rush lake

[goosekiller9]

any body know about this lake. and where to fish.

seen some pics of nice crappies. any info would help.

thanks again

gk

[goosekiller9]

i guess i'll just have to find out for myself

[hhguide]

Its amazing How it works 300+ Views with no information! If I had any Id give you some but I wont be up there into the ice is out!

[fishlakeman]

There's a good case of lock-jaw on this forum throughout the year. A TON of LEECHING!!!! The leeching is the reason for the lockjaw. I fish the region probably 15 times a year minimum, and find it to host the most unethical fisherman in the State. It isn't worth giving out information because either you'll have 10 boats throw their anchor into yours, or be fishing next to 40 new houses on the ice. The "locals" own the lakes up here, and if u ain't from the area, you crowdin in on their spot, don't matter whose there 1st.

General information such as depth, midlake or shoreline structure, and success is generally accepted on the bigger lakes.

I am happy to give RESPONSIBLE information to the people that need it, but will not feed the local leeches that swarm this OT forum everyday looking to put their perm out in the recent posted hotspot. Otter Tail County reminds me of high school. You have the popular click that can get by doing anything, because their getting judged by there fellow populars, throw in a new kid into that school and he just gets eaten up no matter if he was the star quarterback or the top of his class; don't matter cause he ain't won of them.

I will pm you, or email you goosekiller with a good lake to try in the area that I've had good success with decent fish recently. Sorry for the rant, but fishing the area consistently for the past 15 years at my families place, I have found this to be the way it is. There are some great locals that belong to this site, and help anytime they can. The moderators especially for OtterTail are great, and I certainly wouldn't put them in with the category. It is the ones who haven't even registered on this site that visit it daily that I have a problem with; the same rednecks I meet on the lakes that will come pull up within 3 feet of ur boat after u catch a fish.

[goosekiller9]

hey thanks guys.

i'm going to try the lake on sat.

one of my budies lives in fergus falls. he's the one

who told me about it. couple other lakes i fish in

the area are west battle and big pine. never fished rush.

what about stalker ??? any thing worth trying

have a god one and god luck on the open water.

thanks again

gk

[bigbluepirahna]

Goose killer,

I know most guys aren't very quick to help put you on the fish around Ottertail, but that's because most of us have gotten burnt in the past. If you tell one person, they tell 5 people, and it goes like wildfire. Have you heard of Norway lake, just to name one. This forum is good for hearing about ice conditions, regulation questions, and just getting excited about fishing and talking general strategy. It's not good for giving out exact fishing spots or even lakes for a specific species. I can tell you that the crappies should be biting on Rush. Try the deeper water holes off the river on the west side. Good luck. Email me and I'll give you specific help. mnfishingspots at yahoo

bigbluepirahna.

[B. Amish]

 Originally Posted By: hhguide

Its amazing How it works 300+ Views with no information!

i think that is the answer right there why people shy away from giving information. anytime anyone mentions crappies on this forum, just watch the number of views it gets.

i've seen rush get abused before by people coming in when the bite was well publicized. and a lot of them were from miles away, and a lot of folks were double dipping limits. one limit in the morning and one limit in the evening.

why should the locals feel obligated to share information with people from the cities or st cloud? if you want to know if the fish are biting, then go fishing! don't go on the internet and "scout" for spots.

[fish-n-fool]

I've never fished rush.. Usually skip around to a bunch of different lakes during the year. Tried Stalker a few times, but only during the summer (trolling) Not a bad lake, but has lots of sand bars thru the lake..(got a few really nice bass out of that lake, tho')

[ChuckN]

I wish I could give you some reports, but it's been quiet. Haven't fished it since July and haven't iced it in years, however, I've been thinking of trying it again.

Personally, I would go to Rush before any of your other lake suggestions. Look for weeds and keep moving till you find fish. There are popular spots to fish, but I try to get away from the crowds and look for shallow weedy flats not far from deep water. I usually find crappies and gills active all day, so keep moving till you find some. The LakeMaster chip of Rush is invaluable for this lake.

