Tough bite on ottertail

[Paul Rohweller]

After a hard day on ottertail yesterday I can safely say that if your fishing deeper than 10 ft your doing something wrong. Right now I would be pulling crankbaits on top of the bigger flats. Crawler harnesses would probably even do the trick. A person might even want to try running up in the ottertail river a ways to take advantage of the migrating shiner population. Kind of like a minature lake of the woods situation. how did everyone else fare this weekend? Paul

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[Paul Rohweller]

Heres a FYI that I should have mentioned,
the water temp on the tail yesterday was 44 degrees, ice is at least three weeks off yet and thats if it starts getting colder. With high temps predicted to be in the mid to upper 60's all week the surface temp on the lake might even warm up some before next weekend. Paul

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[Smitty]

Paul, I thought I saw you post recently that you were through for the soft water season!! :-)

Have you hit the Pines lately with any luck?

Local lake here was DEAD a couple weeks ago. 4 hours and zippo.. Haven't emptied out the boat yet though, so maybe one more try this weekend.

Later, Dave

[Paul Rohweller]

Hi Dave,
It was so nice lat weekend that I just had to get on the water, my boat never officially gets put away so its ready to go most of the time. I think its all over now tho, lows in the teens at night and highs in the lower thirtys all week, that just makes it tough to be out and not in some sort of shelter. How many months till the freeze your butt off tourney in red wing? I havent been to the pines in awhile either, leaving them for ice fishing. hopefully we dont get 10 ft of snow up here this winter.... Paul

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[Scoot]

Paul,

Speaking of the Pines, do they get plowed at all or is it strictly snowmobile access for ice fishing?
Scoot

[Havin' Fun]

I've been catching walleyes all over the place right now. Oxygen is still everywhere, but why is it that as soon as that ice sheet hits, they move to localized places. In otherwords, why can't I fish my early ice spots now! I've tried and they suck!!!!!

[Paul Rohweller]

Big Pine gets a road plowed out almost to squaw point from Pair a dice resort, throw a couple bucks in the box down by the beach and your set, honors system. alot of the roads that do exist are done by the locals so they can get to their houses with ease. I would fish off a snowmobile to be sure you can get to where you want to go. I think the roads on ottertail are taken care of by the sportsmans club. they are usually pretty good but I would still fish off my sled just to stay mobile. Hammerem have you been to your early ice spots at the same times and using the same presentations that you would if you were sitting on a bucket on the ice?

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie

[Havin' Fun]

I actually sat on the break of a favorite spot, moving up and down slowly and just jiggiing with a jigging spoon. One fish!! I didn't mark hardly a fish. I waited until and through sunset and still nothing. The night before I got a quick bite after sunset in 30 feet of water. This is the basin bottom on this section of lake. Now I understand fish will be found at all depths, but certainly this time of the year the bigger, more aggressive fish SHOULD be shallow. Right?

Perhaps I need to move even shallower than early ice?? Say weedline and try jigging?

Any help would be appreciated by myself and hopefully others.

[Paul Rohweller]

My best early ice big walleye spots are in less than 8 ft of water. I think your on the right track. My favorite spot is a saddle connecting a hump to a point, a bottleneck so to speak. Right up on top on the flat. If its still in the archives I wrote an article on this subject last fall called prairie lake trophy walleyes. I dont think Rick would pitch it would he? heheh Paul

------------------
Paul Rohweller
Pine to Prairie Guide Service
218-962-3387
http://fishingminnesota.com/pinetoprairie