The MeatEater

Spring might be the first chance to fish during the year, but I’ve always considered early summer to be the true start of fishing season. During spring, the water is still murky and cold from rains and snowmelt, and most fish are still a bit sluggish. But, when the temps start to rise in the early summer, so do the fish.

There are five species of fish that can be found in relatively shallow water during the early part of summer that will eat almost anything you throw in front of them with all the enthusiasm of starving hyenas. These fish will almost always guarantee fast action and allow you to kick off your summer season with a bang.

Fresh off their spawning beds in early summer, smallmouth bass make some of the hardest-fighting fish in freshwater. These angry bronze maniacs can be found in three to eight feet of water around rocky points, long flats, and gravel shorelines, especially around drop-offs. In the shallows, smallies throw caution to the wind and feed aggressively throughout the entire day. This gives you plenty of chances for a small jaw scrap so long as you use the right baits at the right times.

Because smallmouths are aggressive, jerkbaits and crankbaits can be very effective, especially in the mornings. In the late afternoon when smallies spread out, try spinners or flashy spoons to cover more water and draw bass in from a distance.

In both the early morning and late evening, nothing will attract more summer bronzebacks than a good topwater bait. Try to use the smaller, more discreet topwater lures like the Heddon Torpedo and Rapala SubWalk rather than the big poppers you’d normally use for largemouth.

Early summer channel catfish are highly active and much more aggressive than they are during other parts of the year. In most places, the fish will be moving from pre-spawn to full-blown spawn mode. You can target these big hungry kitties in areas between two and 10 feet deep adjacent to 20-foot or deeper water. Look for spots at this depth range with structures, such as underwater humps, long shallow points, submerged logs, brush piles, and other timber.

You can catch early summer channel catfish throughout the entire day, but there’s no doubt that the fish are much more active at night. This is especially true during the post-sunset transition hour when small baitfish and panfish are adjusting to the light change, making them easy pickings for hungry channel cats. However, if you can’t pull off a good night fishing session, you can still have a lot of action on any extremely cloudy or overcast day or in shady areas.

There are a variety of effective baits for summer channel cats, including traditional dip baits, doughballs, and even chicken livers. However, I’ve personally caught a lot more pre-spawn channel cats on fresh-cut baits, such as chunks of sucker, shad, or even panfish (where legal). You can also have a lot of luck with live baits such as minnows and leeches, especially in murkier, slow-flowing rivers where channel cats often hunt by movement rather than scent.

Of all the trout species, none is more popular than the rainbow trout. The fish have been stocked in nearly all 50 states and can be caught almost anywhere from small streams to massive lakes. In the early summer, rainbows are fresh off their spawning runs, which makes them absolutely ravenous and willing to eat.

In rivers, target early summer rainbows around faster currents, riffles, or small rocks with a lot of oxygenated water. In lakes, ponds, and other still water, target the fish in the cooler water below the first thermocline, which is usually between seven and 10 feet below the surface.

For river trout, small inline spinners are a must. They imitate a variety of the small minnows, darters, and chubs the fish normally feed upon. For fly anglers, early summer is usually the start of the first significant hatches of the year. Classic patterns that imitate stoneflies, caddisflies, and large mayflies can be incredibly effective.

If you prefer bait, you can catch a lot of rainbows in the early summer by drifting small worms, maggots, and even live insects like hellgrammites along the bottom or beneath a bobber.

In lakes and other still water situations, cast and retrieve small lures like spoons and spinners, or troll with flashers and plugs behind a boat. If you’re fishing exclusively from shore, you can still catch a lot of trout by casting baits on lines weighted with split shot so that they’ll hover just above the bottom. On stocked lakes and ponds, dough baits and dip baits can be effective, but live baits like worms, minnows, and leeches will catch rainbows almost anywhere.

Pike are deep-water dwelling fish for most of the summer, but during the early part of the season you can find them in the shallows. During this postspawn period, trophy pike will gorge themselves on baitfish, panfish, frogs, and even turtles.

It’s a fantastic time to catch the big pike of your dreams, as you can usually find them anywhere from three to 10 feet of water. Look for any places at these depths with shallow flats that have weed beds or any long sandy bar, point, or beach with a lot of reflected light, as these are ideal pike hunting grounds.

The key to catching early summer pike consistently is to cover water. Use larger lures with a lot of flash and action that will draw a big pike’s attention from a distance. Large spinner baits, jerkbaits, and swimbaits are ideal for this sort of work, especially when you fish them with a lot of jerks and pauses in your retrieve to make the lure look injured and vulnerable.

Bait anglers can catch a lot of early summer pike by using large live baits hung under a bobber. Use large, three- to six-inch shiners, suckers, or even live panfish or perch. Hook them through the middle of their back so that they’ll be allowed to swim and struggle beneath the bobber.

If you can fish multiple rods, try and set out two to three baits at once and leave your reels on free spool so that the baits can take out line as they swim. Once your bobber disappears beneath the surface, give the pike a few seconds to run with the bait and turn it in its mouth before setting the hook.

