Ice fishing remains at a stand still in Otter Tail County.
Ice fishing remains at a stand still in Ottertail County. What little ice fishing there was following the Thanksgiving time frame has all but ceased. The ice that remained on Otter Tail County’s smaller-class lakes got just too soft for anglers. I haven’t seen people on lakes now for nearly a week. Ice anglers across the region are excited to get on the lakes and it seems like a dangerous mix. Exercise extreme caution. Too make matters a bit worse this week, like other areas, the Otter Tail Lakes area is getting several inches of snow today. With this snow, comes the danger of walking on lakes that are already treacherous and now the visual danger cues are going to be buried under snow—watch your step! Also, when our temperatures dip over the weekend and become cold enough to make ice, the lakes that have ice now and are covered up with snow, will be insulated and will not make new ice—ouch. On a positive note (finally) there are several good fishing lakes in Otter Tail Country that have remained ice-less so far this season. When the temps hit sub-zero tomorrow and Saturday, ice will come and it will make quality ice. Be careful not to rush out too soon. Let the lakes solidify. If the wind and snow stay away, they should make ice pretty quick. Foot travel only, to begin your fishing. Bring a fishing partner, carry a cell phone, bring a chisel to test the ice, and wear a life jacket. When you deem the ice safe, find and fish areas close to shore and where other folks can see you. Stay away from lazy. Leave your ATV in the shed for the first time or two out.
For your first fishing effort of the season, remember to think seasonally. Think first ice. Walleye and crappie will
likely be feeding just before sundown and for the first two hours of daylight in the morning—and then it’s not uncommon to have long mid-day lulls. The first walleye of the season are usually pretty active and are used to feeding on larger minnow foods, so don’t be shy to use large minnows like 3-6 inch suckers and shiners. If you like to spoon jig, larger spoons that are 1/4 oz and larger are good bets. As the season gets later/longer, however, scale down a bit. For pike, sunfish and bass, mid day should be fine, just be aware of noise and movement—they can actually see you and feel you through a few inches of ice. There might be a little wait before the fish come back to your holes after you make them—especially if the water is clear (which it usually is this time of year), and you’re shallower then 12 feet. If the sunnies are deeper, then they shouldn’t spook as easily. I like to use small treble hooked spoons to search for panfish. They are a catch-all. They get nice sunnies, bonus crappies, large bass, and of course, quick pike. I said a lot in this report and update—yes, the prospect of ice fishing Ottertail County should become reality over the course of the upcoming week—after the cold snap, but you need to be very careful and don’t assume the lake is safe just because it’s late December and we had -0 temps. Waiting is the best advisement I can give. Hang in there, safe ice will come soon enough and when it does, I’ll see you in Otter Tail Lakes Country.
By Ross Hagemeister, Meister Guide Service LLC
