Walleye Fishing Continues to get Stronger, but they Still Take Some Effort to Find

Hello Fishermen. We had another ice scare last week. At the beginning of the season we couldn’t get the ice-making started, and things stayed sketchy until mid-January. Now we seem to be thawing. It’s not our all-out spring thaw yet, but it sure is a good first effort. My family and I are beginning to think about tapping maple trees—already. I took ice surveys on 3 different lakes in Otter Tail County last week, and saw a noticeable shift in ice quality by mid-day Saturday. I actually drilled several holes that were rotten or “chunky.” I don’t think I’ve ever seen rotten ice, from top to bottom, in February before? The element that most ice fishermen aren’t 100% certain about is how dangerous or safe it is—myself included. The main issue is that we only have around 22–24 inches of ice to begin with, so there’s not a lot of ice to melt. If, and when we do lose another 5 or 6 ices of ice it could very well begin to fall apart. I believe that most of the water that was lying on the ice last week was from snow melt, but I also know that there was deterioration in the over-all ice condition. By late day Saturday, a lot of the water that had been standing on Otter Tail County’s lakes had leached into the ice which means its integrity has been compromised. Keep that in mind when you’re making your ice

fishing plans for the weekend. Also, the public accesses took a beating last week, many of which are impassable—especially if you’re towing a large camping style fish house. If you’re coming to Otter Tail County this week, you should consider keeping things simpler and safer and leave the large houses at home and bring a portable and some 4-wheelers and get a room at a hotel or resort in the area. Walleye fishing continues to get stronger and we’re seeing more large perch too but they still take some effort to find. Northern pike continue to aggressively chase panfish away from pan fishermen so they will still willingly take large-class minnows on tip ups and set lines. Panfish are still lingering in their mid-season patterns but bite well when they are on—but they are still not always on, especially if the northern are chasing, so it’s a flip-flop set up. One of my strongest, panfish lures last week was a plain hook and a single wax worm. For best results for panfish, make sure your fishing line and leaders are nice and limp and your lures aren’t too “loud.” One component I’m watching closely when I’m tying a new lure on is, of course, a sharp hook and also a nice gap in the hook. I bend most of my hooks out a little to make sure I get a hook in the fish. For walleye, just keep drilling along weed lines—both shallow and deep. As the fish continue to get more aggressive as the days get longer, you can use larger baits– similar to the ones you began with in December—spoons tipped with minnow heads are a profitable idea again. Be safe and check for good ice this week in Otter Tail County—ice reports are a starting point but you need to do the final check yourself. Good luck fishing.

Ross Hagemeister, Meister Guide Service