Black Bear Spotted in Cold Spring This Week
Black bears continue to be active in Central Minnesota. Glen Schmitt from Outdoor News joined me on WJON. He says he's heard reports of bears on trail cameras in the Cold Spring area. Schmitt says this isn't the first time bears have been reported in Cold Spring and suspects it won't be the last. He says bears are active right now looking for food and are venturing out of the forest because the natural food in wooded areas just isn't there yet. Schmitt believes when the berries and other natural foods become available bears will be less likely to gravitate toward bird feeders, garbage cans and dumpsters.
Fishing for panfish, crappies and blue gills continue in Central Minnesota. Schmitt explains the warm weather last weekend pushed the fish out of the bays and channels. He says the cooler weather this week is pushing fish in and out of shallow areas in lakes. Schmitt believes the best time to fish is late afternoon and early evening in shallow water. He says fish will gravitate toward those areas because late afternoon and early evening is when the water is the warmest. Schmitt indicates fish activity right now is very water temperature driven.
Schmitt says walleyes are going through the spawn process right now. He says the spawn is happening a bit early this year. Schmitt believes when the walleye opener happens on May 11, walleye will be ready to feed. He says central Minnesota has many locations to find walleye. Schmitt says local lakes are different than the larger bodies of water in the state with walleye but locations that typically have walleye in Central Minnesota should be the spots to find them again.
If you'd like to listen to my conversation with Glen Schmitt, which includes suggestions on boat preparation, it is available below.