I'm about to head back to the BW...

When fishing June 10-15, does time of day matter much?

I assume mid-day will be fine for smallies in the prespawn mode. Is that true?

What about walleyes? I never fish after 5pm and I think I'm missing the best fishing. Maybe I need to start taking siestas and then going out after dinner.

Well, with reports talking about water temps in the low to mid 60s as of last week... I think a lot of smallies will be spawning next week. You will likely find some prespawn, but I think most will be locked on beds, with some postspawn. I'll be entering on the 6th, exiting the 14th, and am expecting to struggle with a pattern, with some fish eating reaction baits, some eating topwater, some eating finesse, and some eating nothing at all. The bite will probably be best in the late morning after the water has had a chance to warm up, and in the mid evening when the water has cooled a bit. Probably around 9-11am and 6-8pm, respectively. Cloudy days are your friend here (or so I'd expect), as the fish can't see as well. My goal is to run spinnerbaits, squarebills, and jerkbaits as deep as I can on a cast, hoping to run them across/near a bed, to entice a strike.

As for walleye, I can't help you... total noob here. I think you're definitely missing out by not fishing in the evening, though. A simple jig+grub with random retrieve (pops/jerks/reeling) back to shore can work well. I also had great success with a Scatter Rap last year from shore, catching walleyes one after the other when casting to one spot. They love the action of that lure I guess. Same for pike.

Good luck!!

I don't really target SMB up there so I won't comment on that.

For me -- early as possible for lake trout. Pretty much quit by 10am, eat some lunch, relax or take a hike, and then lighted slip bobbers for walleye at dusk. This approach isn't limited to June, even though that's our normal trip time. I'd do the same thing if I was there in August probably.

Definitely hit the low light periods for eyes. Can be caught during the day but usually deeper. If you find them during the day the will not be located much further away, just shallower at night. Leech under a slip is tough to beat when they are located. 5-15 fow depending on water clarity.

Mad_Angler: "... I never fish after 5pm and I think I'm missing the best fishing. "

You are correct!

Fish in the evening for walleyes. Go out after supper. That way you are focused and ready for when they start. I'll bet I've caught 80% of my life's walleyes as it's getting dark. Because they see so well relative to other species--both prey and competing predators-- in low light, it only makes survival sense for them to wait around until low light to tie on the feed bag. Especially true in clear water. Of course, there are always exceptions. In my opinion, for walleyes, the "when" is more important than the "how" or even the "where" to some degree. So, yes, time of day matters. In June that means being intentional. It's easy to get up early and go like hell and fish for 12 hours, only to realize that it doesn't get dark for another 6 hours, and you're like the heck with it. Pace yourself and finish strong.

I’ve found the night bite starts at about 8:00pm and stops at 11:00pm. The dates you posted I’ve seen the spawn is over by then.

Savage Voyageur: "I’ve found the night bite starts at about 8:00pm and stops at 11:00pm. "

Same for me. I'm only now starting to take more advantage of this bite window. Dinner, clean camp so when you come back in the dark you can have a fire/go to bed. Walleye spots close to camp are great so you're not traveling too far in the dark. Ill typically check out the spot in the light, earlier on in the day so i'm a little more familiar with the area, and not paddling completely blind.

This is where more than one rod can come in handy - even with headlamps i still get frustrated re tying in darkness.

Savage Voyageur: "I’ve found the night bite starts at about 8:00pm and stops at 11:00pm. The dates you posted I’ve seen the spawn is over by then.
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Savage, Good information. If the spawn is over, how would you target smallies?

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That is the predicted weather next week. you can see a front come through on Wedneday. The pressure (black line) will be rising until Thursday evening and then level off. I hope to start fishing about noon on Thursday.

Based on the weather, how would you plan on fishing? (and I know the weather forecast is mostly a guess that far out. But assuming it was correct, what would you do?)

Mad_Angler: "I'm about to head back to the BW...

When fishing June 10-15, does time of day matter much?

I assume mid-day will be fine for smallies in the prespawn mode. Is that true?

What about walleyes? I never fish after 5pm and I think I'm missing the best fishing. Maybe I need to start taking siestas and then going out after dinner."

After a number of Sawbill and GF canoe trips, I am part of a group that goes to Moose Chain/Basswood via day use motor permits/LaTourells for the past dozen years. You can catch walleye in the BWCA all day every day throughout June trolling crankbaits, tossing plastics or gulp minnows on jigs, or slip bobbering near weed edges and rocky point drop offs. They will hunker down a bit after a front but will still eat and reaction strike. Key thing for canoeists is a portable sonar that can ID the depth and find edges and humps, and willingness to drift on windy stretches. They travel in small groups at this time, and if it appears a bite has stopped, it means the small group has moved.

Smallmouth bite all day on a sunny day in June, as crayfish are becoming active. Find shallow broken-rockpiles and toss wacky senkos where the water appears to be more than 1 or 2 feet deep. Use a high vis braid and a flouro leader tied on, the line movement and tightening will be easily noticed while handling canoe. Add a nail weight to the senko and go a bit deeper with neko concept.

Good luck! We are there season week 6 (starts 6/13), can't wait.

Wow 12 years.... how does one do that,?

yogi59weedr: "Wow 12 years.... how does one do that,? "

Be a good customer to a top notch outfitter.

illini79ps: "

yogi59weedr: "Wow 12 years.... how does one do that?"

Be a good customer to a top notch outfitter."

Something fishy here. Outfitters aren’t supposed to have any greater access to permits than the average joe. Something stinks.

Unfortunately, in my experience, June walleyes can be anywhere from 3ft to 25ft. I’d start shallow in the morning, gradually moving towards deeper structure during the day. If you aren’t into 'em shallow, then move shallower after dinner.