Just about anytime you fish for walleyes you can count on the fact they will bite best on live bait: minnows, leeches, or night crawlers. You just need to choose a lure or rig to put the bait in front of them, and the best things for that are jigs, live bait rigs, and bobber rigs. To use a jig, just hook on the bait and lower the jig to bottom where walleyes usually are found. Then just lift and lower the jig to entice the walleyes into biting. Best jigs are pink, white, yellow, or florescent green and weigh 1/16-1/4 ounces.

Northerns are tough, aggressive, and not nearly as fussy as walleyes. So it’s often better to use lures when fishing for these toothy critters. Baits such as spoons, crankbaits, big spinnerbaits, and wooden plugs called “jerkbaits” are often used. Where you decide to fish determines which lure is best. In shallow, weedy areas, spinnerbaits and shallow running jerkbaits are best. If the pike are deeper where there aren’t many weeds, use spoons and deep running crankbaits. A tip: use a 3/8-ounce jig head and attach a long plastic worm. Toss it right in submerged weeds and hang on!

When fishing for bass, think about fishing from top to bottom. In shallow, weedy areas use shallow running spinnerbaits and surface lures that stay above the weeds. If the bass are in 4-8 feet of water, use medium running crankbaits and spinnerbaits. If they are down deep, use heavy jigs and deep running crankbaits. Bass are tough fighters, so use good fishing gear and strong tackle.

Crappies and sunfish often congregate near weeds. Once you find them, you can often catch a nice mess of them. For sunnies, a good old worm on a hook fished below a bobber is tough to beat. Simply cast near the weeds and let it sit. Move around until you find biting fish. Crappies sometimes like it a little deeper and prefer to feed on minnows. A bobber rig with a minnow for bait is good, as is a small pink or white jig tipped with a minnow. Just cast it near the weed edges and let it settle down to the crappies and give it short jerks as you reel it in.