Fall Fishing Is Just Around The River Bend!
Hello Fishermen and Fishing-Gals from everywhere!
Wondering when the best time to visit Otter Tail Lakes Country for a fishing trip? Well, you should plan your trip for…NOW!
The fishing remains strong but it’s certainly beginning to change. Change? Yup, but it’s changing for the good. Fall fishing is quickly approaching. What drives fall fishing? Daylight hours. That’s it. When the days get shorter animal patterns tend to change. Fish exit summer haunts and gang up in new areas around the lakes which signifies fall time in the underwater world.
I’ve seen a lot of changes this week, but the bottom line all around the county is that the fish continue feed–you just have to find them. Fish edges and the base of deep drops for panfish. Largemouth and smallmouth bass can be found in and around weeds (deep weed-toped islands are easy, because the fish will show up on sonar). But don’t be afraid to look around shallow rock piles near weedy flats and drop-offs.
Walleye are in an in-between-patterns moment. I’ve been catching walleye in all types of areas: shallow flats, deep islands, weed-lines, I’ve even found them roaming along edges—take your pick. Night crawlers are a good bet but minnows will have their moment too. When it comes to lure selection for walleye right now there’s really no wrong answer: crank baits, jigs/minnows, crawler bottom bouncer rigs, and live bait rigs will all work.
Sunfish are still easy to locate with light bottom bouncers. Once you find fish, put the bouncers away and give them small jigs tipped with Gulp or worm chunks. Crappies are usually within reach of sunfish groups on most Otter Tail County lakes, but they are more choosey about what they eat. I often pitch 1/32 or 1/16 oz jigs tipped with Gulp minnows around areas that I’ve located sunfish and can pick up bonus crappie on the jigs. For northern I’ve been trolling crank baits over weedy islands and along weedy drops. The larger the cranks you troll the larger the pike you’ll attract. Another fine way to fish northern is toss spinner baits over cabbage beds near deep water.
Have a great time fishing Otter Tail Lakes Country this week. Enjoy the fall transition!
Ross Hagemeister
