Shiners - available at Ken's Tackle - Otter Tail Lake

[Kens Tackle]

Shiners are a lake's natural bait that works well around opener.  The trick is to find them with the cold water.  With opener, May 9th at 12:01 a.m., I thought I'd talk about bait and what presentation should work best in the Otter Tail Lake area.

Water temperature on Otter Tail Lake is 46 degrees, so it is on the cold side.  Walleyes are almost done spawning so they may be a little lethargic during opener.  Males will be hovering around the gravel areas in 5 to 15 feet of water.  A Jig or Lindy Rig tipped with a lake shiner is your best bet.  If the bite is off, tip your jig with a smaller minnow as they could be finicky for a larger minnow.

In warmer, darker water, use a leech or night crawler.  Always have a mixed selection of bait with you so you can change presentation for the depth and temperature of water you are fishing in.

Ken's Tackle, on the west side of Otter Tail Lake, has a good supply of shiners for opener.  They are in short supply in most areas of Minnesota because of the cold weather.  So please come and arm yourself with the best bait for the catch!

If you have any questions, give us a call at 218-495-2895 or e-mail us at kenstackl@hotmail.com

Good luck and always be courteous to other boaters!  Happy Opener!

[sandmannd]

What's your going rate on Shiners up there? Pretty spendy IF you can find them in the city.

[KTapper]

Ken thanks for the great information! Hope everyone has an awesome opener!  :fishing2: