Fishing Across the County is Good.

I’ve taken all the early ice precautions that I know, and now I’m fishing.  Until midday Sunday, the lakes in Ottertail County were quiet.   From what I’ve been seeing around the Ottertail Lakes area is that anglers are being very cautious and careful this season—more then I can ever remember.  The ice that’s on most of the larger lakes in the county seems to be strong ice, but be careful, it’s still early.  The ice thickness on most lakes is suitable for fishing and skating etc., but you should still exercise caution.  My concern from now until there’s about 16 inches of ice is cracking.  When ice forms rapidly like it does this time of year, it’s likely to separate which causes large cracks in the ice which can be very dangerous to cross with ATV’s, fish houses, cars and trucks.  If you see rough ice ahead, slow up and get out and take a look—it might be a pressure ridge, (caused by ice surging together), which is a weak zone.  Like cracks, pressure ridges are stressed areas and can break when crossed.
Fishing across the county is good.  Walleye, perch, sunfish, crappie and northern are all biting.  Finding the fish is probably the greatest challenge, but once you find them they will probably bite. The nice thing about searching for fish on first-ice, is that you can drill a lot of holes very quickly because the ice isn’t very thick.   Cover water quickly especially if you have a “flasher” or sounding device like a Vexlar or Marcum.  They help you see if there are fish near your lure.  Once you “see” some fish slow down a bit and try and hook one to see if it’s what you’re looking for.  My normal approach during the winter months is to fish quite quickly with larger spoon-style lures.  They are heavy enough to get down to the fish and the treble hooks that hang below the lure add extra motion to the lure and create strikes.  Once I get fish to bite, I slow up and try and determine how many fish are there and then decide if I should make a home at that hole/spot.  The ice is clear with a little snow cover all around Otter Tail lakes country, allowing for a lot of light penetration.  Walleye and crappie are still focusing on feeding closer to dawn and dusk, but the sunfish have been biting mid day on flats near weeds and drops.  Walleye and northern are best along weed edges—shallow and deep, and sunfish are best in 10-20 feet.  My tip of the week:  when you’re reeling in a good sized fish, be sure and grab the fish out of the water with your hands, or have your fishing partner scoop the fish out—especially if you’re fishing in a fish house—don’t hoist them out of the water with the fishing line, because they love to fall off and land in the hole.  Good luck fishing Otter Tail Country this week.  Be safe.

By Ross Hagemeister, Meister Guide Service