[Bigcat1]

B.Amish- you hit the nail on the head. I can count the number of people i run into on rush that either live on the lake or are considered "locals." Most of the time it's- I'm from St. Cloud, Fargo, etc... Me personally; I like to catch fish, keep a few from time to time and release most--- i haven't run into many non-locals with that mentality- it seems to be more- we drove up here and we are taking fish.

[bigbluepirahna]

bigcat, you're exactly right. i have heard this many times of us "locals" that we won't share spots. we are in the heart of everything here so people will come from anywhere it seems to fish the lakes in this area. The problem we've found with sharing spots is that anyone who travels over 30 miles thinks they have to take a limit home to make it worth it. Just come, fish, have fun, and bring a few home for a meal. While you're here, try a couple different lakes or spots and don't pound the same one day and night for a week. it really only takes 1 to 2 fish to feed a person for a meal. Shop the local shops and hit the restaurants while you're here too. i have started sharing spots because it seems people are getting better about releasing more fish. The more spots we know, the funner it is, the more fish we can catch, and we can release them knowing that there's a million other spots to go catch fish.

[goosekiller9]

b amish.

that's exactly what i'm going to do. go find out

for my self.

never said you where obligated to give me any thing

if thats the way the locals act up there then so be it. just rememeber what comes around goes around.

[dfischer4]

Goosekiller

I can tell you since I fished the lake most of the winter and we did really well on both walleyes and crappies. Most of the crappies came in about 28 feet of water west of the St. Lawrence access. They definately were not as plentyful as in the past few years but still good. Sizes were great. Hope this helps.

[B. Amish]

 Originally Posted By: goosekiller9

never said you where obligated to give me any thing

if thats the way the locals act up there then so be it. just rememeber what comes around goes around.

i wasn't directing this at you. it's just a generalized answer as to why us "locals" aren't quick to give out information over a public forum. especially one as popular as this.

some of these lakes us "locals" have spent our entire fishing careers trying to figure out. what works and what doesn't. where the fish are biting and where they aren't.

it's like if you bring a bud fishing and you ask him not to tell anyone where you're going. then you go out and catch a bunch of fish. then, your buddy tells a couple people, and those couple people tell a couple people... the next thing you know your secret spot ain't so secret anymore.

except with the internet, now it's a couple thousand people instead of just a couple

[DOOM]

I have fished rush before I moved. good lake with lots and lots of humps, and structure. The lake is so big that you have to move around alot and find them. Sometimes it takes a little elbowgrease to find the fish. It is one thing to tell people what lake they are biting on, but it is another thing to tell them where on the lake they are biting. The thrill of fishing is finding them on your own. Thats my opinion!!

[dreynolds93]

 Originally Posted By: goosekiller9

b amish.

if thats the way the locals act up there then so be it. just rememeber what comes around goes around.

my family built a cabin on rush a few years ago and for the most part we've found our way around on our own. course we've gotten some tips from neighbors but it's one of those u scratch my back i scratch yours. rush got pounded for crappies for awhile, so people around here are a little protective. i don't think the "locals" up here are any different then "locals" all over the state. it's everyman for himself! have fun and get out of my fishing hole!

[HOT SPOT]

I am from Fergus Falls, and I fish all the local lake and for that fact non local lakes. I totally agree w B. Amish why should the locals do the dirty work for the non locals can come and wreck it for everyone.

Im not saying every one is like that but there seem to be alot of them that house humped me this year.

[hhguide]

All there asking for is if they are biting or Not their not saying give me the exact cords. People just want to know if there getting any and maybe morning or evening? bait used? I know that I dont want to give out my best spots no one does everyone has to do there own "dirty work" but thats the fun in fishing! most people just want to know if the fish are biting or if its not worth the drive. Thanks for in the information though! i have only fished rush once last summer for walleyes and probably wont be back until this summer again!

