Fish Patterns “Falling” Into Place

What a great summer it’s been in Otter Tail Lakes Country! The weather was awesome and the fishing was great! Summer is waning and we are well into fall fishing now. Just being on the lake and seeing all of the spectacular fall colors from the lake is worth getting out. Not only are we seeing fall all around lakes country, but the fish are doing their fall “thing” too.

While I’m still catching plenty of walleye on worms right now, minnows are a strong bet (that’s a hint). Red tails, suckers and fatheads all have their place in the fall walleye fishing arena. Red tails and suckers work well on Lindy Rig style set-ups and fatheads are a nice small bait to stick on a jig. If you’re not getting a bite on a minnow, and you know for sure that you’re over walleye, your minnow either died or it’s not on your hook anymore—that’s how well minnows should work when the water temp is in the mid-60’s.

Northern pike are continuing to be active and we are seeing more and more of them hanging around walleye and perch schools, and, of course, they are always within shot of sunfish. Panfish are making major shifts as well. Crappie are easiest to find on shallow lakes where they can’t escape into deep zones. Check out the edges of weed clumps, stumps and debris areas. If those don’t produce then you’ll have to start scanning mid lake holes and depressions.  Keep an eye on your graph for marks and clusters of suspended fish—those would be crappie! Sunfish will find refuge with crappie in the deeper holes and the base of drops on some lakes, while they will snug into the weeds and weedy flats on others.

Check out the photos I’ve accompanied this week.  I love photos of “the catching.”  Seeing a rod bend never gets old to me.  The whole while the rod is bent, we should always wonder what’s on the other end of the line—it’s what fishing and catching is really about!  

Ross Hagemeister | meisterguideservice.com