Fishing Report 5-27-20

By Erik Osberg

When I get asked how to catch more fish, my response is usually the same. I believe the best way to catch more fish is to go fishing more often. I don’t say this to be cute or witty, I mean it. If catching more fish is the goal, then you have to be willing to dedicate more time to the process. You have to be willing to fail.

Case in point, my son and I heard about a good crappie bite in Otter Tail County over the weekend. I wasn’t given GPS coordinates or anything, just knew the name of the lake. By the time we got to the lake on Monday night, it was already after 7pm. It was a shallow water crappie bite (3-6 feet of water), so we were sight fishing. Just cruising the weed edges and looking for fish. There was already a boat where we wanted to start, so we did the neighborly thing and fished a different weed edge. We were covering new-to-us water and had limited results. The other boat stayed put, so we decided it was ok to work our way back. We saw more fish, caught a few, but it still wasn’t great, so we moved again. Spot number three was pretty much a bust. With time, and daylight, running out, we went to spot #4. We could barely see bottom and with the sun setting, seeing fish was more difficult. However, the move(s) paid off. We finished with a flurry of some very nice crappies.

Most importantly, when we go back, we will have first hand intel and will know where to start. It is possible the fish won’t be there, but we can learn from our failures and apply that knowledge to out next outing. All that being said, below are a few tips that will hopefully help you on your next trip.

CRAPPIES/BLUEGILLS

The spawn is on in many of the lakes in Otter Tail County. Water temps are finally settling into the low to mid 60’s range. We’ve witnessed as high as 69º F. Crappies can be found in 1-6 feet of water, relating to their beds. We typically rig up with a small jig & plastic and as I described above, just cruise along the drop-off, only stopping once we’ve seen the fish. The good news is this can be a blast, just watching the fish. The not-so-good news is there is no coaxing them into biting. If they don’t hit your lure on the initial drop, it’s best to just keep moving. Please keep in mind that these fish are vulnerable. If we want to keep this area as a premiere panfish destination, we need to practice selective harvesting.

Bluegills are starting to show up in the shallows, they should be spawning soon. Same techniques would apply, but if you want to catch bluegills now, I would recommend working the deeper side of the drop-offs, find good weeds and you should find the gills.

BASS/PIKE

There’s nothing quite as fun as being able to fish fast and get in some heavy hook-sets. Smallmouth bass have been shallow 8-4 feet of water as have the largemouth. Much like the crappies, bass are either just entering, in the midst of, or finishing their spawn. Bass are a great option if you are into catch and release. We’ve been using jerk baits like a Rapala Husky Jerk (#10) or the Berkley Cutter (110). These lures allow you to make long casts, which can be critical as you want to keep your distance so you don’t spook the fish. A classic spinner rig can also be very effective. Color is a personal choice, we usually start with black, but dark blues, whites or chartreuse are always close by.

If you know how to clean them, northern pike can make great table fare. Make sure to check the regulations on the lake you are fishing, but there is a chance you can keep 10 pike in most of the waters in Otter Tail County (again, check the MN DNR regs to make sure the lake you are fishing allows that). We are in what is considered the North-central Zone, all pike 22-26 inches must be immediately released, and you are allowed two fish over 26 inches. We have been catching pike trolling crank baits in 7-10 feet of water. I prefer a #5 or #7 Berkley Flicker Shad or a Rapala Shad Rap.

WALLEYES

I haven’t targeted walleyes much since opening weekend. The panfish and bass have kept me entertained. I’ve heard many walleyes are still very shallow, like 4-6 feet of water shallow and sometimes as little as 2 feet of water. Jerk baits can work for walleyes as well. On a recent smallmouth trip, I was lucky enough to catch this 25 inch walleye in 4 feet of water. Another way to target shallow water walleyes is a 1/16 jig tipped with a shiner. Once again, a long cast is crucial.

As I am writing this, we are experiencing our warmest day of the spring. So as water temps rise and weeds start to grow all of this information may become less relevant. We all have busy lives and we aren’t always able to dedicate more time to fishing. So if you are visiting the area and want increase your odds of success, I highly recommend you hire a local guide. For at least one day of your trip. Ross Hagemeister of Meister Guide Service, Bret Setterholm of Bret’s Guide Service and Randin Olson of Lock Jaw Guide Service are usually very in-tune with what’s happening on the water.