"We both joked that the Mardon reports must be reused ones from the 80's, back in the glory days."

ICF-- that's what we used to say back IN the '80s.

I can't say the Potholes is as good as it used to be because I haven't fished it in a long time (six years). I do know that there is a learning curve, and you can't visit there once or twice a year and expect to hit it big. It does take time to learn where the good fishing is and how to do it.

However, another guide friend of mine has fished it and remarked that the panfish are coming back. So if you're not catching them in the usual spots, I would start looking elsewhere.

Right now is a tough time to fish on any big body of water on the east side. It was a pretty cool winter, from what I understand, so the fish will not be as active at this time as they would during a warmer season. And one thing is a positive: at this time of the year when a low-pressure system moves in, you will have a tough time catching anything. Fish don't respond well with systems moving through.

I think I mentioned species considerations in that earlier post. At this time of the year, don't expect to catch bluegill, crappie or bass. Perch, walleyes and trout are it. You'll have to wait on the other species. Yes, you can catch them, but it's a longshot. Perch should be popping in three weeks or so, but you might not find them shallow. Walleyes will bite, but because they are more concerned with spawning, they'll be tough.

Trout are almost a slam dunk-- if the weather is decent. If it's not sunny, you could probably catch the stuffings out of trout by fishing shallow. Troll a Rapala minnow or a smallish Shad Rap-- say nothing larger than a #7. If it's sunny, you probably will have to go deeper. There are other considerations about trout as well that I won't go into here.

Don't put down the net pen trout as there is very little, if any, natural spawning to supply the lake.

All I can say is that all this talk makes me want to head over there this weekend...

Keith