North By Northwest
Sometimes here on the Northern Tier of North Dakota, the weather just won’t work itself out. We get stuck in a polar vortex in the winter and have 3 weeks of below 30 degree temperatures, we get hammered by constant rain storm after rain storm in the spring. The past few weeks it has been wind. Not seeing below 15 mph winds for 2 weeks had gotten old. Made a guy get his sea legs might quick. I’ve got a nice raspberry on my right upper chest from the boat and dock putting the pinch on me.
A little wind is great. Take today for instance, just enough to produce a nice little chop. Once we located the Walleye schools, that ‘Walleye Chop’ had them in feed mode, and a quick limit was academic:
They weren’t as stacked on top of the road like they were Saturday, so I moved around catching 3 windblown shorelines before I found the motherload. There were still fish on Saturday’s spots, had a couple follows, but to sit on Saturday’s spot wouldn’t have stayed with our mission, which is to help you, not me, CATCH MORE FISH!
Northern Feeders Still Aflame
If you are of the opinion, like us, and believe that all waters connected to Devils Lake are still technically Devils lake, then get the boat out on Dry Lake, Mike’s Lake, Chain Lake, or Lake Irvine. They are on fire still. Nice fish and lots of them are coming out of the Northern Feeder lakes. They will probably remain hotter than the lake for another week or so but the main lake is catching up. Here are some points to try on Mike’s:
How’d We Get Them?
Basically, find warm water and windblown weeds. Up until late last week that first part was kind of a chore. Now however, we are getting readings in that 65-67.6 degree water range and today its effects were very evident. The strikes were vicious in nature. Small bays with weeds are going to be where you want to look and small bays on the north side of the lake are going to be warmer just due to sun angle and geography.
For the next few weeks, we suggest hitting those wind blown weed edges hard but don’t over look those sunken roads. The fish we pulled off of the road on Saturday were really aggressive and there is no more relaxing way of fishing Devils Lake than pulling spinners and leeches down a nice, clean, snag-free road bed!
What Did We Use?
This is one of the things about Devils Lake I like so much. The bite can stay consistent on one type of bait for several weeks. Once again, Hot Steel in #7 Scatter Rap was the main crank that produced fish. Slow or Medium retrieves worked best. While road bed trolling the hammered (or dimpled) gold spinners with a single hook and a leech was the ticket, it was punched repeatedly!! We kept our speed between.8 and 1.2 mph and that speed seemed to be about right.
What Fishing Is Suppose To Be About
Our fishing world can be ultra competitive, downright cut throat at times. I think this clouds our vision as to what it is suppose to be all about. I had the opportunity get some kids out fishing this past week and I am always going to jump at that opportunity.
My own were with me on Thursday for a little lesson on ‘how to cast’, they were quick studies and I had both of them pitching cranks in no time. And, as she is often apt to do, the Big Devil produced a school of Whiteys for them to practice on and both of them got there own without ANY help from dad. Truly a special moment for me.
The smiles from ear to ear are worth every penny and the electronics got a rest for a little while. When asked to kiss it, my son fearlessly obliged:
PRICELESS!!
Last Wednesday we got this little guy out and he loves being out there. He would have stayed longer but the adults were wind-blown lobsters by mid-afternoon and ready to quit!
We challenge you all to take a kid fishing this week, no better time than the present to get them out on the water and off the electronics!
Good Luck Out There!
