Otter Tail Country Fishing

Hey everybody. Spring has sprung. It's a crazy early summer thing
and we have to be careful to not get too carried away with prematurely
preparing for walleye fishing, which is still over three weeks away.
I've been bumping into friends and folks in the Ottertail area lately
and they, like myself, have noticed the shiner minnows are in full
spawn. I've already seen several locations where I figure the shiners
to be past mid-spawn. The female shiners eggs are clearly showing on
their dorsal side—a sack-type feature folks in the industry refer to
as a saddle-back. What I've also been learning is folks are trapping
and keeping shiners—ALREADY!
Sure they are spawning right now in mass (a very good run infact), and
while they are easy to catch, I feel it's way too early to hold on to
them—especially since the water is warming so quickly. Wholesale bait
operations who have the equipment and facilities to keep shiners alive
pre-season don't even keep minnows until two weeks before the season.
It's tough to let nice, big healthy shiners swim by and not take a dip
at them, but we have to. It's just too early. The minnows in your
trap will die and you'll have to catch new ones anyway. Not too
mention it's a spawning opportunity missed for a bunch of dead
shiners. Also, keep in mind that because the shiners began running
almost 5 weeks before the walleye opener, there's a really good chance
you won't need shiners for bait at all this season—especially on small
and mid-sized lakes. For now, enjoy the nice weather--Ross
Hagemeister/ meisterguideservice.com

The spring of 2010 is a fisherman's dream come true.  Our unusually warm spring, coupled with a thinner-then-normal maximum ice thickness last winter (25"-28" respectively) on most lakes ensured early ice-out in the Ottertail Lakes area.  The ice came off most lake in the area around the 2^nd of April and the water's been warming ever since.  Warm water (main lakes and rivers are in the upper 40's and low 50's; back bays and swampy areas are pushing upper 50's and low 60's—based on mid-day temps) and plenty of nice days to spend on the bank or in a boat has prompted some great early pan fishing--and catching.

What to look for?  Lakes that have definable bays and backwaters that are 6 feet deep in the middle and have a gradual gradation to shore are the best/easiest places to find crappies and sunfish.  And the bays and backwaters that have dark mucky bottoms and covered in dead vegetation and/or timber are the best of the best.  Use the smaller sized jig heads 1/32-1/64 tipped with live bait or Gulp products, or plain hooks or ice fishing tear drops tipped with live bait or Gulp will work well too. I like smaller bobbers that don't make a big slash when they hit the water but are heavy enough so I can cast them out to spooky fish that are boat shy. 

Fishing is good right now, so if strikes aren't happening at a pretty fast pace you should keep recasting until you find a "bite" or altogether move to a new location.  Also, be careful if you catch fish species that are not in season.  Bass and northern, which are out of season until mid and late May, will be hanging with the panfish (it's a food thing).  If you catch accidentals, don't mess with the fish.  If they have your tiny panfish hooks swallowed, cut the lines and release them ASAP.  Don't dig the hooks out of their throats and gullets and don't let them flop around the boat floor, release them as carefully as possible.  Good luck this spring and have fun with all of the 2010 early season fishing opportunities.  Ross  Hagemeister / Meister Guide Service