Don’t Forget The Leeches & Crawlers!

Hello Anglers. The lake temps in Ottertail Lakes Country are continuing to rise – the average lake temp is about 64 degrees already!  That’s about 10 days ahead of what’s considered “normal” this time of year.  What does that mean?  It means that the crappie spawn is in full-swing and will be done on many lakes by the weekend and, for sure, next week.  Largemouth bass are spawning as well and sunfish are staging in their pre-spawn locations (which is usually over weeds and weed lines near the first-drop).  Walleye and northern are feeding all around Lakes Country and are beginning to exhibit summer tendencies.  

You no longer need shiner minnows to catch walleye, but sure and bring leeches and crawlers to the lake!  Your presentations should be changing too.  As the spring progresses and the water continues to warm, by natures, all species become more assertive and will strike at baits moving at faster horizontal speeds.  Even though fishing, over all, is getting stronger across Otter Tail County, do not forget to exercise caution.  Don’t assume walleye will do the same thing everyday.  In fact, they’ve been shifting their locations very often lately, so be on the alert for changing patterns—it still is spring, and spring is all about change.

Good luck fishing this week in Ottertail Lakes Country.  The fish are biting so if you’re not catching what you’re looking for, you need to change spots or move to a new lake all together—we have lots of lakes to choose from here!  Please remember to drain all the water from your boat and check for weeds.  Let’s keep aquatic invasive species out of the lakes!

Ross Hagemeister  meisterguideservice.com