here!
As the ice begins to wane here in the north country, opportunities open up for shore fishing. The best areas are areas of current which can be seen from the road and always indicates the first areas of the lake that become ice free. I have noticed lots of areas where current has kept certain shorelines open during the winter and always make a note to try there in late March and early April. Walleyes will especially congregate in these current areas as they begin their spawning rituals.
Shore fishing should be simple with the basics in equipment. I never use live bait when fishing from shore but rather go with 4 inch plastics on a jig. This allows me to fan cast large areas and not worry about throwing off my live bait. You can hurl that bait a long way and snap it back to shore with lots of aggressive action which triggers strikes. Keep a 6 foot stringer attached to your waders to hang your walleyes which allows you to move freely. Crankbaits that run about 6 feet also work well. Avoid using any of the deeper diving baits as they tend to get hung up on vegetation or rocks. You want a shallow crank bait that runs just below the surface.
Evenings in March and April are the best time to be pitching from shore. Walleyes always make a sunset move along shorelines and the best bite will be from an hour before sunset to well into the evening.
No boat, no trailer, no hassles. Just pick your shoreline and start pitching. It can be the most action on the water you'll see all Spring and chances are you will have the spot to yourself!
Steve Carney is The Flag WZFG Outdoors expert. He can be heard every Thursday morning at 8:05 on AM 1100 WZFG. Check out his weekly podcast on am1100theflag.com and hear his Outdoors Angle reports every Friday on AM 1100 WZFG. You can also visit stevecarneyoutdoors.com for more information.
