Husky jerk Rapalas, Rattlin’ Rogues and similar deep-diving magnum cranks are the best weapons for intercepting these fish, pulling them just above the bottom contour at 40, 50, 60 and 70 feet behind planer boards until a productive pattern is established.

When conditions are ideal for this midsummer bite, you could probably fish safely from a 12-foot boat. Unfortunately, wind is almost always a factor. Don’t plan a trip here unless you have a serious deep V boat and respect for big water.

LAKE ST. CROIX
The lower St. Croix River and 4,668-acre Lake St. Croix in Pierce and St. Croix counties -- like the St. Louis River at Superior -- is a walleye angling destination that must be experienced to be fully appreciated.

Some stretches of this fishery are riverine, but there is a great deal of prime water that is more flowage-like. Walleye season opens here on the Saturday nearest the last day of April.

For the first couple of weeks after opening day, look for walleyes on shallow bars and flats. You’ll also want to check necked-down areas and steep shoreline breaks. Saugers are a little easier to catch earlier in the season by targeting deeper troughs and the main channel in 20 to 34 feet of water.

The venerable jig-and-minnow is your primary weapon for both species early on. First, you need to find fish. The best search lure is a No. 9 orange/gold floating Rapala fished on a 30- to 40-inch dropper line behind a three-way swivel with a bell sinker on the other dropper of the swivel.

Another good search bait is No. 7 baits of the Shad Rap genre, especially when probing the Minnesota side of this fishery near the Kinnickkinnic River about five miles north of Prescott.

Five miles farther north is Catfish bar where anglers drift and vertical jig over 16 to 22 feet of water down from a big knob of rock on the Minnesota side.

The St. Croix is more of a flowage from the power plant down to the Hudson area. Trolling a spinner rig and crawler along the 8- to 10-foot contour is a great way to catch fish as we work through May.

Once young anglers are freed from the constraints of school for the summer, take them walleye fishing south of Hudson near the Girl Scout camp on the Wisconsin side of the lake.

Directly out from the dormitory are a couple of rocky bars extending from shore to the main channel. One tops out about 15 feet, the other 25. Walleyes are almost always around and are generally active well into June.

Although walleyes remain active all summer long, warmer weather brings out the boat traffic in spades. If you get on the water at first light and fish hard, expect the reward of a nice mess of “eater” walleyes by the time the Girl Scouts troop off to breakfast.

LONG LAKE
A 30-inch walleye that came unbuttoned inches shy of the landing net 25 years ago on this 3,300-acre Washburn County lake still haunts my thoughts.

She hasn’t returned for a rematch on the dozen times since my boat has seen this fishery. But her progeny swim there, joined by many others introduced over the years by Walleyes For Tomorrow.