Jump to content

  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Ottertail

bowhuntermitch
 Share

Recommended Posts

bowhuntermitch Contributor

bowhuntermitch

Posted
Posted

A little ottertail report from Sunday 1/29.

 

Fished a mid-lake hump out of Riveria access Sunday afternoon/evening. Ended up catching 20 or so fish. Most being small walleyes and perch. By small I mean 5-8". I did catch a meals worth of 12-14" walleyes. Fishing was slow up until about an hour before dark. Fish were very finicky biters. If it wasn't for my underwater camera I wouldn't have caught most of the fish. They would suck in the minnow to the point where a bobber wouldn't even go down. 

 

Lots of fish swam through and didn't want anything to do with my presentation. Dead stick and jig stick were about equal for bites. Fat heads on a perch talker and diamond jigs from JR tackle. 

 

Didn't see a single "nice" fish on camera. Nice being over that 12-14" mark. Thinking maybe I was too shallow in 25' of water. Next time I plan on fishing more the deeper part of the hump and hopefully getting some of the big girls to play. All in all a good afternoon on Ottertail! 

  • Thumbs Up 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites
slammer Experienced

slammer

Posted
Posted

Fished Sat. afternoon/evening also along the west side.  Tried to get away from anyone the best I could.  Setup in 15ft and just sat there the whole time.  Hoping for a few bigger perch but all were small.  About 4 pm the eyes started to show up.  Same story as bowhuntermitch said.  Fish were not too interested in biting.  Did manage 3 in the 14-15 in range.  Got 2 on jigging rap.

  • Thumbs Up 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 3 months later...
slammer Experienced

slammer

Posted
Posted

So I see the tournament frenzy has begun on OT.  How many this year?  Not a fan as you can probably tell.  Don't see the need to pressure a lake so someone can pound their chest and say they can catch fish.  Oh and don't forget about the invasives being transported.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BTL Enthusiast

BTL

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the report. Those 14" fish are my favorite for eating.

 

If I had one of those underwater cameras I'm not sure I would be able to pull myself away from watching it, that sounds like a ton of fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
BisoNation Collaborator

BisoNation

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, slammer said:

So I see the tournament frenzy has begun on OT.  How many this year?  Not a fan as you can probably tell.  Don't see the need to pressure a lake so someone can pound their chest and say they can catch fish.  Oh and don't forget about the invasives being transported.

 

Yup, its a Joke.. i've complained many times.   some small time radio station thinks they are sooo important running it, so they can get a whopping $2500 profit off sponsors maybe.

 

Plus I stood at the weigh in on day 1 and watching at least 15-20 Walleyes DIE in the net.   Many 18-20inchers.  the waves were so bad that the walleyes just banged around in the live well for 8 hours.

 

Ban these already! 

 

there will be 3 tournaments this year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wanderer Grand Master

Wanderer

Posted
Posted

Contact the DNR if there are serious concerns.  Tournaments have to be permitted through them.  If they're not handling the fish correctly, they might lose their permit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 10 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • jparrucci
      water levels

      By jparrucci · Posted

      Very low, probably 2 feet lower than last year at ice out.
    • mbeyer
      water levels

      By mbeyer · Posted

      what do they look like this spring?
    • SkunkedAgain
      Ice-Out 2024

      By SkunkedAgain · Posted

      I might have missed a guess, but here are the ones that I noted:   JerkinLips – March 27th, then April 7th Brianf. – March 28th Bobberwatcher – April…. MikeG3Boat – April 10th SkunkedAgain – early April, then April 21st   Definitely a tough year for guesses, as it seemed to be a no-brainer early ice out. Then it got cold and snowed again.
    • mbeyer
      Ice-Out 2024

      By mbeyer · Posted

      MN DNR posted April 13 as Ice out date for Vermilion
    • Brianf.
      Ice-Out 2024

      By Brianf. · Posted

      ^^^45 in the morning and 47 in the evening
    • CigarGuy
      Ice-Out 2024

      By CigarGuy · Posted

      👍. What was the water temp in Black Bay? Thanks....
    • Brianf.
      Ice-Out 2024

      By Brianf. · Posted

      No, that wasn't me.  I drive a 621 Ranger. 
    • CigarGuy
      Ice-Out 2024

      By CigarGuy · Posted

      So, that was you in the camo lund? I'm bummed, I have to head back to the cities tomorrow for a few days, then back up for at least a few weeks. Got the dock in and fired up to get out chasing some crappies till opener!
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      Sturgeon Fishing is Hot

      By LakeofthewoodsMN · Posted

      On the south end...   Lots of ice on the main basin, but it is definitely deteriorating.  Some anglers have been fishing the open water at the mouth of the Rainy River in front of the Lighthouse Gap.  The rest of the basin is still iced over. Pike enthusiasts caught some big pike earlier last week tip up fishing in pre-spawn areas adjacent to traditional spawning areas.  8 - 14' of water using tip ups with live suckers or dead bait such as smelt and herring has been the ticket.  Ice fishing for all practical purposes is done for the year. The focus for the basin moving forward will be pike transitioning into back bays to spawn,  This is open water fishing and an opportunity available as the pike season is open year round on Lake of the Woods. The limit is 3 pike per day with one being able to be more than 40 inches. All fish 30 - 40 inches must be released. With both the ice fishing and spring fishing on the Rainy River being so good, many are looking forward to the MN Fishing Opener on Saturday, May 11th.  It should be epic. On the Rainy River...  An absolutely incredible week of walleye and sturgeon fishing on the Rain Rainy River.     Walleye anglers, as a rule, caught good numbers of fish and lots of big fish.  This spring was one for the books.   To follow that up, the sturgeon season is currently underway and although every day can be different, many boats have caught 30 - 40 sturgeon in a day!  We have heard of fish measuring into the low 70 inch range.  Lots in the 60 - 70 inch range as well.   The sturgeon season continues through May 15th and resumes again July 1st.   Oct 1 - April 23, Catch and Release April 24 - May 7, Harvest Season May 8 - May 15, Catch and Release May 16 - June 30, Sturgeon Fishing Closed July 1 - Sep 30, Harvest Season If you fish during the sturgeon harvest season and you want to keep a sturgeon, you must purchase a sturgeon tag for $5 prior to fishing.    One sturgeon per calendar year (45 - 50" inclusive, or over 75"). Most sturgeon anglers are either a glob of crawlers or a combo of crawlers and frozen emerald shiners on a sturgeon rig, which is an 18" leader with a 4/0 circle hook combined with a no roll sinker.  Local bait shops have all of the gear and bait. Up at the NW Angle...  Open water is continuing to expand in areas with current.  The sight of open water simply is wetting the pallet of those eager for the MN Fishing Opener on May 11th.   A few locals were on the ice this week, targeting pike.  Some big slimers were iced along with some muskies as well.  If you like fishing for predators, LOW is healthy!  
    • Brianf.
      Ice-Out 2024

      By Brianf. · Posted

      Early bird gets the worm some say...   I have it on good authority that this very special angler caught no walleyes or muskies and that any panfish caught were released unharmed.        
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

  I accept