Report 16: “Sleep? Who Needs Sleep when there’s Gold in Them There Waters”

Devils Lake Summer Perch Fishing

When the Perch are going on the Devils Lake I can usually think of nothing else. Early Honker season is on our doorstep and I have neglected getting decoys ready and shining up the old Vinci because I am replenishing stinger hooked spinners and reviewing historical information to target the next Gold Rush Jackpot.

Usually, when we have a summer where we are hitting on a number of Perch schools that are active and have good fish, it is an omen for a banner ice fishing season as well. Boy, do the pictures point towards a knock out ice year.

Another thing that gets pushed to the back burner is sleep. We make a point to get on the water early, as the sun comes up early and that time doesn’t change no matter what time you hit the hay. My fishing partner was a little frustrated with me Saturday as I was a bear to get out of bed, but oh, am I glad he was persistent.

We went back to where we knew there was a 12-15 foot ledge holding Perch, Crappie, and stout Devils Lake Walleye. Armed with worms, bottom bouncers, and spinners (pink and white, green and chartreuse, hammered gold, hammered silver) we attacked that ledge and almost immediately we were in rod tapping chaos.

The Grab Bag

The beauty of this time of year and doing what we are doing is the “Christmas Morning Surprise” of not knowing what you are going to be rewarded with. Some of the small eyes and small whiteys feel and bite exactly like a rat-at-at Perch; some of the bigger Walleyes feel just like a hammer handle pike. The water is stained enough that you just don’t know what is on the other end of the line until it is right at the boat.

Saturday, we stayed on that 12-15 depth in all of the areas we attacked and we were quite successful. Sunday saw about an hour or so of frustration as it seemed like they were just gone. We started to do some wide turns and lazy Ivan’s to peruse a couple depth levels. What we learned is those buggers had slid or were in the process of sliding a little deeper.

I usually don’t fish the cut much. Those areas where the contours are real close together are not fish holding spots. Sunday was an exception to the rule. Most of our fish were holding on the cut, in active ambush mode. Couple things this tells me.

A. The water is warming down there and the fish are moving depths.
B. Summer is getting long in the tooth and fall is right around the corner
C. Time to break out the lead core and gear up for some frantic deep water Perch and Walleye action.

OH YEAH

D. Early Honker season is on the doorstep, nothing like a Devils Lake North Dakota Cast and Blast, Morning Honker Hunt and Afternoon Walleye-Perch Fishing.

My Perch Obsession and the Appropriate Therapy

I was asked this weekend as I was dealing drinks across the bar, “Why do you like Perch fishing so much?” Initially I was rendered speechless which is no small feat in and of itself. I started to think though, ‘Why DO I like Perch fishing in the summer so much when most others are solely chasing Walleyes?’

My answer was contained within that thought. Well, BECAUSE everyone else is chasing solely Walleyes. I like to buck the trend, I like to be different sometimes and it’s a challenge. Why aren’t we swamped with the usual tail piper followers as we are doing this, well because, it’s different and you have to be set up for it.
If you are going to go after perch in the summer on Devils Lake there are basically 3 ways to do it:

1. Heavy bottom bouncers with crawler harnesses and dozens upon dozens of night crawlers
2. Slip bobbers and vertical jigging with minnows and crawlers on a calm day
3. Lead core with Hornets and small Rapala’s

We use #1 and later in the summer #3. As you can see from this weeks photos, we do all right.

Ledge Slipping and Knowing When to Say, “Go Deeper!”

“Where’d they go” and “What is going on”, were the two statements Sunday as we had a pretty disappointing first hour or so. We had just put up a really good perch number the day before on that 12-15 foot ledge and figured we would just go back 24 hours later and do the same thing.

Problem was we were just not getting the hits we were the day before. I was REALLY low on sleep and frustration was working on my emotional well being. My fishing partners calm and reserve saved my fishing sanity. Time for some wide turns and Lazy Ivan’s to check the surrounding ledges.

This is where I was a little surprised by what was revealed to us. They hadn’t gone far, but they also weren’t holding on the next shallower or the next deeper ledge. Those buggers had just adjusted to the deep side cut.

Usually those perch schools are cruising the flat ledge and often times as you come to a bottleneck on the ledge you hit the mother load. These Perch weren’t following the rules, they were a little suspended and on the cut, True Ambush mode, they were hungry and they were on it. My sanity was saved.

Mobile Spinner Making ‘Table’

I usually have a vast trove of spinners to pick from. However, do to many, many factors, my stock of spinners with stinger hooks and smaller blades had gotten depleted by pesky pike and tree branches. Not having time to make more at the house spinner table I had to resort to bringing my spinner kit with us. It was an interesting endeavor with both negatives and positives.

On the down side, spilled hooks and beads on a boat floor made for several frustrating moments and it is a miracle I didn’t impale myself.

On the positive, with real time information at my finger tips, or more literally, at my rod tip, I knew exactly what colors and sizes to make more of.

Moral of the story is: “Make time for spinners but bring the kit with in case it is needed.” The beauty of fishing, we are always learning, the perpetual classroom.

