> While the majority of the main lake is working on losing it’s deteriorating ice, the Rainy River is open and clearing up. The walleye and pike bite is picking up nicely. The go-to is a jig and minnow or jig and plastic. Wheeler’s Point, Timber Mill, Vidas, Frontier, Birchdale, and Franz Jevne landings are all accessible by all boats. Open water reaches into 4 Mile Bay and into the main basin past the Lighthouse Gap.

> Sturgeon fishing is strong and has really picked up. Good numbers of fish being caught in 4 Mile Bay and upriver. Use a 3-5 oz no-roll sinker and a sturgeon rig loaded with crawlers.

Ever get to the retailer and stare at all those pretty shapes, color, and brands, wondering which one you’re going to try this year? Eenie, meenie, minee…NO! Stop. We can do much better than randomly stringing up whatever has the most convincing packaging — don’t skimp on the most direct link between you and the fish.

Nano braid: Early season is about pitching shallow, and has the potential for long casts. Sufix Nano is superior in situations where you need to get small baits a good ways from the boat, like light jigs in wind.

Superline/braids: I’m a big fan of the sensitivity and low stretch of these line types, so I fish them on the bulk of my rods. Jig-fishing, live-bait rigging and even bottom-bouncing can be improved with these lines. I prefer heavier 10- to 20-lb test because braids can, in smaller diameters, be too small to effectively cast hard baits and even jigs without tangling or wind-knots.

Fluorocarbon: If you fish braid for walleyes, fluoro leader material should always be handy. In most applications, I’ll have a 3-6′ fluoro leader tied off of my 832 with an albright special or uni-to-uni.

Mono: I’ve always got at least 1 or 2 mono rods in the boat, typically with hi-viz coloring, and I reserve them for fishing jigs in current or for crankbaits if I’m having hookup issues. Mono doesn’t cut the water like braid and provides more lift to jigs in moving-water situations — this translates to smooth and contiguous bait movements rather than sharp “bop, drop, and plop” jigging movements.

Leadcore: 832 Advanced Leadcore dives deeper, is thinner, and is more sensitive than standard leadcore, so it gets the nod from me. At a 7 foot dive per color vs. 5 foot per color, the Advanced means less line out to get to the desired depth.

Try one spool of something new each year, and mix it into the rotation. If you find yourself picking up that rod more often and enjoying everything about the line, you’ve got a winner.