August can provide some good fishing opportunities

By Tom Hintgen

Otter Tail County Correspondent

Wind and rain did not stop our party of three in having a great time fishing with guide Ross Hagemeister in his boat Monday morning, Aug. 5. Donning rain gear was well worth the effort while we caught several walleye between 7 and 10:30 a.m. in central Otter Tail County.

Our early August outing on a lake in the great outdoors proved once again that fishing is always an enjoyable experience at lakes and rivers in our area of west central Minnesota. That’s true no matter the number of fish that are caught.

“On a day like this, with threatening rainfall coming from the west, barometric pressure directly affects fishing,” Hagemeister said.

He and other fishing guides point out that higher pressure can make fish lethargic, with some fish staying in deeper water until conditions stabilize. Luckily for our party of three, the storm passed and the walleye started biting again.

“Fish may bite more slowly in deeper water or near cover, other effects of barometric pressure,” added Hagemeister. “You also have smaller fish biting during these periods of time.”

This year it was walleye day on Aug. 5, with lots of keepers. Over the years, with fishing guide Ross, our fish have included a mix of walleye, crappies and bass. We of course have taken photos of individuals holding larger walleye before these large fish are released back into the bodies of water in Otter Tail County.

Our threesome, under the leadership of fishing guide Ross on Aug. 5, included writer Tom Hintgen, Richard Tomhave and Richard’s grandson Eli Walkup who will be an eighth grader this fall at Hillcrest Lutheran Academy in Fergus Falls. What a morning for Eli who caught a 7-pound walleye.

  “I pride myself on my work ethic,” says Hagemeister on his website. “I have a belief that everybody deserves my best effort.”

His best effort was indeed needed Monday morning, Aug. 5, due to the windy conditions, with some high waves and rainfall in Otter Tail County. That effort paid dividends for not only our party of three, but for another group coming to fish under the guidance of Hagemeister on Monday afternoon, Aug. 5.

The only negative thing we experienced was reeling in and discovering not a fish but now and then a glob of zebra mussels, the reality of invasive species in many area lakes.

“Catching fish is fun, but the best days on the water involve something more,” Hagemeister says. “It’s the time spent together, waves splashing, the soft lake air and west central Minnesota and Otter Tail County at their finest.”