Walleye Continue to Bite at Selective Hours Around the County.

Hello from Otter Tail Lakes Country.  Walleye continue to bite at selective hours around the county.  They have gone into a strict feeding schedule:  the first is early—6:00 a.m. until about 8:00 a.m. and then you will wait most of the day for the next run which picks up at about 5:00 p.m. and might go until 6:30 p.m.  If you’re an “overnighter” and have a fish house that sleeps and you can fish all night long, then you’ll have off-and-on action throughout the night—especially on lakes with better water clarity.  As we draw closer to mid-February, I anticipate changes in the walleye feeding schedule.  There should be more mid-day feeding, so anglers won’t have to depend on dusk and dawn for action.  For mid-day action around Ottertail County, seek out panfish and  northern.  Pike and panfish are abundant around the

county.  Look for sunfish and crappie on weedy flats in about 9-12 feet of water.  I usually make mention of panfish and pike (and bass too) at the same time, because where you find one you’re likely to find the other.  Northern are still very active, so when you find a school of sunfish, you’ll probably get visits from northern.  When you come to Ottertail County, and choose a lake or lakes to fish, be sure you read the MN fishing regulations to learn if there are any restrictions or special regulations on that particular lake.  Some lakes in the county have reduced panfish limits and restricted sizes on certain species—especially crappie, bass, and walleye and northern.  If you earnestly want to catch fish and have a targeted species in mind when you fish Ottertail Lakes Country this week, I believe the fish are biting, so if you’re not catching then you need to drill more holes.  Fish fast, but try not to be sloppy (there’s a fine line).  If one lake doesn’t give you the action you want, then put the gear in your truck and try a different lake.  Find the drop offs, near weedy flats and use lures that can fish quickly and tip them with a wax worm (for panfish) and with minnow parts for walleye.  Once you find a fish, slow down and determine of the spot is worth setting up for the day. Good luck and the lakes this week.

By Ross Hagemeister, Meister Guide Service