My buddy and I headed out to Campbell to see what stage the fish were in. On my previous trips, the fish were in prespawn, fish were shallow, but not dumping their eggs yet. We made it to the lake around ten thirty in the morning. We headed for my favorite stretch of shoreline once again. After working the area from the bank, all the way into about 8 feet of water we had nothing. We then headed to the island where I picked up a nice 4lb 7oz female. She was still full of eggs, but was staging on her bed. As we worked farther around the island, I picked up a 2lb 15oz female. She was dropping her eggs as I lifted her out of the water. After quickly hanging her on the scale I returned her to the water where she instantly returned to her nest. I nailed two more females in the 3 pound range and returned them to the water where they raced back to their beds. Only the one fish was dropping her eggs. The other three were very ready. We decided to call it quits on account of not wanting to pressure the spawning fish. Water temps were in the 59 to 62.5 degree range. Fish were up tight to the bank, or right on their nests/beds. The fish were not very spooky, but some that we saw and didn't catch were obviously reluctant to strike. The spawn mode is getting underway, so take it easy on the big mouths, to ensure future generations of the gamefish we all enjoy so much to tangle with. Please enforce catch and release, and take only what you can use! Good luck and great fishing!

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