[Bluegill1510]

 Originally Posted By: Bigcat1

B.Amish- you hit the nail on the head. I can count the number of people i run into on rush that either live on the lake or are considered "locals." Most of the time it's- I'm from St. Cloud, Fargo, etc... Me personally; I like to catch fish, keep a few from time to time and release most--- i haven't run into many non-locals with that mentality- it seems to be more- we drove up here and we are taking fish.

So True!

 Quote:

why should the locals feel obligated to share information with people from the cities or st cloud? if you want to know if the fish are biting, then go fishing! don't go on the internet and "scout" for spots.

Bigcat, Bigblue, and B. Amish, I totally agree with all of you guys. I've posted similar to this on previous posts under the Mille Lacs forum (ML,where I didn't grow up not to far from), where people would ask for a report/fishing biting and I would tell em, if you want to know if the fish are biting just come up and go fish the area you just asked about & told the world too. But then I ended up just get ganged up on by all people from the cities or southern Minnesota, so in my opinion they can have that lake and that slot if its that important to em. (I just have a pet peeve when lake names are mentioned on here along with a particular species to fish for or noted for.)

Since then I moved to Bemidji for college and spent the last few years fishing there. I've seen this happen, where people will come up and expect a report or will want to know exactly where the fish are biting, and I've just learned to respond as in saying "in the lake" or ask "Where ya from?" when ask these type of questions. Then they usually get the hint to leave me alone or quit asking me questions period.

I agree as many other locals in the area or in your guy's area have spent years on end to figure out those lakes and the fish patterns, I'm in the same boat and when I do get on good spot or bite I'm not going to tell anyone, thats why I know I'd make a bad guide cuz I'd never want to show or give out any of the spots I fish, no matter the size of the lake. Way to much technology and information out there that can ruin a lake if not handled correctly and that gets pretty much raped. This post isn't intended to anyone on this thread im just saying I agree with the ottertail locals here, and that just becareful of the information you post on here, because its a fine line in giving to much or saying to little.

Funny side note on this topic a Bemidji local always told me he wishes they would make a big wall across the state at Brainerd straight east to Wisconsin and west to North Dakota and he said if anyone wanted to come to northern minnesota past brainerd from down south they would have to pay a fee to do so! I got a kick out of that idea....what do you guys think?

[wheredafugowee]

Congratulations Big cat, big blue, b amish and most of all Bluegill 1510 on being from "up north" and living the dream. What I don't understand is why you guys spend so much time talking down about other sportsman that are stuck "down South" and get up north every chance we can; when you can be out fishing. There are bad people everywhere, up North or from the city. So please spend less time degrading us, and we will spend more money when we fish in your area, supporting your local economy. If you ever run into me on one of "your" lakes and it's noon or later, I'll share a beer with you and discuss these issues further. Beer that I probably bought at someone you know's liqour store, and I'll be fishing with bait from the local shop and chomping on some chips from the same joint. So why are you wasting time picking on a guy when you should be out fishing?

[fishlakeman]

Well, I guess I opened up a huge can of worms here. I really messed up, coming across saying it's only the locals. My bad. It's just that all the lakes in the region that I've fished here, I’ve experienced the unethical [PoorWordUsage]. Whether it's the NoDak'ers, locals, 612'ers, there’s probably an = share to the blame.

If you do focus in on what I said, I did say that no one should give specific information on this site for the sake of the 100's of people leeching every day. I don't care if you’re from Fergus, Fargo, Wadena, Minneapolis, etc. it's not a good idea to give a spot, unless you want 10 boats of 40 houses next to you on this OT forum.

This site is all about RESPONSIBLE posting. If someone is driving 300 miles to a lake, and wants to know if it's worth the $100’s of dollars it will cost them to get there and fish for a day is worth it, I guess I don't mind telling them about my recent success or failure. If it's a small lake, I won't answer, or I'll send them an email for the lake’s protection. If it's a big lake, What's the problem with telling them you caught a few fish, and then give them maybe a depth or a tactic that worked. There’s times when a lake has a big baitfish hatch, and no matter how well u know the lake, fishing is gonna be tough. Most of the time that’s what people want to know, because that's what FM is all about, giving and receiving decent advice. Those of you that said “find out yourself” or “figure it out”, why the he!! do you think were on this site in the first place? If someone is able to tell me that the water temp on OT is 56 degrees, I can go through the GPS, plan out my attack for the lake, without asking for anything more specific than that. Most people are just trying to get a general idea about what’s going on with a lake, answers like the previous are perfect support for my previous post’s claim. Thank you for the evidence guys.

