Many fishermen have typically believed the best fishing, no matter the species, occurs in late May through June.  The fish are coming off a long winter leading up to the Spring spawn and they are ready to recover, feed and put on the weight.  This is true, but the water temps are still cold, fish are coming off the stress of the spawn, cold fronts are more common; all of which can make fish a bit more finicky at times.  Don’t get me wrong, that early season is fun and fantastic.

Personally, my favorite time to fish for trophy class walleyes and pike is during that July time frame when the fish are set up on their summer locations.  They are easily patterned and have their feed bag on; and the reaction bite is at its peak.  Those big heavy fish tend to show themselves more frequently, increasing your odds for a fish of a lifetime!

July is a great time to pull bottom bouncers with spinners and crawler harnesses for walleyes. Ripping Rapala’s #5 or #7 Jigging Rap or a 1/4 oz VMC Moon Eye jig tipped with a minnow profile soft plastic, like the Big Bite Baits Sensation Slim Minnow, shine during this time frame as well.   A two-prong approach of pulling bouncers to find the big schools that also hold bigger fish, then shift to Jiggin’ Raps or a jig and plastic technique to stay on top of the school.  This is a very efficient and effective way to close the deal on more walleyes and trophy class fish, in my experience.

For the big pike, finding those weedy back bays adjacent to deep water is key in July.  These locations will hold some of the biggest pike in the lake all summer long.  Casting weedless spoons, ripping in-line or safety-pin style spinners or finessing 7-8” minnow profile plastics through the think cover will produce lots of aggressive trophy pike.

When planning your next fishing trip, look at July.  Catching is definitely lights out for numbers and size!