Late Season Catches Still To Be Had!
Happy almost-deer hunting season every one! Yup, it’s that time of the year again when rods and reels are being traded in for shotguns, rifles and bows. Fishing boats are traded in for duck boats and layout blinds. And, you know what? That’s ok! It is late fall and while there are still fish to be caught in Otter Tail Lakes Country even while the hunting is happening too.
Not only does catching late-season fish become more challenging, but the water and waves and wind and rain become issues as well. Cold water fish are much more responsive to fronts and barometer shifts (I consider “cold water” as 52 degrees and less). Once water temps arrive in the upper 40’s, fishing is a chilly affair and you’ll have to spend a large portion of your fishing time trying to locate fish. That being said, there are still fish to be caught in lakes country!
Walleye are still biting on crawlers and bottom bouncers, and vertical jigging with fatheads and Lindy Rigging with large suckers will also catch nice walleye on the weed lines. Large northern can also be found along the weeds. Use large casting baits—spinner baits, large crank baits, and large sucker minnows over weedy drops. Look for weed covered islands for large mouth bass and steep breaks for gangs of small mouth bass. Remember, if you seek out small mouth bass, it’s a catch and release season only (as of Sept 11).
As for hunting in Otter Tail Lakes Country, check out our 1,000,000,000 lakes and ponds and fields for waterfowl hunting and Otter Tail County’s western prairie region for pheasants. And as mentioned, the 2017 MN deer firearms hunting is upon us starting November 4th. Otter Tail County is chuck full of public hunting lands that house a lot of deer—give it a try.
While the fishing season may be slowing down, you’ll see by the photo of a nice catch-and-release walleye that there are still fish to be caught in Otter Tail County. Notice the nice weather in the picture—cold-water fall walleye respond well to nice weather. It’s also easier to fish for them when the conditions are pleasant.
The first photo is my son and a nice drake ring-necked a.k.a “ring bill” duck, that he got on a recent Lakes Country hunt—nice shot Jonas!
Good luck hunting and fishing in Otter Tail County this week!
Ross Hagemeister | meisterguideservice.com.
