Plenty of fish still to be caught in 1,100 OTC lakes
We have finally hit a mid-January slow down around Otter Tail Lakes Country. Don’t get me wrong, there are still lots of fish to catch. After all, there are more than 1,100 lakes in Otter Tail County. I’m simply talking about the big easy. It seemed to go longer than most years this year. Finding quality fishing was more or less easy until just early last week. Instead of finding good fishing at most spots, it takes more work and sweat to find good fishing, but good fishing is there—you just to work to find it.
Lake conditions continue to be very good around lakes country, so getting around on the ice and being able to search for fish is pretty easy. Just because the fish have become more particular, doesn’t mean you can’t catch them. You just have to be careful, and remember that it’s late January and not early December. Put your large lures away and re-spool your reels with lighter line and the fish will start biting again.
Look for panfish near weeds and weedy flats in 8–12 feet of water. If they don’t seem to be using weeds, then check out holes and pits in the lake’s basin. Search for deep panfish is usually easier than searching for weed-bound ones. Deep fish show up on Vexlar and Marcum units because they usually suspend quite high off the bottom. If you try and locate fish in and near shallow weedy areas, you’ll have to fish every hole you drill. For walleye, fish classic structure and weed lines for the best concentrations of nice walleye.
As mentioned, it’s a difficult time of the year for walleye, so make sure your hooks are sharp and your drag is set right, because you don’t want to lose too many. Northern continue to be active around lakes country. Fish break lines next to deep water. Try and find schools of perch or sunfish and there will usually be pike very close by. I like fishing next to deep water on larger deep lakes because pike like to eat tullibee which spend much of their time suspending over the depths.Good Luck fishing this week in Otter Tail County!
By Ross Hagemeister | meisterguideservice.com
