What should I fish for today?

As we move into those warmer days of spring, wondering what to fish for on any given day is no doubt a question that plagues many of us.

All right; it may not plague many of us, but for those who have the fishing bug, it’s something we give a lot of thought to.

I like to fish for a variety of fish using a lot of different techniques, and April and May offer a lot of great opportunities to put a bend in your favorite rod.

Trout season is underway, and the streams are well stocked.

Now is also a great time to head out onto a lake for a variety of panfish, including crappies, bluegills, and perch.

Now is also a great time to go after northern pike, pickerel, muskellunge, and after May 2, walleyes will be back in season.

Smallmouth and largemouth bass may also be fished for, but they are in a no-harvest period from April 11 through June 12 and must be immediately released.

Once the ice fishing season comes to a close, I generally kick off my “new year” of fishing with some trout fishing. I’ve been out several times, and last week I had some good dry fly fishing, which is one of my favorite ways to catch trout. The streams are in excellent condition, high enough with good flow, and pretty clear, and I’ve been observing some good fly hatches coming off.

I’ll confess, seeing those trout come up to the surface and suck in that fly still generates some real fishing enthusiasm in me.

The problem is, I know now that it’s also a good time to hit one of my favorite lakes for some crappies and perch. Crappies and perch are some of the first to move into coves and shorelines to pursue spawning. Rocky ledges and deep pockets with wood and brush are some great places to drop a lure, so even if you don’t own a boat, you can still get in some great fishing from the shoreline.

Some of my fishing buddies and I like this kind of fishing so much that every spring we spend three days at a camp fishing for panfish in several lakes. Not only is the fishing great fun, but we also enjoy a great fish fry on the last evening of camp.

By the way, if you want to introduce someone to fishing, especially a youngster, I can’t think of a better way than to take them out in the spring for some panfish — especially crappies. If you can locate some schools of fish near the shoreline, the action can be quite steady. Even adults can get excited about fishing after a fruitful day of crappie fishing, and the technique is relatively simple. For the most part, an ultralight open-faced spinning outfit with four-pound test line and a small leadhead jig with a small soft plastic tube or grub is often all that’s needed.

Well, if that was not enough fishing activity already, walleyes will soon be on the list. The river is a bit high right now, but I suspect it will drop to pretty good levels if we don’t get too much rain.

Of course, the smallmouth bass fishing is going to come on real soon, adding more fishing possibilities to my already long list.

Oh yeah, I need to get ready to hit my favorite lakes for some largemouth bass fishing too.

I’ll see what I can do to fit all this fishing into the days ahead. As summer goes on, we’ll look at lures, techniques, and equipment to help make those trips successful. Now, I’m going fishing.