Longer days, more time to fish

Hello anglers everywhere! Things are changing around Otter Tail Lakes Country. Have you noticed that the days are getting longer? The sun is getting higher in the sky everyday, and when it’s behind clouds it has significant warming value — it feels radiant again. I find hope in our lengthening days. It already seems as though the fish are making positive adjustments to it. I’m finding active panfish near weeds again. Weeds respond to light and brighter days and the whole food chain follows suit. Spots that I checked a couple of weeks ago, now have loads of fish. This is good news.

While fishing in late January and early February, still requires trial-and-error efforts and guessing and hole drilling, it can certainly be productive. I’ve also been seeing positive moments from walleye. It won’t be long and the walleye will be a lot easier again. Sunfish/crappie and northern pike have certainly been the species with the most spunk lately—they have responded well to our longer days. When you find panfish right now, you’ll likely find active northern and some lazy large mouth bass.

A popular thing to do is to set a tip-up near your sunfish hole to help catch the northern that would otherwise snip your light panfish line off. My family really enjoy eating northern, so they are always a welcome bonus when we fish for meals, and they are great fighters and are a “big” species kids really love to catch. Keep picking away at your mid/late season fishing—it’s getting easier.

Remember, for walleye, keep drilling holes and be set up at dusk and dawn or you’ll miss the bite. Once they start feeding more constant again, mid-day walleye will be normal, but we’re just not there yet. Good luck fishing Otter Tail Lakes Country this week!

Ross Hagemeister, meisterguideservice.com