The Mystery Of This Transition Period
The last days of ice fishing some years can be some of the most unbelievable fishing of the year. Just simply fantastic.
Then we get rotten ice and are forced to the shore to fish the bridges and shorelines with open water areas until the ice is either gone or shattered enough to break a boat through.
When we finally get ourselves back on the open water, we are usually so transfixed by the shallow water Walleye and Pike bites that Perch and Crappie are an afterthought.
This is double edged sword.
A. We have ventured deep before for short periods of time when a Walleye limit was in the box and searched for Perch schools but have never had any luck in re-finding them.
B. We have focused our efforts so much on the shallow Walleyes, did we really give the Perch a chance? Had we been as dedicated to the Perch in the Spring and Early Summer would we have been just as successful?
We do a lot of research.
Research on things like water clarity, color visibilities in relationship to depth, the life cycle of the fresh water shrimp, Perch behavior, Crappie behavior….
Some of this research has been extremely beneficial and has been a direct link to us CATCHING MORE FISH. Some of it has been pure rubbish that ended up being hours we will never get back. We are constantly trying to learn more. We plan to set out on a mission this spring and summer to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that those Perch and Crappies can be caught on Devils Lake in the Spring and Early Summer, stay tuned…
Ice Report-Probably Not What You Wanted To Hear
Sad to say but they are deteriorating by the hour. We witnessed a few ATV’s exit the ice last evening and we wouldn’t recommend too many more days of ATV travel. Just not smart at this point. Probably a week or so of foot travel possibly but even that is going to be day-to-day.
We are planning our first open water excursions and a White Devil hunt for the weekend.
Speaking of the “THE WHITE DEVIL”
AKA “Satan Fowl”, AKA “Scourge of the Flyway”, AKA “Sky Carp” (I personally hate this one), AKA “Lucifer’s Poultry”, AKA “Crafty Veterans of the Flyway”, and a million other names these birds have been called in the decoys while frustrating us that I don’t dare put into print, AKA SNOWS AND BLUES.
We had a pretty good migration the last few days and our eyes on the sky have informed us that we have some birds actually on the ground in sheet water and feeding.
GAME ON!
Coming Up!
Just as we featured the things that we were doing to prepare for Ice Fishing, we will also be featuring the things that we are doing to prepare for the open water season. As with the Ice Fishing Parts I through VI, it will be a multiple part feature. We are excited about it as it means we will be in the boat soon!
Good Luck out there!
