Test The Ice First!
Hello anxious anglers everywhere!
The wait for safe ice continues but it looks like the wait will end soon! After yesterday’s storm passed, it brought cold air into Otter Tail Lakes Country. It feels like ice fishing weather and better yet, it’s beginning to feel a bit like Christmas.
Other good news about the storm is that we were spared by the snow. We only got a dusting, which is good news for all of the lakes in the county that had kept their ice throughout the 2 week warm spell we just had. While the ice did not leave many small-class lakes, it softened it considerably. Now those lakes have a head start over the larger lakes in the county that had “iced off.”
Don’t let the cold temps and the old ice fool you, however. Treat any ice in the next week as new ice, the leftover ice from a couple of weeks ago was pretty junky. Anyway, give all your first-ice efforts a good test. Bring a chisel or heavy chipping bar and make sure you know what you’re walking on. Tossing a rock at the ice from shore, is not a qualified test unless you’re throwing a rock that matches your body weight.
For fishing, if you should find safe ice, head for the weeds—they are always worth a try. See what’s there. There should be panfish near weedy flats—if they are not on weedy flats, look at deep holes or open areas near weed flats and weedy island areas. If you’re close to panfish, you should catch some pike or largemouth bass too. For walleye, try fishing areas that you caught fish at this fall or also try areas that are good in late May or June and don’t be afraid to use large minnows like suckers and shiners. Tipping a spoon with a minnow head is always a good option in early December. Walleye are aggressive this time of the year, so rattles and larger spoons and Jigging Raps should work well.
Stay safe and be smart on first ice. If it doesn’t seem like you should be walking on the ice (gut feeling), then head back to the house and make a pizza and hang another string of Christmas lights. At the risk of sounding old—fish aren’t worth dying for. Let the ice and cold sit for a week and by next week, things should be set up nicely.
Stay warm this week!
Ross Hagemeister | meisterguideservice.com
