Opening weekend 2026! 5/9-5/11

Opening weekend 5/9-5/11

Water temps: 43-46

Opening weekend has came and gone already. The best holiday of the year and just like that it’s over. This was some of the worst weather I can remember for an opener. The fishing was all over the place it seemed, with reports and experiences saying it was really good, then really bad. But that’s fishing and part of it.

The trolling bite was really good in Pike Bay first thing in the mornings but fell off after about 9:30 in the AM. You could still catch them but they weren’t jumping in the boat by any means. Long line trolling floating raps produced a lot of fish when they were firing though. Pulling them around 2-2.3 mph was the ticket for us, slower this year than usual it seemed. A lot of fish were also caught drifting with jigs and lindy rigs tipped with minnows. Hard to soft bottom transitions were key in all the fish we caught in Pike Bay.

The deep water bite was very inconsistent and they bit in very short bite windows. 30-40’ with Lindy rigs and jigs tipped with minnows produced fish. Sand breaks and deep holes close to rock definitely held the majority of the fish. We were using a 1/4 ounce jig and probably should’ve down sized and made it work in the big winds as we had a lot of fish come and look but just wouldn’t commit. For us, finding the areas that had slightly warmer water made a big difference, even .5 degrees. We found a lot of fish this weekend in shallower spots, 20-28’ sand, but they wouldn’t bite for us.

All in all, it was a good opener. I think some warmer weather would do wonders for the fish and if we get a warm up you’ll see a huge improvement in the bite. There was a lot of fish caught this weekend and it’s shaping up to be a great year! I have a few openings left in May and June so if you want to get out on Lake Vermilion give me a call or text anytime!

(218) 404-9200

As always, tight lines!

Z