East Lake will be an interesting opener since ice off occurred quite a while ago. I can remember having 1st guide trips there in May and finding water temps still in the high 30’s at the start of the day, and warning to mid-40’s later. I imagine as it opens up this week water temps are already in the 40’s and I would be looking for good chironomid bites along the edges in less than 12 feet of depth. Balanced Leeches and also stripping Brown or Black Leeches on a Camo Intermediate is a great bet.
One thing about early season East Lake is the rainbows will be spawning (successful or not) especially near the NE side and I encourage people to leave the fish alone that are in that active pattern. They just get picky, and skinny and need to get through this phase and spread out and start feeding to regain health in order for us to enjoy their company in a fair way. Again, there will be no boat docks installed at East Lake at USFS sites, so the private dock at the Resort will be my go to for launching the bigger boat. We will see water levels, but I am sure it is going to be LOW, and it might be a drift boat year for me East, especially later in the season.