Houston's fishing report.

[Lee Borgersen]

              Houston's fishing report.

                                                               

By Jarrid Houston,  Mar 5, 2017 at 5:46 a.m.

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Don't forget to buy your new fishing license. Minnesota licenses expired Feb. 28. The Minnesota season for walleyes, pike and bass ended last Sunday. Minnesota's inland lake trout and stream trout season in lakes closes March 31.

The Wisconsin inland season closes today, except for panfish.

 
Lake Superior continues to draw anglers along the North Shore for Kamloops rainbows and an occasional coho salmon. The best tactics continue to be long-rodding 'Looper bugs or waxworms and floating bobbers. Some are catching a few fish using hand-tied spawn sacs as well.

The Lake Superior ice bite can be reached only in the Ashland area. Anglers are still finding success with a few brown trout, splake, smelt and whitefish. Lake-shiner heads and bright silver jigging spoons have been best. Fish are also being caught on set lines. Best depths are 20 to 40 feet.

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Now that the regular seasons for game fish are over, panfish are in play. Anglers need to remember to be conservative when harvesting panfish at this time of year, when they are very vulnerable. The best areas to target for sunfish are near vegetation. This less-intense winter has left lake vegetation very stable, so fish have been able to use that habitat. Using crappie minnows under floats has produced fish in deeper waters. Using electronics will give you an edge.

Jarrid Houston of South Range is a fishing guide (houstonsguhttp://www.houstonsguideservice.com/ on Minnesota and Wisconsin inland waters, the St. Louis River and, in winter, on Lake Superior.