Early summer walleye fishing can be incredible, especially on windy or overcast days or during the early evening. After the post-spawn feeding frenzy, they’ll hunt in large schools in eight to 20 feet of water. Moving en masse, the fish will cruise along weed lines, rock piles, long points offshore, and islands.

My favorite way to fish for early summer walleye is by trolling along the edges of the drop-offs and structure lines where fish tend to gather. I’ll keep my speed between 1.5 and 2.5 mph and tow bait harnesses tipped with nightcrawlers, minnows, and leeches behind the boat with large articulated jerk baits like the Jointed Rapala until I get a couple hookups. Once I’ve landed a few fish, I’ll note the depth the walleye were caught at and then continue to circle around and crisscross the area at the same speed and depth until I have my limit.

Jigging for walleye can also be incredibly effective during the early summer, especially if you mark fish with your electronics around large chunks of structure. Use small- to medium-sized jig heads, between ⅛ and ¼ ounce, in bright colors like yellow, white, and chartreuse, and bait them with whole worms, minnows, or leeches.

Once they’re rigged up, allow your jig to sink all the way to the bottom. Then, reel up the extra slack and lift the bait a few inches off the bottom before you begin to pump and flick the tip of the rod in a jigging motion. When walleye gather together in the early summer, they become extremely competitive, so it usually won’t take more than a few seconds to get a strike.

Part of what makes early summer fishing so fun is that it only lasts for a brief time. Like the approach of Christmas Day, you only have so long to celebrate before it’s suddenly gone. Whether it’s from a warm front or just a shift in the thermoclines, the fish can move into deeper water without warning and slow the fishing to a crawl. Take advantage of this short window and get out on the water while you can.

In deep time we know the earth was covered with dinosaurs and ice age megafauna. However, the story gets all the more real and tangible when you narrow it down and dive into a specific region or state. This week we’ll learn about the mammoths, giant aquatic lizards, duck billed dinosaurs, stag moose, caribou, and many other species that used to inhabit Mississippi and other parts of the southeastern U.S.

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This week, Cal talks a British catfish scam, deer hunting regulations in New York and Wyoming, and proof that in duck hunting, you can always spend more.

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Steven Rinella talks with Matt Skoglund of North Bridger Bison.

Topics discussed: How you get from being a lawyer in Chicago to being a bison rancher in Montana; conservation herds vs. wild herds, and how there are very few wild bison; why do people actually think cattle ranching is more favorable?; the importance of private land bison herds; the grasslands crisis; connecting our food to conservation; and more.

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This time of year might not seem relevant for deer hunting, but if you want to find consistent success like some of the best big buck hunters, you might want to change your offseason approach.

But don’t just take it from me. I spoke with MeatEater’s Mark Kenyon, who knows a thing or two about chasing mature bucks. Mark has also interviewed the best deer hunters across the country, so he’s a bit of an encyclopedia when it comes to whitetail knowledge. Whether you hunt private or public lands, here are a few things he and the other experts do in the offseason to help them prepare for deer season.

Deer season feels like a long way from May, but the work you do now can directly affect your success in the fall. You don’t need to have everything ready at this point in the year, but it can help you get ahead of the curve. This is especially true if you have the access or ability to plant food plots.

“This time of year is for making your life easier,” Mark said. “Think weeding, spraying, or prepping a plot that maybe you want to plant later in the summer. Go ahead and mow it so you’re not starting from ground zero in August.”

It might not seem like a ton of work, but the more you do now, the less you’ll have to accomplish when the dead of summer hits.

Like your stand setups during season, now is a good time to reevaluate your trail cameras. Whether you need to replace batteries or move them to other areas as seasonal habitat change occurs, look for ways to maximize your trail camera strategy. If you’re already out chasing longbeards, this can be a good time to pull double duty.

“Turkey season is usually the time I like to go pull the rest of my cameras,” Mark said. “I’ll pull them down, clean them, change the batteries, etc. to make sure they’re ready to go in July when I redeploy them for summer scouting.”

A lot of hunters take the set-it-and-forget-it approach to trail cameras. This might work in certain spots, but you’ll likely need to adjust them at some point throughout the year.

You don’t have to wait until hunting season to invite your friends or family along for the ride. Besides, two sets of hands are better than one when you’re trying to knock out offseason projects or just “make it more fun,” according to Mark.

“Involving other people is a great way to build community in this area, and it makes it more likely that you’ll actually go do the work. So, just getting your kids outdoors or inviting your dad, grandpa, buddy, or wife to join you for these projects…it just becomes more enjoyable.”

On that same note, don’t hesitate to help someone else. Even if you don’t have permission to hunt somewhere, helping a buddy on their property can be a great way to learn or think about your own hunting spots. You might even get an invite for offering to help. I scored an awesome hunting spot by helping a friend hang trail cameras. What started as a simple scouting trip with a buddy turned into a reliable hunting spot not far from my house.

Shooting year round is a great habit to develop. But, even if you took a break through winter and turkey season, you still have plenty of time to practice before bow season.

“Early summer is great for getting and building good reps,” Mark said. “Now is the time to regain the form and make it fun. Build an archery league with your buddies or start a habit with your kids.”

