Summer is finally showing up like it means it. After weeks of grinding through a prolonged cool spell, the weather pattern is making a real turn, and the fishing is going to follow. We’ve got warmth building through the week – Tuesday could push close to 90 – with a few chances for afternoon and evening storms mid-week to keep things interesting. Nothing that should shut you down for long, and those storm windows could be some of the best fishing of the week if you time them right. Water temps were sitting in the upper 60’s after the cool stretch but should climb into the low-to-mid 70’s quickly with this heat building in. That warming trend is going to flip a lot of switches.

Walleye are on the move in a good way. The cooler water that our cold weather brought fad fish scattered and pushing deeper, but as temps climb back toward that 72-75 degree range expect fish to push back hard into the classic 6 to 12’ cabbage and coontail edges. Slip-bobbers with fat leeches over the outside humps remain productive, and a light jig with a half-crawler is still your most reliable all-day option. With the heat building and that hex hatch looking like it’s going to fire up in earnest this week, don’t sleep on the after-dark bite. When those hexes start coming off the water at dusk, walleye go absolutely nuts on the surface — match the hatch with a floating bait or surface plug and hold on. Watch the landings and boat launches for bugs before you head out.

Crappie have settled into the outside weed edges in 8 to 12’ and should stay there through the holiday week. Small plastics like Mini Mites or little spinners like a Beetle Spin worked through the top of the weed column are proving fantastic. The bite tends to stack up in the early morning and again in the evening. The perch are mixing with walleye along the deeper weed edges at 6-10’and have been responding well to larger minnows and leeches on a jig. They’ve been active feeders and we’ve seen some big ones caught in the last couple of weeks.

Bluegill are still very much in the picture, with committed spawners still at work on the bigger, colder lakes in 2 to 3’ of water. On warmer water where the spawn is done, look for them just off their spawning areas along weed edges and submerged wood or cribs at 6-10’ or deeper, as the water warms. This is a fantastic holiday week for kids and families on the dock, and the panfish are going to cooperate. Use the smallest jig you can, a small float, and a piece of worm or a waxie. A good parenting/grandparenting hack that is especially useful for the little kids who are still learning about hook-setting, is to use a pliers to flatten the barb on the hook. It makes hook removal a lot easier (and less traumatic for both the kid and the fish), especially when it gets swallowed deeper than is ideal.

Northern pike should be in outstanding shape this week. We’ve seen a lot of action from these guys, despite the weather. They’ve stayed thoroughly active through the entire cool stretch and the warm-up isn’t going to slow them down — it might actually increase feeding activity as baitfish become more active and pike key in on that movement. The mid-week storm windows are practically made for them. Swimbaits, Mepps spinners, and large sucker minnows under a big slip-bobber over good weed edges are all proven choices. This is a great week to go big on pike.

Smallmouth bass came out of the pre-season catch-and-release period white-hot, and they haven’t cooled off. Fish are holding along gravel and outside coontail in 8 to 14’, with Ned Rigs and craw imitations being the consistent producers. As water temps warm into the low 70s, expect topwater to come back to life – the cooler water had suppressed that bite some, but this week’s heat should turn it back on. Morning topwater on smallmouth in warming water is one of the greatest experiences in freshwater fishing. Largemouth continue to improve with plastics around weed edges and any remaining bed activity. As temps begin to rise again, look for fish to start transitioning to classic summer haunts in the thicker cabbage and lily pad edges for good.

Musky anglers had a great weekend on the water. The PMTT brought a full field of 125 teams to the Eagle River and Three Lakes chains on June 27-28, and the musky fishing showed up for them. This was the second qualifier event of the 2026 PMTT season, hosted by the Three Lakes Area Visitors Bureau. While we don’t have official results as of this writing, we know 49 qualifying fish were caught on Saturday and 13 on Sunday. The biggest fish caught over the weekend was a monster 47.25” with a 45.75” coming in as a hot 2^nd. Very nice!

The chain’s fishery was on full display for a national audience, and the mid-week cool and cloud cover leading into the tournament likely had fish in an aggressive mood going into the event. For locals heading out now, those fish don’t disappear after a tournament – if anything, the pressure tends to reveal where fish are concentrated. Slow-rolled bucktails, glide baits, and rubber baits over deeper weed edges during low-light periods are the playbook. With evening storms possible mid-week, keep your evenings flexible and get out ahead of the fronts. And again, don’t rush that boatside figure-8!

The hex hatch is the thing to watch most closely this week. The cool temperatures had it sputtering, but with warmth finally arriving and building through the week, conditions are lining up for a full-blown hatch. When it goes, it goes – and the walleye and bass will be up on the surface after dark feeding aggressively. Check boat landings at dusk before you head to your spot, and be ready to match what’s coming off. Those evenings are as good as it gets in the Northwoods.

Fourth of July weekend is here, and the lakes are going to be busy. Lean into the early mornings and stay out late in the evenings — not just because that’s when the fish bite best, but because a quiet sunrise out on the water before the traffic picks up is worth the alarm clock every single time. Be patient at the landings, give people space, and enjoy the season. It only comes around once a year.

Good luck and good fishin’!