Swimming through Summer!

July 23, 2022

Fishing report for Otter Tail Lakes Country

We have been swimming through Summer. The Otter Tail County area has had some extremely warm days and warm nights. As visitors to our area a lot of people have been extremely happy to have their “Summer” arrive. But for us fishermen it has brought a lot of struggles. As water temperatures have been skyrocketing pushing a lot of fish deeper than they normally are at this time of the year.

Fishing Tips

We have been having good luck still pulling Lindy Rigs and jigging on the edges of weeds. At the bait store the person asks what you need, you may need to say “YES” to everything. We have been seeing the bite change per spot and throughout the day on that same spot so having an assortment available is key. Our best bite has been on minnows. I’ve been targeting that 2-3.5 inch minnow with a single hook through the nostril trolling 0.3-0.7 mph with only a bead on the leader.

We have also had luck finding the edges of the new growth of weeds and targeting that structure first then adjusting accordingly. This presentation resulted in a nice 26 inch walleye being landed in the boat on our last trp. I’m hearing lots of guys pulling crawlers. I personally am not the biggest fan because as I troll I’m using Livescope to hunt for the fish. I’m seeing HUGE schools of bluegills sitting in 18-24 feet of water and none of my trips have been wanting to target panfish.

Focusing on mid lake and sunken islands has been producing big fish but it’s been irregular. Using your Side Imagining graphs can help you cut a lot of “dead water” and will increase your chances of catching. You might not get many bites, but when you did it was producing picture quality fish. Remember to bring extra hooks because it’s easier on the fish. If you cut the line and replace your plain hook then try to remove your hook and kill the fish.

Book Today

If interested in booking a trip contact Cody today at 218-443-3813 or [email protected] our summers will be ending sooner than we would like to admit. For additional fishing tips visit https://ottertaillakescountry.com/interactive-map/?fwp_place_categories=fishing-hunting