Mark noted that starting your archery routine now can help you focus on more hunting-related shots when late summer arrives. Building a routine now and getting good reps means you can focus on taking elevated shots from the stand or saddle or even extending your range in August/September. Even if you only shoot a few arrows every day, those reps add up.

There’s always a list of things I want to accomplish in-season that also run the risk of spooking deer. Wind mapping is one of those activities.

“Building out a wind map is something people talk about but rarely do,” Mark said, “but it’s a great thing to do in the offseason. Every time you put up a stand, take some milk weed with you and see what it does.”

You don’t have to make a special trip to wind map a property, but if you’re already trimming shooting lanes, pulling cameras, etc., you might as well wind map while you’re there. Even if it seems insignificant, it’s one of those little details that adds up and can help you kill a mature buck, Mark said.

While there are plenty of chores to prepare for deer season, there’s a reason this time of year is called the offseason. Hunters, even one as dialed as Mark, need this time to recharge or just do something else so they don’t burn out.

“It’s okay to take a break from this stuff,” he said. “Whether you’re fishing or turkey hunting, just make sure you do other stuff that you enjoy, too.”

Join Clay Newcomb live from the iHeartCountry Festival in Austin, Texas, for this special episode of Render, brought to you by Bobcat. Clay interviews country music superstars, Russell Dickerson and Dylan Scott, in the Bobcat Garage. Clay asks the artists how determination, grit, and hard work have helped them succeed.

If you have comments on the show, send us a note to [email protected]

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A trip that Brent looks forward to every year for the fellowship and hunting gets cut short by success. Getting what you're going after can leave a bitter taste when it ends before you've had a chance to relax. Brent takes a filled tag at most opportunities and he filled this one with persistence, patience and while honoring a memory, just as he was taught. Get comfortable and get hid, gobblers are on the way.

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While we cover a good amount of bear attacks here at MeatEater, a beaver attack isn’t something you hear about too often.

On May 3, an eight-year-old boy was fishing on the shore of Lake Henry in Mahwah, New Jersey, when a beaver emerged out of the water, jaws-style, and headed straight for the kid who was just trying to catch a fish bite.

The beaver shot out of the water and set its sights on the young angler. In his attempt to flee the raging rodent, he tripped on a root, which allowed the beaver to sink its iron-strong incisors into the fishermen’s thigh. Luckily for the boy, help came quickly. Nearby family friends kicked the beaver off and tossed it back into the water.

The boy was taken by Mahwah EMS to Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, New York, for treatment.

While it does look like the young’uns were fishing near a beaver lodge, that’s not necessarily enough to elicit that kind of violence out of the large, semi-aquatic rodent. You might get a few warning tail slaps, but launching out of the water, ready for a fight, is pretty abnormal.

And animal control officers know that. They responded to the reports of strange beaver behavior, trapped the critter, removed it from the park, and had it tested for rabies. No surprise, the beaver tested positive.

The Township of Mahwah posted on Facebook that several people had contact with the infected animal, noting that individuals who were bitten are currently undergoing treatment. They also urge anyone else who came in contact with the rabid rodent to notify the Mahwah Township Health Department immediately.

While beaver attacks are a rare occurrence, they do happen, and it is typically due to rabies, but it is usually a non-fatal encounter for humans. However, a 60-year-old man in Belarus died in 2013 after a beaver bit his femoral artery and he bled out. The beaver in question was not rabid, but he did try to pick it up to take a photo with it when the biting occurred.

The lesson? Don’t mess with wildlife, folks. Rabid or not. Teddy bear- or small SUV-sized. Give ‘em space and take photos from a distance. And if a beaver aggressively charges you, consider finding a new fishing hole.

A male hiker, whose identity has not yet been announced, has been found dead in Glacier National Park. According to a press release, “his injuries are consistent with those sustained by a bear encounter.”

The victim had been missing for several days before he was found. He sent his last known message on Sunday evening and had not been heard of since then. A search and rescue team recovered his remains on Wednesday, May 6. The man’s body was just a couple miles up Mt. Brown Trail and 50 feet off the trail “in a densely wooded area with downed timber.”

National Park Service (NPS) officials closed several trails in the area while wildlife managers and law enforcement agents investigate the incident and monitor the area for bear activity. Officials have not disclosed whether they believe the bear responsible for the attack was a grizzly bear or a black bear.

Glacier National Park, renowned for its melting glaciers and striking valleys, is located in Northern Montana. While it’s common to encounter black and grizzly bears in the park, the recent incident marks its first fatal bear attack since 1998, according to the Associated Press. It also appears to be the first fatal bear attack in North America this year.

Bear activity appears to have increased in the Northern Rocky Mountain region in recent days as bears become active following hibernation. This can lead to particularly dangerous situations when people encounter mother bears with cubs; earlier this week, two hikers were injured by a sow and her cubs in Yellowstone National Park near Old Faithful. That incident remains under investigation.

The tragic fatality in Glacier National Park underscores the importance of taking safety precautions, such as carrying bear spray or a bear defense gun, while recreating in bear country. “Park staff are working to determine next steps based on field assessments and wildlife behavior monitoring,” explained an NPS spokesperson. “Visitors are reminded to stay off closed trails.”