Cold, Cold and more Cold

Cold cold and more cold.  Where did spring and summer go?  We’ve been getting spurts of warm in Otter Tail Lakes Country, but it just hasn’t been lasting very long.  Fortunately for panfish anglers, it’s been just warm enough to provide reasonable water temps for early panfishing efforts.  While the fish aren’t biting real fast, there’s enough action to keep folks interested.  It’s tricky when the fish are wishy-washy, because they require presentation adjustments when they move in and out of cover and from shallow water to deeper water.  When the weather and temps keep moving, so do the panfish in the shallows– so keep the anchor in the boat until you’ve found a good pocket of action.  When I’m searching for panfish, and if there’s not too many trees and stumps in the way, I like to fan cast around the boat with a 1/32 jig with a skirt (try Troo-Floos) tipped with a Berkley Gulp fry ( 1 inch long tiny bodies with a stiff tail).  The fish like the extra color, scent, and the fry help slow the jig’s fall.  Of course, you’ll have to make sure the wind is down when you cast—because the larger lure and light jig catch a lot of wind.  But that’s all a part of the “necessary” recipe.  Two major components that help cast light lures are a long rod (7 foot) with a med-light action and a spool filled with limp 4 lb test mono-filament (Trilene XL),  or Berkley Nanofil.  Both line types are smooth casting and limp.   They’ll usually help get another 10-20 feet further from the boat or bank.  If it’s a super windy day, I’ll clip a bobber above my jig, or add a slip bobber for weight, and then retrieve the bobber and lure back to the boat—erratically.  Once we get through this cool, dark, and wet period, the trees will green, the waters will warm, and the fishing will continue to progress all around Otter Tail County.  Good luck fishing this week—don’t forget the rain jacket.

By, Ross Hagemeister, Meister Guide Service