Don’t Forget The Minnows!
It’s amazing how the lakes have changed! It seems like just yesterday I was submitting a fishing report that boasted the water had warmed to 52 degrees (in May), now the water temps have cooled to 52 degrees – time sure flies!
As the water temps continue to drop, the fish of fall have two faces—happy or not happy. 
Walleye in particular seem to be very temperamental or shifty when the water temps near the 40 degree range. It’s common, in Otter Tail Lakes Country, to experience very slow walleye fishing for the first hour or two on the lake…and then…catch a whole bunch 3 hours into your outing! Little things like wind direction changes, changes in light levels, or wind speed fluctuation turn the fish on as fast as they turn the fish off.
It’s minnow time for walleye on most lakes around Otter Tail County. Be sure to bring a good selection with! I usually bring 6 dozen along to make sure I have enough good minnows. What constitutes a “good” minnow? Well, when you grab them from your bait bag/bucket, they should feel strong in your grip. They should be zippy when they hit the lake after you hook them and don’t be afraid to grab larger minnows—4-7 inch minnows are not ridiculous—they’re actually what walleye like! When my minnows get lazy or injured I almost always replace them. Use sucker minnows, red tails, or rainbow chubs (if you can find them). I typically don’t use shiners until the ice comes on.
The walleye seem to like an “average” leader length (Lindy Rig fishing)—long leader and short leaders are not working well. Northern Pike are “busy” once again in Otter Tail Lakes Country. Just super-size your minnows and pull them along drop-offs under bobbers hooked onto quick-strike rigs. You can also troll with large crank baits near cabbage weed zones. Panfishing is a bit more difficult right now. Many panfish are setting up in a deeper patterns and can often be tight against the bottom in basin areas—so they might require more looking then they did a few weeks ago.
Have fun fishing Otter Tail Lakes Country this week.
Ross Hagemeister
