Fishing Report and Shop Update 5/27/25

We hope everybody had a great fishing opener and an enjoyable Memorial Day! It is hard to believe we are already getting close to flipping the calendar to June... Crazy!

It has been a busy couple weeks here at the shop! We have the store fully switched over into summer/ fishing mode, and have enjoyed seeing everybody and talking about fishing! The bite started off relatively slow to start, but has been picking up fast! With the crazy warm weather followed by the cold and rain, the shiner run is over, and water temps are starting to climb rapidly, and the fishing are responding as anticipated. Big Pine, Like Pine, Rush, Otter tail as well have others been producing walleye as of recent. As normal for this time of year, we are hearing good reports from anglers having success in the shallow water weeds (6-10 feet of water). The main presentation has been a 1/16 or 1/8 ounce jig tipped with a minnow or soft plastic. Anglers are also having good success in these depths with a slip bobber and leech/crawler. This bite will continue to produce for the next several weeks. As the water temps climb, we are also starting to hear a lot of great reports from anglers having success in the deeper, more traditional summer patterns. Mid-lake points, humps, flats and shoreline points are producing in the 14-20 foot of water range, and deeper. As we get into June, a good old fashioned Lindy rig tipped with a leech, crawler or minnow is always a safe bet. Spinners and crawlers will likely start producing well this week. It's a great time of year because no matter what presentation you prefer to fish with, you can have confidence that a multitude of techniques will produce right now.

The panfish bite has also been very good on all area lakes. Bluegills and crappies are up shallow as they wrap up/ are in the process of spawning. Small jigs with soft plastics or a good old fashioned bobber with a minnow, crappie minnow or smaller leech have been producing. This bite will remain good, and as the water warms up fish will simply slide into deeper water. The next few days the 4-12 foot range will be where you want to focus.

The store is looking great and we have an awesome selection currently for anything you will need for a successful day out on the water. We hate  to see the month of May slip away, but look forward to June because of the awesome fishing that will take place. We will put up another report early next week after we hear about the local success following the weekend!

Happy Fishing Everybody!

Beautiful Sunset On An Otter Tail County Lake