April is such a great time to be alive, and is an equally exciting time to be an angler. There are so many species to fish for, it makes me dizzy. Freshwater species like walleyes are beginning to run in the rivers, looking for spawning habitat. Bass fishing is truly heating up, with big fish being caught on jerkbaits, blade baits and rattle baits like the lipless crankbait family. Bluegills and crappies are much more active, and steelhead are still running the rivers on their annual spring run. Big brown trout are being caught at pier heads and river mouths around the Great Lakes.
Saltwater fishing is also red hot. Snook and redfish are moving about in shallow mangrove areas. Bonefish and permit are roaming the saltwater flats. Stripers are about to begin their migration from their winter waters in the Carolinas. Tarpon are starting to make a move up the Florida coasts, from the warmer waters of the Florida Keys. Off-shore species can be targeted more easily now because many of the windy spring fronts that accompany the month of March have now passed. Bait like scaled sardines, pilchards and shad are in plentiful supply, and saltwater game fish are feeding with reckless abandon.
Wow, what an incredible time to go fishing, for just about anything it seems. Deciding what fish species to fish for might be the most difficult part of this month!