Just as the weather has finally gotten into the swing of things for summer, so has the fishing.

Along with the fishing comes the boating. Being a safe boater is a must for Minnesotans. The key to being a safe boater is using what I call the &uot;common sense approach.&uot;

Follow the rules: Don’t drive carelessly. Boat sober; the fine for boating while intoxicated is about the same as a DUI. Also, don’t harass or endanger fellow boaters, don’t overload your boat or hang over the bow or stern while the boat is at a high rate of speed. You should always wear or have within arms reach a lifejacket. All boats over 16 feet must also have a floating cushion or life ring to throw in addition to each occupant’s life jacket. Boats over 16 feet in length also must have a fire extinguisher. These are just a few of the rules. To get all the information on boating safety you can get a copy of the Minnesota Boating Guide from the DNR.

Boating safety or non-safety is occasionally a topic brought up around the evening’s campfire.

The one that comes to mind is about a guy that tried to modify a 12-foot boat and make a bass boat out of it. He put a wood platform in the front and added two captain’s chairs, front and rear, out of a pickup super cab. A 12-foot fishing boat already rides low in the water but add all that weight and you are asking for trouble.

This guy wasn’t done though. He added a friend that must have weighed well into the 300s and put him in the front chair. They went out fishing and it wasn’t too long before a speedboat went by where they were fishing and sent a wake towards the boat. (I wasn’t there so I can only picture what happened next.) The people that were there said that when the wave hit, the fellow in the front lost his balance and fell out of the boat. When this very large guy fell out of the boat all the weight shifted from the front to the rear. That’s when the front of the boat went straight up in the air, the back went under water and I guess the boat went to the bottom of the lake like a submarine.

Luckily there were other boats in the area to pick up the fishermen, except the one guy was too large to pull into a boat so they had to tow him to shore hanging onto the side of one of the boats.

They were lucky, and there are probably many morals to this story, but I guess the word overloaded probably fits most of them.

I know people that have been on pontoon boats, which most people think of as super safe, that have overloaded the front end while going fast and ended up nose diving under the water when hitting a big wake. People have fallen off and I know one guy that lost his tackle box in German Lake when this occurred. He whined about that for quite a while.

The key to safe boating is to use a little common sense. Be aware of the other guy and wear your life jacket.

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Here are a few fishing reports from around the state.

In the Grand Rapids area the walleye fishing is really in full swing right now, with most of the area lakes producing fish. Winnie is still hot mostly the shoreline in 6-8 ft of water, just follow the wind. Sand is producing, Jessie is picking up, Splithand is OK. Even Leech is getting some fish.

On Mille Lacs The fishing this week was really great. I think we had some of the best fishing the last few days then we’ve had all spring. Fishing off the rocks 15 to 22 feet has been very good and also out in front of Barnacle Bill’s 25 to 27 ft of water. Leeches and night crawlers are doing the best as far as bait with long leaders

In the Alexandria area the long daylight hours this time of year give anglers plenty of opportunities. Fishing in the Alexandria are lakes has continued to be good…. bordering on fantastic. Panfish and crappies have been very active all over; the walleye bite is expanding, bass are aggressive, northern pike and muskie are starting to harass the anglers harassing them.

In the Detroit Lakes area the fishing has really taken off here in the Detroit Lakes area! The walleye bite is going strong on many area lakes. Jigs and minnows are working very well as are Lindy rigs and crawlers and leeches. Most of the fish are coming in around 16-20 ft. Look to the windy side of the lakes and you will have some action!

Lake Winnibigoshish Area. What a great week. A lot of limits and a lot of slot walleye put back. Mallard point 6′ to 9′, East of Stony Point by the big tree 9 1/2′ to 10′ and the Clam beds. Northlands 1/8-oz. new glow watermelon, fire-tiger and parrot fireball jig tipped with a shiner or a fathead minnow.

Blackduck Area. The lakes in the Blackduck area are producing quite well. Blackduck Lake continued to produce many limits of walleyes during the past week, even though a few rain showers came through. Folks who are hitting Blackduck by 7 am are getting a great morning bite, and have limited out several days within an hour. Folks fishing later in the evening are also getting a lot of walleye and some northern action, catching their limits of nice eaters while drifting and jigging in 15 to 17 feet of water. The “hot” jig colors this week have been black with a white eye and also chartreuse, tipped with a leech.

Waterville/Mankato. Walleyes are being caught in Lake Washington in 18 to 20 feet. Lake Tetonka is producing some walleye along the shallow weed edges. Leeches or shallow running crankbaits seem to be doing the trick. Madison Lake is giving up crappie in 6-12 ft. while Francis is best fished in 6 or less. The sunfish are also pretty active.

Faribault Sunfish are being caught on Roberds, Shields and Cedar lakes along the 8-10 ft. weed edges. Cannon Lake is producing a few walleye on crawlers and live bait rigs in 10 ft. of water. Bass seem to be plentiful on all area lakes.

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By looking at the reports from lakes across the state it is plain to see that the depth that they are being caught at is very different. Each lake is a little bit different so what worked on one doesn’t necessarily mean it will work on a different one. That’s part of the fishing challenge.

My favorite for fishing the local area lakes is a small, plain jig tipped with half a crawler or a leech. These can be either cast or fished with a small bobber at the weed edges. Casting a jig with a twister tail can also be a good producer. Adding a small split shot about 12-inches above the jig can increase your casting distance and accuracy.

Remember to enter your fish in the Tribune’s &uot;Catch of the week&uot; contest.

Good Luck and Good Fishin.’