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Second largest lake in Ottertail County?

HitchARide
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HitchARide Newbie

HitchARide

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I read there were more lakes,1048, in Ottertail County, Mn than any other county in the country! I'm assuming Ottertail Lake is the biggest. Anyone know what the second largest lake in Ottertail county is?

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ChuckN Veteran

ChuckN

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Welcome to FM HitchARide!

Off the top of my head I'd say Dead Lake is 2nd, W. Battle third. grin.gif

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PRFISHER Community Regular

PRFISHER

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1. Otter Tail 13,725 acres

2. Dead 7,901

3. West Battle 5,624

4. Lida 5,564

5. Rush 5,338

6. Big Pine 4,730

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HitchARide Newbie

HitchARide

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How would the lakes on that list rank according to the overall quality of fishing available in them?

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Gissert Grand Master

Gissert

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They are all very good lakes, though very different.

Ottertail is your classic walleye lake. Big and sprawling, with loads and loads of structure. Sand and rubble predominate, but there are good cabbage beds as well that should not be overlooked.

Dead is a good multi-species lake. The western end is shallow for the most part, while the east arm has some deeper reaches.

W. Battle is similar in construction to Ottertail, but a better multi-species lake. Has some pretty good muskies too.

Rush is fairly shallow in comparison to Battle and OT, but has good panfish and bass, along with some decent walleyes.

Cant vouch for Lida and Pine, never fished them. They do seem to generate a fair amount of chatter on line, however. Those lake are getting to me more in the Detroit Lakes area, so the guys on that forum may have some more info.

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Mark13:33 Enthusiast

Mark13:33

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Gissert loves pumping Ottertail, but the truth is...Rush and Big/Little Pine are tremendous walleye fisheries. They are also known to produce quite a few crappies. Lida on the other hand is an awesome lake full of walleye, and a unique large population of smallmouth.

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HitchARide Newbie

HitchARide

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Thanks for the input guys. I'll be up in the Perham area trying for Walleyes. Does anyone know if it makes a difference as to what type of shiner is used on these lakes. I know some shiners are native to different lakes. On Lake Of The Woods/Rainy River Emerald Shiners are the ticket. Alot of places count them and you might pay $5.00 for a dozen shiners.I can get 18 dozen for $30.oo at Fish Lake bait in Harris. But I'm not sure if they're the same type of shiners I would get if I bought the bait in Perham.

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Paul Experienced

Paul

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Right now I would have to say spottail shiners on any area lake would be a good bet.

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ChuckN Veteran

ChuckN

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Spottail shiners are native to the lakes around here and those are the bait of choice for most anglers, but I found that these shiners were not mandatory for catching fish. wink.gif

In the spring I get my own shiners, and this season was tough getting them. I understand the bait guys had a tough time trapping shiners this spring too.

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HitchARide Newbie

HitchARide

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Fish lake bait has the common shiners but not the Spottails I guess. I wonder if the Walleyes can tell the difference. Will they swim away from a common shiner and hit the Spottail since it is native to the lakes in that area? I think I'll bring up the regular shiners and at least give them a try. If no luck I'll be getting those Spottails quick!

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bigbucks Grand Master

bigbucks

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To my understanding a spottail shiner & a lake shiner are the same thing. There are times when you'll still do fine with golden shiners or whatever, but it seems like when it's spring & the shiner run is on the spottail's an awfully tough bait to beat. They are not very tough compared to the golden shiner, they need a lot of air pumped to them to keep them alive.

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deacon Rising Star

deacon

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Use fatheads, leeches and crawlers so you can spend the extra cash on beer!

We had our best luck with leeches Saturday and fatheads on Sunday. Largest fish 24" on Saturday was a leech and largest fish 22" on Sunday was caught on a crawler.

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Paul Experienced

Paul

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Quote:

Use fatheads, leeches and crawlers so you can spend the extra cash on beer!

We had our best luck with leeches Saturday and fatheads on Sunday. Largest fish 24" on Saturday was a leech and largest fish 22" on Sunday was caught on a crawler.

Use fuzzy grubs and twister tails so you can save you money for beer and GAS . At 3.15 a gallon or $$18.00 a case I don't know which is worse. I do know that with enough beer you don't need gas since you ain't going anywere so heck, just leave the boat at home, take a taxi cab to the dock, drink till you fall in the lake, pass out, get really sunburned laying face down in a pool of slobber at the end of the dock while you buddies see you there, take your picture and hang it at the bait shop as an example what not to do when fishing stinks. laugh.giflaugh.gif

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deacon Rising Star

deacon

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Good one Paul. You did describe some guys I have fished with.

The other issue, of a jig head and twister tail is right on. Have had very good success with a jig and white twister this time of the year.

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