It’s been an interesting spring so far. Thank god it’s here.

The last couple of weekends have had me out searching for Panfish. A couple of weeks ago I hit Lake Scugog, a shallow warm lake near the GTA. I wanted to target Crappie and with that in mind, my son Cole and brother in law Jim were off. The first area we came into was absolutely packed with boats! I actually couldn’t believe it. We fished a bit but soon took off.

Next spot was the same thing… a race to the spot on the way towards shore. I didn’t even cast in this spot. Finally I found a little spot that had a ton of fish but no big ones. We ended up catching around 20 – 30 but threw them all back. Caught a bunch of Bluegill as well. Best bait was a solid tube with a black front and a chartreuse tail under a float. I think the chartreuse was essential for the Crappie that day.

Next was a trip to Lake Simcoe with my family. I like these outings… they’re few and far between. We stuck with the south shore of the lake casting Finesse Minnows in 8 – 13 feet of water. We only got one big one but it was a beauty… over 1 pound 3 ounces! It was a gorgeous day but one thing you need to remember with all spring fishing, it will definitely be colder on the water than on shore. The frigid water temps make for a very cool environment. Make sure you bring extra clothes.

Off to the Bay of Quinte next with Jack Summers and his buddy Claudio. Guaranteed to be a great time no matter how the fishing is.

Report to come.