Hello everyone, its Captain Mark Cahlik, back with you again this year to bring you weekly fishing reports. As we did last year with The Beacon, at Bay’s Edge Bait & Tackle we will strive to bring you information that will help both casters and trollers, including top angling locations and methods of fishing along with the best baits to use throughout the fishing season.

As with any April, in recent weeks the weather been up and down. But when the weather been up, we’ve enjoyed some fantastic fishing. We have already had some great catches coming into the fish shop this year and it will only get better — weather permitting, of course.

For all of you fisherman who love to cast, the current jigging conditions have been great on the shallow reefs or off the edges of the reefs. Most all of the named reefs — Niagara, Crib, Cone and others — have been great spots to hook some fish.  Again, when the weather is right, the fishing is great. The record amounts of fish that are in the lake is going to make for an amazing fishing season.

For all of you who love to troll to get your fish, the best things to use right now are Bandits and Reef Runners. The fish have been in two different water columns. They have either been in the upper end with the baits set back at about 25 feet, or they have been deeper with the baits set at about 75 feet back. You can always play with your depths to see what works best for you.

The best spots for trolling have been just west of Rattlesnake Island in 30 plus feet of water or around Gull Reef. You will want your speeds to be between 1.4 mph and 1.7 mph.

I am looking forward to a great fishing season this year and I am especially excited about the amount of fish that are out there heading into the prime fishing season. As always, if you have any questions you can stop at Bays Edge Bait and Tackle and ask Shannon. So, until next time, stay safe out there and keep a tight line.