Minnesota Fishing Report: Ross’s Fishing Report

Lucas and Lauren ESR Shirts 2Hi Everyone. Come to Otter Tail Lakes Country this August and catch fish. I love this time of year. It seems very cut and dry. If you’re on one of our 1,100 lakes, targeting a certain species, and you’re not getting any—then change spots and depths etc, or change lakes. For example, when I’m looking for walleye right now, on any given lake across the county, and I try 3 major zones—deep water, weed line/drop off, and shallow (upper edge), and only get small fish and small perch, then it’s time to change lakes. Most species are very willing to eat right now, so if you find some and don’t have the “perfect” lure or presentation down, you’ll still catch a fish or two and then you can fine-tune later or as-needed. Therefore, if you’re not catching anything, they probably aren’t there, or they are so unwilling that you need to move your efforts to a new lake. Panfish and Bass can still be found in and around weeds—both shallow and near drop-off edges, and my personal favorite—deep weed edges (around 20-25 feet deep).

Ross Hagemeister
Ross Hagemeister

Most walleye action around Otter Tail Lakes Country seems to be best in deep water on lakes with deeper basins—look 20-35 feet. For walleye fishing on lakes with shallow basins (max depth of 25-40 feet), concentrate on weed clump, weed lines, and hard bottoms. Don’t worry so much about the depth. It’s common to find feeding walleye in 6-10 feet of water all summer long on these shallow lakes. Most fish species can be located using heavy weight systems like bottom bouncers and spinner rigs tipped with minnows or crawlers. Once you get a bite or catch the right species of fish, stop and fine-tune your rigging to better suite the species. Tip of the week: Throw visual markers out when you find a spot or good school of fish. Using a visual aid is a lot easier than trying to keep track of your GPS trail—especially if you’re busy with other things on board. Good luck fishing this week in Otter Tail Lakes Country. By Ross Hagemeister, meisterguideservice.com