Myself, as well as many others experience this "metro prejudice" in the northern regions of MN Way Too Often. I am someone who respects the lakes I fish (C&R), the people who fish them (don't crowd in on a spot), and feel that just because I'm not from the area, people feel that they have more of a right to the spots then I do. If I have a spot, and there is someone on that structure, I will find another piece of structure- even if I had previous success on it the day before. I have spots out on Cass and Leech that are from my great uncle who guided the lakes starting back in the 30's. On OT, I’ve fished the lake for 20 years starting back with my grandpa when he bought the place on the lake, have over 90 gps coordinates that I’ve researched and found by myself, so does that give me the right to those spots over anyone else? I don't believe so. In the metro waters, there are literally millions of people sharing roughly 100 lakes. I experience much more courtesy on these bodies of water than on the lakes in the OT area. We know that there's only so many spots to go around, but try our best to stay away from each other. (go ahead, tell me to stay in the metro, I know it's coming) There is just too much of a feeling of ownership of spots these days. If people just keep a respectful distance, things would be a lot better.

I only wish, just like many, that I could live up in God's country. But as most know, the area can only support so many people. And, it is the people from the larger cities that support the communities up north through the $ that they pump into the local economy.

Bluegill, your buddie’s wall idea is a perfect. I hope people up north like living off of welfare and food stamps because that would be the result. If you have any clue about economics of northern Minnesota, you would realize that just about every dollar is tied into tourism. Whether it’s the gas stations, bait stores, hotels, resorts, construction, cabins, boat sales, etc. Most of that isn’t happening without people coming up from the south.

When you come down for a Twins, Vikings, or Wild game, I’d be happy to buy ya a beer, offer you a tip on a cheap restaurant, and hope for a Victory, cause this world isn’t gonna get any better by judging you because you’re that guy driving 40 in the left lane having no idea where you’re going or what exit to take to the stadium. (sorry, had to throw in a little reverse prejudice) Hey, you're not familiar with the area, so you may need a few directions as to how to find the place, or at least get pointed in the right direction so you figure out the rest for yourself. You're coming down looking for a good time, and probably indirectly supporting someone in my neighborhood by spending money while in town. It's a win/win for both of us, it just may not always be apparent.

Do you now understand where I'm coming from?

[Bigcat1]

interesting posts and a lot of irony. fishlakeman has had bad run ins with locals just like locals have had bad run ins with someone not from the area. it's hard to live on a lake and watch what happens over time. not everyone using the resource is ethical- and that includes everyone. but there sure are a couple of comments that prove what i've seen- "we support your local bait shops, liquor stores, etc..." and so that entitles you to what? i do not pay less in my hometown for goods and services because it is a tourist economy. and just because i live on a lake in ottertail county- sure doesn't give me any more rights than anyone else-but i don't think people should expect info over the internet and then get angry when nothing is posted. get on the lakes- get to know people, establish relationships and trust- things will take care of themselves. As for the guy who orginally posted and wants to know about rush-just drive out of one of the accesses- this time of the year you will see where people are fishing- drill some holes away from the crowd and move around.

[hhguide]

Once Again it just comes back to general information people aren't looking for exact spots but just general information and then let people go find the fish themselves.

[dfischer4]

Too funny, that is what I have to say "Drama" and I have 3 women in the house. If these forums were created to have relationships maybe we should all should go back to watching "Springer or Oprah"! I thought this was a fishing forum not a, I do not want anybody in my spot forum? You people crack me up! I would help anybody out if they stopped at my dock or asked over the forum. If the rest of you want to be private use e-mail. What is a "Fishing Forum" for? See you on the east end for sunnies or at the mouth in the spring. Have fun fishing.