1-8-2011 Otter Tail lake report
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Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)
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By MarkB · Posted
My 2 cousins and myself just finished up a windy 4 day trip to our favorite lake. It was the last of the year and was eventful to say the least. When we arrived, water temperatures were 61 degrees and when we left yesterday morning the water temps had dropped to 54 degrees. The fishing was fantastic, once again, and we caught walleyes, bass, and northerns on minnows and crawlers(northerns only on minnows). We found the fish adjacent to shallow rock piles(14') in 20'-28' of water. Our best fishing hours of the day were ~5:30 -twilight in the evenings and until ~ 10:30 in the mornings. Although those two time periods were prime time, fish bit all day. For us, the bite was very light and we probably missed or lost as many fish as we caught. Some people think I'm nuts when I say bead color can make a difference and it certainly did this trip. My cousin's "go to" green/white bead combo did zilch on this trip. It was one translucent red bead and a plain size #2 gamakatsu hook with a 3' leader that produced the fish. We ended up with 137 walleyes and 19 bass for the 4 day outing. We caught far more 17"-19.999" walleyes on this trip than on our previous trips and our numerous slot fish measured from 21"-25". My younger cousin caught 4 slot fish in ~20 minutes one evening. We fish exclusively for walleyes and additional species are incidental. With that said, we caught some beautiful smallmouth bass on this trip and they were right down there with the walleyes, usually in the rocks. As usual, everything is catch and release except for the fish we eat while there and the 12 walleyes(3 individual limits) we take home to the wives. While cleaning some eaters we kept for supper, we always check the stomach contents. One of the walleyes had the jig that is pictured below loose in its stomach! No attached line, no embedded hook, just the jig! It baffled us as to how in the world it could have gotten there . As you can see, the jig is in good shape so the fish must have swallowed it recently . The boat traffic was minimal this trip and we had a couple days where it looked as if we had the lake to ourselves. Sunday was a brutal day with wind gusts to 50MPH!. We stayed in and ventured out finally at ~5:00. It turned out to be the best 2 hours of the entire trip. This time, the baby loons were around, the eagles were abundant, the changing leaves made the entire lake area look like a painting. If I could make only one short trip a year to the lake, now would be the time. What capped off the trip was the magnificent display of the Northern Lights. We can't wait for next spring to return, God willing, and, in the meantime, good fishing. MarkB🙂 The jig found in the stomach of a walleye we ate. My young cousin with his best of the trip. a chunky 17" smallmouth 19.5" smallmouth -
By leech~~ · Posted
Well, since they both say Propane on them. Not propane QT++ their probably both the same gender! 🤭 -
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By Brianf. · Posted
What an amazing extended weekend. The fish were happy and cooperated nicely. We also had the unique experience of fishing under Northern Lights each of the last three nights in pristine weather conditions. I wish everyone could have that experience, even if just once. The pics below don't do it justice, though you get the idea. The walleyes are putting on the feedbag and some are getting rather plump. We caught mostly slot fish with several 'overs' in our bag. Our two biggest weighed 8lbs 5oz and 8lb 3oz. The crappies were active at dusk and beyond. Almost all of the ones we caught were 14" or bigger. The biggest we caught was a bit over 15". We lost two muskies at the boat and caught a 38" pike after dark - quite surprising. Every fish we caught was immediately released btw. Water temp 54/55 when we left. All-in-all, another great fishing experience on Lake Vermilion - for which I'm so incredibly appreciative. -
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By leech~~ · Posted
The price and the label. It's that same exact gas. -
By Finns · Posted
I don't use gas anymore, what's the difference between them? -
By Fish Head · Posted
Great to hear from you again Mark! I've always liked your posts over the years. -
By leech~~ · Posted
Yep, it's just you know and I know every dad who takes his kids or family camping for the first time. Is buying the camping gas no matter the cost, cuz it says "Camping" on it! 🤭🤭
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