Lundeen’s Tackle Castle – For those readers who have fished Mille Lacs so far this season, I’m sure you’ll all agree that the bite has been somewhere between good and awesome. As we move ever-closer toward the middle of June, the pattern(s) seem right on track – the walleye are mostly deep, but some can still be taken shallow, the smallmouth are mostly shallow, but some can already be taken deep and the northern and muskie are mainly found in 12 feet or less. So what’s different about this year? Some say “everything”, others insist “nothing”. The “everything” folks are fixed on the change in the walleye harvest, the lowering of the bass harvest and the new protected slot, the season-long night ban and the overall lack of traffic on the lake and at the boat ramps. Yup. The “nothing” folks (walleye and bass-oriented) are seeing fish in the places that they belong at this time of the year, using the same techniques and in quantities that are nothing short of impressive. Same as any good-to-awesome year.
Most of the daytime walleye we’re seeing now are in deeper water – the mud flats, deep gravel and even the deep edges of some of the shoreline breaks. At this point I’d say that the mud has been better than the gravel. Much of the action has been on leeches, with crawlers and spinners moving into the second spot this week. With hotter weather predicted for the weekend, you can bet that some of the lake bugs will hatch – this can really turn on that crawler bite. Some of the better spots so far this week include 7-Mile, Sherman’s and Myr-Mar Flat. Most of the smallies are still in 6 feet and less – some still on beds, others beginning to cruise around a little. Tubes and Wacky’s have been the best this week. You can catch smallmouth throughout the day, but the best bite is usually in the morning.