Part 1: Fishing Review and Fishing How-To

The temperature of the water in the back bays of the smaller lakes in Otter Tail Lakes Country is approaching 60 degrees when the sun is out and only drops to about 54 degrees when it’s cloudy.  This is significant.  When the water temps don’t drop below 50 during inclement weather, the panfish don’t seem to leave the shallow areas-or at least they don’t go too far. Once the sun comes out or the weather settles, they quickly return. The water is still a little cool, so I’m not finding panfish in every bay on on every lake. They are still using select bays.  So if you don’t catch a fish in a back bay spot within 10 minutes, they’re probably not there.  A few bays that I’ve fished this week were still very cloudy and full of floating goo-post ice stuff-and the fish were not there. The spots where the water was more settled were the best (a lot of fish).  As mentioned, this type of fishing is pretty cut and dry, they are either there or they are not, so don’t sit and wait for bites. The only adjustments you need to make is to keep changing the depth setting on your bobber.  None-bobber lines work too, as long as the jigs you’re casting are 1/32 or 1/64.  Please don’t cast and retrieve large jigs early in the season!  Yes, you might catch 1 or 2 or 3 fish, but the other 147 fish in the area will ignore you. Cold water/shallow water is about slow-approach fishing.   The best lures seem to be white 1/32 once hair-jigs tipped with pink Gulp fry.  They come in a jar or a small bag. Crappies can’t say no.  Sunfish say, “what the heck.”  It’s good.  I feel the best small-bay, early season panfish fishing in Otter Tail Lakes Country is going to arrive within the week – it’ll lap into the upcoming walleye season.  Get out and get some Otter Tail Lakes Country panfish – they sure are tasty. Also, know that you don’t need limits of them to have a meal or two. Throw some back, save some for next time and next year.

Minnesota Fishing Report by:

Ross Hagemeister
Meister Guide Service