Ice Fishing Report 2-20-20

The title of this month’s fishing report should be “Staying The Course.”  It has been a winter of stamina and endurance.  Throughout the bulk of our winter fishing season anglers tried, in vain mostly, to get out on Otter Tail County’s lakes only to be ambushed by deep snow, slush, and layers of water and snow.  And we didn’t have to go far!  The horrid conditions loomed just short distances from the shorelines.  Defeat!  The angler attrition rate has been high this winter.  By the end of the first week of February, there were nary a fish house on a lake in Otter Tail County!  The otherwise bustling winter scene in Lakes Country had turned into a landscape of silence.  BUT, in fishing, there is hope!   There is always hope and there is always a way—you just have to want it.  Defeat?  Not so fast.  For the few that decided to stay the course, and to push through the slop (on foot no less), and work themselves into a sweaty frenzy, there were fish to catch.  Yes, for all the misery the ice conditions have brought to ice fishermen this winter, the fishing has actually better than normal years.  I can only speculate that because of the reduction of noise and activity on the ice that the fish were less bothered.  Also, as logic implies, fewer fishermen equals a minimal harvest which greatly benefited those who could make it out to a spot. 
         Thankfully, we’ve made it past the rough patch and ice fishermen are able to get back on the lakes again after an agonizing and depressing January/early February.   Things are finally getting better–the ice in Otter Tail Lakes Country is firming up!  It’s been an exhausting affair–watching the ice “heal.”  Most of the lakes in the county have sizable areas that are oaky for some sort of travel  wether it be travel by foot, ATV, or pickup truck.  Just check and make sure that the ice conditions suit your mode of travel.  For folks who were spooked off the ice during the “wet ice” period, walking may be the preference.  Other anglers, with some precautionary scouting and ice checking, are venturing out with full-sized trucks.  It seems that although most of the ice fishing season has struggled by, there will still be a few weeks of good fishing to enjoy.  And there is more good news;  the forecast favors decent ice conditions for a week or two.  What does that mean?  It means that the ice shouldn’t begin to degrade for a week or two.  That’s right.  Soon we will begin to notice a signs of spring and even a thaw—longer days mark winter’s departure.  High overhead sun and warmth could send what ice we have into rapid decay.  Because of the poor quality of much of the ice in the area (white/gray ice—or flooded ice), it won’t hold up long.  What’s my point?  If you’d like to get some ice fishing in this season, you’ll want to do it in the next few of weeks. 

        The panfish bite has been progressive throughout the county.  Look for suspending fish throughout deep holes in the main-lake basins—especially adjacent to weedy flats.  The good news about the lengthening days, is they are synonymous with panfish feeding and activity.   Each day that passes until the ice comes off is another better day to find fish and catch fish. How?  If you drill a hole, fish for a minute and don’t catch one or “see” one, move.  It’s that simple.  Hard work is 90% of the fishing sport, in terms of production.  Fancy gear and nice clothes don’t catch fish.  Sweat a bit when you fish, then you’ll notice an increase in your catch rate.  And you’ll only need simple insulated pants, a hoodie and one fishing pole and one lure.  Fish are simple critters.  It’s anglers that make it complicated. 
        If you’re hungry for walleye your time is running out in mid Minnesota.  The season for bass, walleye, and northern pike closes Sunday, February 23rd.  Keep an eye out for groups of untouched walleye on weed lines and on deep islands. As the days get longer, walleye typically go into a spring feeding spree and become much more fishable than they were earlier in February.  It’s usually not the intense bite we see in early December, but it can be strong.   Because of the uptick in their feeding, I go back to lures and baits that resembled what I was using in December:  spoons in the 1/8-1/4 oz size, Jigging Rapalas, and large minnows like suckers and shiners on set-lines (dead sticks).  If you fish aggressively, and don’t get results, just scale back a bit and go smaller: small hooks, lighter line, and smaller baits.  You can usually talk them into it.  Good Luck fishing the last few weeks of winter!  By Ross Hagemeister, meisterguideservice.com