Otter Tail County is Full of Ice Fishing Buzz

Otter Tail County is full of ice fishing buzz.  It’s wonderful.  Thanks to super cold temps over the past couple of weeks, thelakes in Otter Tail Lakes Country are finally feeling solid.  Most anglers have traded their ATVs in for pickup trucks—myself included.  As usual, please check the ice before driving out, especially if it’s a lake that hasn’t had much vehicle travel yet.  As for the fishing, last week was a strong walleye bite on several of the larger-class lake in the county like Ottertail and Clitheral.  But walleye are beginning to be a bit more particular and they have been selecting low light hours as their feeding times.  Shiners are working as well as small-sized spoons tipped with minnow heads.  Consider using plain hooks under your bobber or set lines.  It seems that in the day and age of fancy colored lures, anglers often overlook a plain hook and a split shot 10 inches above it.  I prefer colored hooks over colored lead lures most days.  Gold, Blues, and Yellow Chartreuse seem to be the most consistent colors for walleye around Otter Tail County.  In my opinion, panfish are always biting somewhere around the Otter Tail Lakes Country.  If one lake doesn’t seem to work then just drive a few miles away and the next lake might work.   Look for panfish on weed edges, directly over weeds or try suspended panfish that just tend to float off of weedy drops near deeper water.  I’ve actually caught panfish in all

three types of locations this week.  Northern pike abound in Lakes Country.  Fish weedy flats near panfish and perch areas, or try weedy drop offs—most of the pike I’ve been seeing in my guide service are coming on weedy breaks.  Shiner minnows or large suckers will due.  Good Luck in Otter Tail Lakes Country this week.

By Ross Hagemeister/ Meister Guide Service