Walleyes Are The Undisputed King, Bar None!
There is no doubt about it:
Walleyes are KING!
They are the premier target fish when people come to Devils Lake. Every boat you see at the bait shops, at the hotels, on the landings; they are set up to target and catch Walleyes.
WHY?
Some Fishermen that come to Devils Lake and some Guide Services focus solely on catching that one species of fish. I liken it to going out Waterfowl Hunting in the fall, setting up decoys for 2 hours, and then turning up a guy’s nose at every bird that flies by unless it’s a Drake Mallard:
Canada Goose?
Nope, not gonna waste the shell.
Drake Pintal?
Not a chance.
American Wigeon?
Not raising the gun!
To me that is just dumb. I like variety in the duck blind as much as I like variety on the cleaning station table.
Be Honest!
I am probably going to shoot myself in the foot here, but being totally honest with you, the most challenging fish to catch on Devils Lake RIGHT NOW, is not ole Mr. Walleye. In fact, I would put him at number 3 out of 5.
Perch and Crappies are much harder and more challenging to come by at this time and will be for a few weeks yet.
My ranking of Challenge level on the Big Devil in the early season would look like this, from most challenging to least challenging:
- Crappie
- Perch
- Walleye
- White Bass
- Pike
The Pike are so easy right now that 50-100 in 8 hours on the water is the norm. They are everywhere and they are feeding like crazy. This is the only time of the year I even think about using a leader because of all the filthy pike.
The White Bass are schooling and if you find a school it is a fish every cast and probably 2 or 3 swimming along with him as you bring him in. Catching them is not the problem, locating that school is.
The Walleyes, well, I’ll come back to them
The Perch are in the weeds, hiding for their lives, and dining on the shrimp. Getting at them in the early season is either a weed pocket, dead calm, waiting game -or- bobber and jig with worm bits and minnows in flooded timber.
Due to lower numbers, the Crappies are just the enigma for me on Devils Lake in the Open Water season. We get a few later while Perch searching but haven’t yet figured them out on Devils Lake in the Summer time. We will eventually, we throw a lot of darts at them and just by sheer number of attempts, we have to be able to knock some out sooner or later. Their numbers are on the rise and in a few short years we believe that they will be prolific.
Mr. Walleye
Everyone comes to fish in the summer for this guy. Some even crossing the line to obsession. Devils Lake is easily in the Top 5 for walleye fisheries in the midwest. Erie might have it beat for average size of fish but for numbers and variety of ways to chase them, The Big Devil ranks right at the top.
When I say ranked 3 out of 5, I am not saying there isn’t some skill level involved with catching them. However, if you know anything about or spent some time on Devils Lake you will have a roundabout idea of what has to be done to catch him.
Get that pitching arm in shape, stock up on the crank baits, make sure your reel is oiled. The Pitching game is heating up and if you are one who is in the group of targeting ‘just Walleyes’ that is where it is going to be at for the next few weeks.
Gold and Diamonds
Having the luxury of living here and fishing Devils Lake often, we get our fill of Walleye fishing. Seeing the White Tipper on the end of my line still brings excitement and we probably fish for Walleyes 40-60% of the time.
However, if you want to really get my blood pumping and my excitement level up, put a 12-14 inch Yellow Perch or a 11-14 inch Crappie on my pole and watch my eyes light up and hear me giggle like a schoolgirl frolicking through the tulips. If it wasn’t for popular demand and simple economics I would Perch and Crappie fish on The Big Devil everyday and every minute I was out there.
Primetime for Mining
Targeting Perch and Crappies right now can be an exercise in futility. As I stated before, due to their spring behaviors, early season on Devils Lake is a tough time to target these two species. This puts us on the Walleye prowl for a while. We get anxious to get after the Perch and Crappies and constantly are checking their ‘next transition’ spots.
Stay tuned to Devils Lake Fishing Report, as soon as we find some, we will pass that information on to you.
Making Summer Plans?
Put This Event On Your Schedule!
If you are a fan of music, good times, and a little fishing, don’t miss this. This two day event is outstanding. What better pairing then Fishing in the morning and Classic Rock/Country Music Festival in the evening. Don’t miss it and get your tickets early to get a little discount.
Good Luck Out There!
