Turn On The Hot Water Heater

People always joke about the weather up here on the Northern Tier of North Dakota:

Don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes, it’ll change!

Well, we need a change.  After an above average end of April and a very mild first part of May, we have been in kind of a funk weather wise.  Lots of wind, intermittent rain, and cloudy cool days has brought our water temperatures down a little.

Farmers had a nice stretch there to get their crops in and the majority of small grain farmers up here are done or just about done with the planting phase of their busy season.  This is good, our fall flight of ducks, geese, and cranes are counting on those grain crops.

That nice weather also gave us some spectacular early spring days on the water and we made the most of it.  We were winding down with our school year and we attempted to get in as many trips as possible around wrapping up our scholastic year.

Now that we have cleared our calendar, wouldn’t you know, mother nature threw us a curveball.

There is a silver lining to that forecast though as, after today, we get back to some much more ‘summer like’ weather conditions.

Clarity Issues

With some big winds and rains the last few days, some distinct mud lines on all shorelines have developed and those smaller Northern Feeder lakes have been churned up pretty good.  It has effected the water clarity significantly and that will change the way one has to attack those areas over the next few days.

Visual presentations are not going to perform as well as scent presentations over the next couple of days until that water clears a little.  If you find your target area in less than ideal water clarity conditions, you might want to switch things up to a live bait rig like lindy’s or slip bobbers.

The slow temperature rise has helped a little though.  Lower water temps have kept the undisturbed water almost gin clear at times and as the sediments settle, visibility for the fish will increase and we can get back to a more aggressive presentation.

We should see things really heating up, catch wise, over the next few days.

Water Temps Stuck

With that weather funk came some stalled water temps.  Back at the beginning of May and even into the middle of the month we were starting to see those promising low to mid 60 degree temperatures that bring along with it much more active Walleyes.  With over a week of less than ideal weather patterns, we have really seen a drop in water temps.

We had a very short trip in between rain showers yesterday and we could only find 53.7 degree water.  We weren’t up on the Northern Feeder lakes and we know that their temperature is 5-10 degrees warmer but the temps on the main lake remain low.

That will change here shortly.

If you are on the big water and you can find high 50’s to low 60’s you will be finding feeding Walleyes and for the next few days that is the target temps you should be looking for.  By the weekend, targeting the mid 60’s is well within the realm of attainable.

Weeds, Oh The Lovely Weeds!

An important part of the spring transition to summer is the emergence of the various weed beds and cattail stands around the lake.  As those weed beds and cattails come alive and start their growth, their coloration warms the water around them and we start to find really active fish in those areas.  Many of the cattail beds are starting their emergences and those are the areas to focus on if you are a pitching cranks phanatic.

The deeper ‘grassy’ weed beds are still in their infancy and aren’t really attracting a whole lot of fish yet, so concentrating on those cattail beds is you best bet.  We have a couple favorite ones in Howard’s Bay and Doc Hagen’s that we are going to target tomorrow along with a few new ones that we are going to explore.

Tuesday’s Opinion: From Yours Truly

Why Be a DLFR Member

Our ultimate goal with beginning DLFR was to help those that needed a little push in becoming better at catching fish on Devils Lake.  It has been a thoroughly fun ride.  With every venture, there have been bumps in the road and some bigger than others.  I would speculate that 90% of the feedback has been very positive with a few negative experiences, most of which can be chalked up to error on my part as far as forgetting a step in the technology process.  Oh, to have had this much technology when I was younger.  I’ve tried to be a quick study and I ‘think’ I am getting more efficient.  I am constantly studying and reading and experimenting to become better at serving the needs of you, the viewer.

We aren’t there yet.  We are a work in progress and have an ultimate goal in mind, we are making headway in getting there.  Several milestones have been passed and we approach a few others as well.  A few have been way ahead of schedule, some lagging a little.  With my time now almost 100% focused on DLFR, we hope to get to where we want to be more quickly now.

One of our goals was to get to a subscription type service for those that are Devils Lake fanatics.  Up to this point, coming to our site and checking in before a trip to the Big Devil was basically the only way to acquire the information that we collected from the lake.  For some, that can be an annoyance.

From a blog/website point to of view, it helped us.  You had to come to us to check in and every post view for us was a benefit.  We aren’t selfish though.  We want to serve you better.  To do so, we were finally able to offer our membership packages.  Having our information in your back pocket in real time is only going to allow you to have up to the minute data to enhance your fishing trip.

Even if you are an explorer, like us, having our waypoint information is going to help you.  Even though you may not want to go right to where we have gone, knowing the area we fished; and the depth, structure, and type of water we were in, will assist you.

We believe in information being the key to a successful trip and our membership drive is an attempt to get you, a dedicated Devils Lake fisherman, the right information at the right time.

Here are our Membership options and a short scenario where being a member will be helpful.

• With a platinum membership goes the whole deal.
• Weekly Waypoints that we log in the Summer($240 Value as of May 22nd) AND Winter (Purchased individually, a $1150 value) will be sent directly to you upon logging them in the computer.  No more need to purchase waypoints, they will go to you automatically.
• Consultations- with this level membership we will consult with you by email, phone, -or- by appointment, in person at a sit down meeting and give you everything we have for when and where you want to fish.  You will have full access.
• Elite Reports- our weekly elite reports will also be sent directly to you.
• Year in review- our year in review packages from Summer 2016 and Winter 2016-2017 will be sent to you directly as you purchase your membership.  (Over a $2000 value if purchased individually)

SCENARIO A:  You live within just a few miles of Devils Lake or own a cabin or camper on the lake and you are out on the Big Devil on a regular basis.  Having constant information emailed to you on a daily and weekly basis is going to give you all the information you could possibly ask for.

• All of the benefits from the Platinum membership except this level is for Open Water only.
• Year in review Summer 2016 and all of our Spring Waypoints from 2017 will be sent directly.
• Every Open Water Waypoint from the 2017 Open Water Season.

SCENARIO B:  You have friends or family in Devils Lake and you make periodic trips in the summer to use up your vacation time.  Capitalize on just requiring open water info and share that info with your brother, father, brother-in-law.

• This one is for the Ice Addicts.  The Silver Membership will cover the 2017-2018 Hardwater season.
• All the benefits of the Platinum membership for Ice Fishing only.
• Every Ice Fishing Waypoint we logged in 2016-2017 will be sent directly (individual purchase value of $1150).

SCENARIO C:  You work construction and your summers are crazy and you hardly ever get out on the open water or you are a farmer and your busy season clashes with the open water months.  As a result of your occupation you have become an Ice Fishing nut.  Silver Membership is just what you need to capitalize on the wonderful wintertime fishery that the Big Devil has become.

We realize that for the tourist from afar, there isn’t a need for ALL of that information.  That your trip may only be a week and you don’t need May information for an August trip.  That is where the Copper membership comes in.  Get every waypoint for a one month period.  Upon purchase, we will contact you and inquire as to when your trip is, we will coordinate with you as to when the optimal time to start you one month membership would be and for that month you will have all the information required to enhance your trip.

The Choice Is yours

We think we have come up with a membership option for just about every scenario and type of Devils Lake fisherman.  Memberships are numbered with only a restricted number of Platinum, Gold, and Silver available and only a limited number of Copper available for each time period of the summer and winter.

If your trips to Devils Lake are sporadic and inconsistent, we suggest yo stick with checking in and only acquiring the information for when you can get here.  If you are a frequent visitor to Devils Lake though, we strongly promote the idea of becoming a DLFR Member, Membership has its privileges.!!

Good Luck Out There!

Hold On To Your Rod…

And…

CATCH MORE FISH!!