THE WEEDS MAKING WAVES

As for fishing along the edge of weeds, I run bottom bouncers. Spinner rigs work fine here, but slow-death rigs often work even better—a slowly rotating piece of nightcrawler seems to really trigger walleye to dart out of the weeds and attack. Fishing slow-death rigs along weed edges is essentially the same as fishing them in open water. Simply use your usual setup, maintain a speed of 0.5 to 0.8 miles per hour, and closely watch your rod tip for strikes.

CALM DAYS MAY seem like the safest possible time to be out fishing, but they do carry a risk: far more recreational boat traffic than on a windy day. That means you must pay very close attention to what others are doing around you as you fish or move from spot to spot. The wakes alone from passing boats can be hazardous. When it’s rough, big wakes get dispersed by all the waves, becoming relatively harmless by the time they reach your boat. On calm days, however, those same wakes can travel much further. If you’re not watching out, they can catch you off guard when they hit your boat, causing a sudden and violent lurch.

RUN BAIT-TIPPED SPINNER RIGS ON BOTTOM BOUNCERS IN THE SHALLOWS (BELOW) AFTER DAYS OF BIG WIND

prime feeding opportunity, hungry walleye will move in, resulting in some incredible fishing action.

Under this scenario, try bottom bouncers with spinner rigs tipped with minnows, leeches or crawlers; I like to use silver, gold, brass or copper blades to imitate the local baitfish. Also, remember the general rule of thumb when running bottom bouncers in shallower water: use one ounce of weight for every 10 feet of water depth. With that in mind, you may need to use less weight than usual to fish efficiently.

waypoint on your fishfinder. Keep working your waypoints as the day unfolds, and you’ll soon develop a path that keeps you on the fish.

Once the action slows down, it’s likely the baitfish have started to move out of the shallows. Instead of abandoning your waypoints, however, just move out a little deeper from them. This simple adjustment often puts you back over top of the fish—and back in action. OC catching them is too easy. For pure fly-fishing enjoyment, few experiences compare to a smallmouth tail-walking across a pool, or a largemouth obliterating your topwater fly.

SASKATCHEWAN’S MIKE HUNGLE WILL FISH FOR WALLEYE IN ALMOST ANY TYPE OF WEATHER.

Fly fishing for bass is also relatively uncomplicated, perfect for honing your skills and building confidence. Even better, bass thrive in almost any kind of waterbody, even in urban environments, and they range from Victoria Island eastward, less-conventional patterns. Each one fills a niche that serious bass anglers should be prepared for, and they all catch fish. Both bronzebacks and bucketmouths will hit any of these flies, although the smaller, buggier patterns lean toward smallmouths, while the bigger offerings lean largemouth. And feel free to experiment with the colours, sizes and materials. After all, that’s where new ideas come from.

HOOK: STRAIGHT-EYED WET FLY OR SALTWATER, SIZES 2/0 TO 8 WEIGHT: LEAD DUMBBELL BELLY: YELLOW BUCKTAIL

BY SCOTT GARDNER

VENTURE INTO AN EXCITING NEW WORLD OF FLY FISHING WITH THESE MUST-HAVE PATTERNS FOR LARGEMOUTH AND SMALLMOUTH BASS