I am going with a few guys may 20th -24th into ep16 and will be basecamping on agnes which we have been to before but we have never been there this early, what are we going to see different than mid june? could the walleyes still be spaning in the shallows? where will the smallies be earlier? still target rapids?

Great choice. We were up on Agnes the last week of may for the last two years. Very good fishing. Bring minnows not leaches (fat heads work great) and the price is right. I picked up a minnow-o-life by frabill, this is the best way keep and transport minnows that I found.

Smallies:
Males should be making and sitting on their beds but if your looking for the females they should be found in the 8 ft. range. Best if you find structure adjacent to beds(i.e. stump field) in the 8ft. range.
Walleyes:
Look for current!
Crappies/Blues:
Shallow reeds with a sandy bottom!
Pike:
Sandy bottom that is starting to get some green vegetation. In my experienced green cabbage always held the biggest northern. If their not shallow then troll a rocky shelf that rapidly goes from 0-20ft.

Done this trip six or seven times and I'll cast a vote for jigs and rainbow chubs. Have the bait shop put oxygen in the bag and the minnows will do just fine on the trip to Agnes. A few years ago we found them in 12-18 feet of water while we were there in May relating to drop-offs or other structure. The crappies were with them and your jig wouldn't even hit the bottom before either an eye or crappie nailed it. For northerns, pick up some frozen ciscos and put them on a slip bobber at 4'-6' and you can catch some nice ones. If you want some specific "hot spots" e-mail me and I'll gladly let you where we had success.