Believe It!
NO WAY!!
That is the response we get, a lot, when talking about the margin for error while fishing for Perch, Crappie, and Walleye on Devils Lake.
It has taken even us, years to get it through our heads.
10 Feet!
10 Feet can be the difference between a Goose Egg day and a Devils Lake Jumbo Perch Christmas Tree Eruption.
10 Minutes!
10 minutes can be the difference between going back to your cabin and licking your wounds or entering the cleaning station a Jumbo Superstar.
10 holes!
10 holes can make or break your day, those 10 extra holes could have been all that was separating you from legendary status on The Big Devil.
Even We Were Once Naysayers
If is wasn’t for the fact that we, ourselves, have experienced these scenarios literally hundreds of times, we would probably still be like some of you. Like we used to be and refuse to believe that 10 feet, or 10 minutes, or 10 holes could make all the difference in the world.
I have been on both sides,.
I have been the one putting down a slobber knocker while those around me looked on and shook their heads. I have also been the one watching as buddies, acquaintances, and strangers have iced Perch after Perch while I sat looking on in bewilderment asking:
How is this possible??
It can be frustrating. It can totally destroy your morale. For those coming to Devils Lake from afar, it can cause them to never come back. To those of us that reside here, fish the Big Devil on a daily and weekly basis, it instills a desire to keep going back.
To conquer that which just hours or days ago humbled us beyond conceivable recognition.
Sour Taste
When those bad days happen to me, I can not wait to get back out. It drives me nuts to leave the ice and wait until ‘next time’. It keeps my passion burning. Upon my return to the ice, I usually begin the search with reckless abandon. I hope that feeling never goes away. It’s what keeps me going back time after time after time. It is that intrinsic motivation that spawned the idea for what we do. It is that fire inside for this wonderful fishery that keeps me studying, keeps me exploring.
That desire that keeps me reading up on the life cycle of a Freshwater shrimp, keeps me looking at Solunar Tables and logging days on the ice. Keeps me logging and tracking 156 hole, Goose Egg days. Keeps me studying the barometric pressure and the weather.
Its what drives me to get better at putting more Perch on the ice.
There are still days where even I catch myself saying:
NO WAY!
But now I stop myself. Now I remove those thoughts and keep drilling, keep searching.
The next Gold Mine of Jumbo Perch is 10 feet, 10 minutes, or 10 holes away.
This is the same attitude you must bring to Devils Lake when chasing these glorious fish.
10 Feet
10 Minutes
10 Holes
Travis……
You hit the nail on the head with this report. My Dad and I just got home from our trip to Devils (Dad’s first time) we spent Monday – Thursday fishing, we had those quick 15-30min flurries that made our day/days. Monday morning/afternoon was a prime example……we got on top of a solid group of perch in the morning that went nuts for 30-40min and we made hay, then POOF they were gone till later in the afternoon, we got on them again and BAM!!! Made our day