Changes in fishing from May to June

VARIETY OF CHANGES IN
FISHING FROM MAY TO JUNE

By Freddie McKnight

Over the course of the next two months, anglers will undergo a transition and many of them will not even realize it. From the start of May, when frost and even snow is still a possibility, until the end of June, with its sizzling summer temperatures, fish of all species will be changing their habits and locations. To be a successful angler, you must be aware of these changes and present your offerings accordingly.

In our region, the month of May will see a huge variation in water temperatures from the southern portions of the area to the northern fringes. In a two-hour drive, you may see as much as a 10-degree difference in water temperatures – an important fact to remember when traveling to fish. You also need to be aware that smaller bodies of water will warm far faster than places such as Lake Erie, so you could also see a swing of temperatures in a rather small area as well.

May is also the month that provides most of the gamefish species we seek to catch with their preferred temperature range. Therefore, species like bass, walleye, trout, musky, crappie and stripers will be at their peak as far as activity. With their metabolism operating at peak efficiency, more fish will be feeding and the result will be more catches by an angler. Some species will also be coming off of or getting ready to spawn. In both situations fish tend to feed heavily to fatten up from the stress of the breeding season. Practicing catch and release is a wise way of fishing if you know your targeted species is getting ready to reproduce.
With May in the middle portion of spring, heavy rains are common to our region. Streams and rivers are often high and muddy, forcing fishermen to fish other areas or for alternate species that thrive under these conditions. By the end of June, many of these same waters may be flowing at less than half of the capacity that you find them in May, and with such the fish move around to find better living conditions. I know that in certain smaller streams you can find smallmouth bass stacked like cordwood in some of the pools when the conditions get so tough that they are forced to these areas. The fishing action can be nearly non-stop as these brown bass compete for food in such tight quarters.

Speaking of food, food sources often change over the course of these two months as well. Early on, insects can make up a huge part of the diet of panfish and trout, while the larger gamefish tend to prey on mature members of any baitfish family. Going into the month of June, you can often find fish of nearly all kinds keying in on the young of the year fish. Because of their huge numbers, they are an attractant to the bigger fish and are often easy prey for them. Largemouth bass are good ones for this, swimming by many an angler’s offerings in shallow water only to rush into a school of young bluegills and inhale many of them. When they are on this kind of a feeding pattern, it is hard to get them to strike at anything else. Anglers simply don’t have a lot of choices in lures to imitate the small fish that the bass key in on.

Lakes are always the last bodies of water to heat up, but by the end of June most of them will be well on their way to having established their summer patterns. During early May, bass and panfish anglers are usually enjoying some of the best action to be had all year as the species feed up for their spawning ritual. With the warming weather, and the holiday tourist season, conditions on the lake can change in a hurry. Often the place where you caught fish yesterday will not be the hotspot the next day, nor will the same lures and bait be as productive as they had been. Though the water in an impoundment seems not to be moving, there are always currents running through them, whether it is from water, wind or boat traffic. These currents often dictate the order of the day.

To cite an example, I know an angler who does really well on walleyes in a small lake during the middle of summer. Now walleyes are thought to like low light levels, but this angler picks the middle of the day to fish. He waits until the summer boat traffic stirs up a mud line from the wakes pounding the shore, then trolls stickbaits right along this very visible spot. He wracks up catches of large fish with regularity, but it would not occur without the summer boat traffic. Rarely does he catch many fish before the Memorial Day weekend holiday, and his best action is ends with Labor Day weekend. His pattern depends upon the summer boat traffic and the bottom debris that is stirred up and starts the food chain into motion.

Changing conditions are part of the angling puzzle, one that the best anglers are always able to figure out to catch fish. Regardless if you prefer to fish moving waters or like to fish from a boat on a lake or reservoir, the conditions will change, sometimes on a daily basis. You need to take all of the factors into consideration, natural and man-made, and plan accordingly.

Perhaps one of the best things you can do to help you keep up with the changes is maintain a detailed log of the waters you fish. Keeping track of a certain body of water and knowing what and how to fish when the water temperature is in a certain range, or knowing that fish prefer to hide in a small location on bright, sunny days is something that you might not always recall from year to year. But when you read over your notes, it often jars your memory back into perspective and you can have another great day on the water.

Changing conditions will always be the order of any day on the lake, river or stream. Knowing how to adapt with them will ensure that you have the best day possible, given the conditions you face. Be prepared by having a variety of baits and lures ready for the conditions you are going to face, then just have a great day on the water.