Here is Fred Morris , a guest I was guiding earlier this week , with a northern pike of 33 inches. This fish was caught fishing right above a 12 ft. deep weed bed .These larger walleye and pike are hanging out in these thick weed beds in search of bait fish such as perch.The perch are still hanging around the weeds, but will soon move out to deeper water as the shallow water begins to cool. Once this happens , most of the walleye will start to move into shallow Rockie areas in search of other bait fish like large minnows and also crayfish.These are the same feeding patterns that you see with walleye in May throughout June. In the winter months , perch move to the deepest parts of the lake where the warmest water is. In the summer the weeds start to grow as the shallow water warms up , that's when the perch move into the weeds as they offer structure, which will help them hide from predators , feed on smaller bait fish and also spawn. When this happens its a prime feeding area for these large pike and walleye. A really effective bait to use is the rapala husky jerk size 14 or the rapala x-rap clackin minnow. The clown pattern has been most successful as of late but the green and silver and black silver can be really effective as well.

From Errington's Wilderness Island www.WildernessIsland.com