What’s a “Keeper” Sized Fish?

I’m in the cleaning station a lot and am privy to many interesting conversations at the bar where I am completely sober and the conversation participants may or may not be in complete control of their facilities. I have gotten many perspectives on what is and is not a keeper walleye.

Our boat rule in the summer on The Big Devil is a 14-inch minimum and a 20-inch max (usually). Why 14, I don’t really know but that’s the number, why 20, after that the filets get a little loose and aren’t as firm and those 20-24 inch eyes are your super spawners, your prime reproducers.

Having said that, I truly believe the best eating walleye out of Devils Lake is the 12-13 incher. They don’t produce cleaning table envy but man do they taste good.

Trouble with most fisherman is, we have BIG egos, we want bigger, better, more fish than the next guy. I’m a meat hunter, but I too get caught up in the picture worthy limit, the ‘look at me’ effect.

We are probably never going to change that level of thinking; I just hope that cooler minds prevail most of the time and those tanker eyes go back so we can preserve our awesome fishery. That leads me to thoughts of………

Devils Lake Slot Limits

Do we need slot limits on Devils Lake? Gosh, this is a tough one. We need to look no further than east a couple hundred miles to see the demise that can bring about by the idea of slotted lakes. In my mind, Minnesota is a mess when it comes to its fisheries. Mille Lacs is a train wreck.

One needs an encyclopedia sized pocket guide to make sure they are within the rules on the over 11,000 fishable lakes because every one of them has its own regulations.

Have these rules and regulations made fishing in Minnesota better? I don’t know, but I DO know that we get A LOT of Blue Platers here in Devils Lake so…..

My personal opinion is if its not broke, what is there to fix. You will talk to many locals that want slots on The Big Devil. I truly don’t see the benefit at this time. As the water fluctuates, maybe there will become a time when we need them. What do you think? Voice your opinion in our comments section, give me a rationale argument of why, I challenge anyone to change my views.

What Happens at the Fish Cleaning Station 

There are days when we walk, chest puffed into the cleaning station, flop our catch on the table and lazily snap pictures. Lingering as long as possible so as to ‘show off our fishing prowess’, other days, with our 14 incher limit, we slink in, quickly hack away and flee as fast as possible hoping that no one enters. Funny how we are as fishermen.

I should not get in this frame of mind but I do. The cleaning station is one of the greatest places to collect information from other fisherman. Fishing spots aside (I never ask ‘Where did you get em?’) a person can learn colors, presentations, bait type, water depth, everything you need to know to enhance your next outing.

When asked I gladly divulge what we did and how we did it. However, when asked where, the answer will always be ‘Mary’s Inlet”, the follow-up is not PG so you will have to contact me for the punch line.

Fishing Network- “Friends Don’t Let Friends Go Fishless”

I get phone calls and text messages a lot. Most of the times it is worked strapped friends who have one or two days to get out on the water and want to be pointed in the right direction. Other times, it’s a friend of a friend’s second cousin’s dog sitter’s hairstylist’s husband who needs a quick tip for his banker.

Almost 100% of the time I am very gracious in sharing the information I have, whether it be giving spots (very seldom) or just the general motis operandi (almost always), I want other people to be successful on the water. Heck, I NEED others to be successful on the water, a limit in the box opens up a tourist’s wallet in the bar and when your slinging drinks, a happy tourist is both easier to talk to and much more generous.

Massive Thunderstorm/Tornado Wednesday
Some stressful moments here on the northern tier of North Dakota, golf ball sized hail, torrential down pour, and tornadoes. How do those weather channel storm chasers know where to go for massive storms but can’t tell me the wind speed for 10 minutes from now. Crazy!! I think those guys bring the storms with them. Se a storm chaser, sure enough, bad thunderstorm, they are storm magnets I tell ya.

All kidding aside, prayers go our to those affected and my thoughts are with those farmers that got hammered by the hail. Puts what we do here at www.devilslakefishingreports.com into perspective, it’s just fishing.

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SPECIFIC BAYS and LOCALES:
I can honestly say that there are fish biting just about everywhere. We have been concentrating on those finger bay straight-a-ways but any 12-15 foot and 24-28 foot ledge is holding fish. You will also find them hanging on the steeper cuts also. Places for target for this are 6 Mile Bay, Creel Bay, Black Tiger Bay, and East Devils Lake. The deeper 25-32 foot ledges are also really starting to gather fish. Attack them with lead core and you will not be disappointed. My favorite 2 areas for this are Military Main Bay side to Highway 57 and Ft. Totten Bay to Ziebach Pass, although the south shore of old Coors Lt. is REALLY snaggy. For you snap jiggers, the bridge areas are good for smaller fish and big numbers, the rock pile and riprap areas are better for bigger fish but lessor numbers. Areas include Military Pt., Rocky Pt., Highways 57, 20, and 19; Main Bay Towers Rock Piles, Lost Jug, and The Woods-Rutten bridge and rip rap areas.