Fri, Jun 23rd, 2023 - 6:00pm
June 06, 2022 - 9:00am | By James McCarty
The Flag Outdoors Expert Steve Carney has your weekly Outdoors Angle right here!
Entering into early June is a very exciting time for this guide as the best fishing of the open water season is upon us.
The minnow bite has been extraordinary so far this Spring but now we make the transition to leeches and nightcrawlers as the walleyes have made their way into the early summer patterns.
Nightcrawlers can be a terrific bait at times but you do tend to lose a lot of fish on the hookset. Walleyes tend to play with the crawlers and often take the tail and run off. It is always best to keep your bail open and your finger on the line. When you get the telltale "tick", let the line flow off your finger and give the fish at least 5 seconds to inhale the crawler. If you get a piece of crawlers back that means you didn't wait long enough. On the next bite, wait an additional 5 more seconds and that should do the trick. Another tip is to drop down to just a half of the crawler on your light jig or live bait rig.
Always keep your crawlers refrigerated when not in use. On the water I throw some ice into a plastic coffee container and they will keep all morning. Wetting a handful of newspaper works well as bedding and the crawlers love it.
Here comes June... my favorite month of the open water season!
Steve Carney is The Flag WZFG Outdoors expert. He can be heard every Thursday morning at 8:05 on AM 1100 and 92.3 FM WZFG. Check out his weekly podcast on am1100theflag.com and hear his Outdoors Angle reports every Friday on AM 1100 and 92.3 FM WZFG. You can also visit stevecarneyoutdoors.com for more information.
