CRYSTAL CLEAR

“Whoa, I can see my jig all the way on the bottom!” My buddy shouted in amazement from a few yards away on a frozen, zebra mussel infested lake in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. He was astonished at the water clarity in the lake we were fishing in early 2022, especially considering the visibility in lakes where he’s from is usually rather limited. We were fishing bluegills in twenty feet of water, and peering down the hole was like looking into an aquarium: weeds, fish, rocks and sand were all clearly visible with the naked eye!

As some may already know, zebra mussels are an invasive species that are finding their way into more and more lakes across the state of Minnesota. The particular lake we were fishing has been teeming with zebra mussels for the better part of a decade, like a handful of other water bodies in Otter Tail County. Many lakes here are connected to each other, either via the Pelican or Ottertail River, which creates an easy mode of transportation for the tiny, striped mollusks. Zebra mussels filter out tiny food particles in the water (particularly algae) and can filter around one quart of water each day. In turn, this can limit food for other aquatic species and greatly increases water clarity in affected lakes. With greater water clarity, weed growth can boom and create even more underwater habitat for fish to hide.

Efforts continue in Minnesota trying to reduce the spread of zebra mussels through education, outreach and inspections at public boat landings. Even with the increase in mitigation measures, however, zebra mussels continue to slip under the radar and are infesting new waters every year in Minnesota. Even though fishing can still be productive in infested waters, invasive species are never a good thing due to increased competition with native species. It’s still our collective responsibility to try to reduce the spread by draining our boats, removing any weeds and safely disposing of our leftover minnows.

So, the question remains: Are zebra mussels making our fisheries worse? That’s the loaded question I hear often and is a hard one to answer. There are lakes in my core area of Otter Tail County that have had zebra mussels now for close to two decades… and a few of those still produce some of the best panfishing in the area. While I don’t think zebra mussels necessarily make fishing worse, I certainly believe fishing tactics need to change and account for the increased water clarity and weed growth. For example, many lakes that used to be an all-day bite in the basin have shifted to more of a dawn and dusk bite. Simply put, the fish are still there–you just need to adapt like they have.

I’ve found that when targeting panfish in lakes with zebra mussel populations, weeds are key. Luckily, with the extremely clear water, vegetation is usually abundant. Panfish utilize weeds to ambush prey, as protective cover from predators and for shade from UV rays. I always start my search looking for good stands of weeds on structure–points, inside turns and humps are all good starting areas. If you find weeds on structure adjacent to a main lake basin, you’ve got a great starting recipe for putting some panfish topside!

I need to get into the thick of it if I want to consistently catch fish. This is where great electronics come in handy. I utilize the low power mode on my Vexilar FLX-28 almost every trip on the ice, as it reduces the power output of the flasher and helps reduce clutter–allowing me to more effectively fish through the weeds. It’s an invaluable tool that I utilize all the time fishing shallow water!

Weather conditions also affect how I approach zebra mussel waters. On days where there is substantial cloud cover, the fish tend to be more aggressive and gravitate closer to the edges of the weeds, rather than buried in them. I’ll start by drilling a zigzag pattern of holes, parallel to the weed edge so that some holes are probing up shallower, some are right on the edge and some are even a touch off the edge. On cloudy days I’ll also tend to find an occasional school hanging just off the weed edge during daylight, so the zigzag line of holes in varying depths helps me stay on fish.

If skies are clear or only have an occasional passing cloud, the fish generally tend to be w more neutral to finicky and can take some real coercion to get them to take a swipe at an offering. It can take downsizing and fishing much more methodically to convince fish to bite. Panfish also seem to hold much tighter inside the weeds rather than hanging on the edge if it’s a day where the sky is painted blue.

While panfish utilize weeds and available cover during the day, the fish almost always seem to make a predictable movement in the evenings. Generally, there will be a flurry the last half hour or so of light where the fish will be on the chow. This is the time to set up shop on the weed edge, trying to connect with as many fish as possible as they vacate their shallow cover and head to the nearby basins to feed. After dark, the action in most lakes will shift to crappies and the fish seem to scatter, roaming the basin for an easy meal of invertebrates and baitfish. These fish might not be as aggressive as they were right before dark, but they can often still be caught fairly easily using a variety of jigs and spoons. Bites like this can last all night long, and when you see a community spot littered with fish houses, I’d be willing to bet it’s in a basin crappie spot adjacent to a weed edge.

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Whether it’s overcast or clear, day or night, I almost always start my search with a Clam Drop Jig paired with some kind of plastic or euro larva. There are a ton of Maki plastics that are great fish enticers, with a few of my favorites being the Polli and the Jamei. Since the water is clear, I’ll generally gravitate to more natural colors—chartreuse, red, white, and motor oil all seem to produce well for me. I will usually start out with a 1/16oz Drop Jig tipped with a plastic in one of the colors I mentioned above and adjust from there. If the fish seem to be rushing in and crushing my bait, I’ll either stick with what I’m using or switch to an even more aggressive presentation like a Clam Pinhead Minnow. If the fish are short striking my bait, I may opt for tipping my jig with a few euro larva or even downsizing to a 1/32oz Drop Jig.

These are just a few tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years exploring the crystal-clear waters in Otter Tail County. After establishing a repeatable pattern, finding panfish has become somewhat of a systematic process that has allowed me to stay on fish consistently from lake to lake. While currently I haven’t seen much of a dip in productivity in infested lakes, that could change with time. Will zebra mussel infested waters continue to produce fish down the road, or will they suffer? While it may be too early to know the answer, I do know that some of my favorite lakes contain zebra mussels and continue to be extremely productive for the time being. So, if trying a lake with zebra mussels seems intimidating, don’t fret. Try utilizing a few of the tactics listed here and you might be surprised just how good the fishing can be!

Good luck!