The marvelous thing about the outdoors, and fishing in particular, is that throughout the shifting seasons, each species available to us as we wade, float, and cast out our offerings from early spring until winter arrives, provides unique opportunities. That’s not to say that you can’t catch fish like pike or walleyes or crappies all year round, but there are just certain times of the openwater season where the fish are hungrier and perhaps a bit bigger, and hitting those windows and planning for them right now as you size up the seasons to come can be a fun review of past outings and a great set up for the rest of this year.

Springtime staples

As the ice recedes, pike have always been a prime target for me. First up the creeks where they stage to spawn, sometimes under the hardwater, then later as the water opens by using the fly rod and some big, gaudy fur or strung marabou streamer, is where I like to be. When the chilly water hits that 40-degree mark, often in early April, that’s when the action heats up, and aggressive pre-spawn pike can be at their very best in terms of both numbers and size.

The walleyes will be right behind them in the timeline, and while North Dakota’s year-round season lets anglers assess a pre-pre-prespawn bite as early as mid-March where flows start to open and the smallest stretch of stable weather triggers a feeding, Minnesota’s anglers will wait until early May, when the spawn is often complete and the post-breeding dinner bell rings.

Add into the mix stocked trout and the staging of smallmouth bass in shallow rocky areas along with those crappies staking out reeds and shallow spots with tons of cover for their spawn, and the month of May is often full. For those bronzebacks, the bite will often go from the first week of May right up until Father’s Day in June, and I’ve always correlated the scent of blooming lilacs with the last surge of smallmouth activity. Look for the best largemouth bite of the year in the shallows around Memorial Day weekend, as they set up to spawn around sunken timber, developing vegetation and other natural and man-made structures.

Summertime boom

For panfish, no other time shines like summer. As one who could spend an entire day tangling with bluegills and sunfish on the fly rod or light tackle, those days from mid-June through August are memorable as sun colors the skin, wrists tire from reeling and casting, and countless pinpricks from big pannies decorate the palm of my hand.

Additionally, white bass school up during summer and have produced more memorable evenings of 100-counts in my boat than I can remember. Whether on light tackle or with the fly rod, these groups of silver fish are easily detected by their swirling takes of rising insects and young-of-the-year minnows just below the surface as the sun starts to sink in the west. Small minnow imitators or curly-tailed grubs and jigs will provide constant action for these underutilized fish.

Walleyes settle into their summer patterns, and trolling techniques utilizing bottom bouncers and then vertical presentations with Jigging Raps will take fish readily. Crappie schools too find places along weedlines and once located, provide amazing bites. Don’t forget to explore docks and other structure where summertime largemouth bass set up, picking off the young panfish and other prey that happen to wander into the shadows where they lurk up until the first cold front around Labor Day.

Fall fun

Finally, as the openwater season begins to wane, plan on a resurgence of pike in the chilling water. A good smallmouth bite can develop as well in the shallows when the days are warm and sunny, or down along a breakline as those first cold fronts of fall skew things a bit. Don’t forget to explore those deeper waters where stocked trout have survived the heat of summer and come back up to the shallows or near the surface, as the bites can be absolutely amazing whether using small spoons and spinners, or casting streamers on the fly rod.

If you’re looking for the biggest fish of the season, muskies are most often on the bite from September until November, and while traditional baits like bucktails and large rubber offerings will pay off, where allowed in states like Minnesota, huge suckers in that 10 to 16-inch range on a float rig will often pull the biggest ones in for a look, and hopefully a bite.

Timing of these windows varies by latitude and location, and certain waters have their own rhythm that can be determined over time spent on them during the openwater season. Develop a fishing log, or take a look back at old ones, to get a feel as to how they open for each species you love to pursue. Once defined, it’s a matter of watching the weather and the world shift from season to season and capitalizing on that knowledge and the opportunities that abound on nature’s calendar … in our outdoors.