In The Hands Of A Higher Power, We Wait
If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes, it’ll change!
Oh how true those words can be when discussing North Dakota! Saturday morning started out sunny, light wind, and the prospect of getting the boat out in the water, getting everything running, getting the kinks ironed out, and hopefully catching a few fish made for an upbeat morning.
By the time we were on the water, oh how things had changed; wind, cold, and the coming clouds had us in a hurry to go through the system checks and get off the water before hypothermia set in.
Such is life on the Northern Tier.
The run through was a success and our checklist of things to do, boat wise, is in the books.
Not a whole lot of fishing was done though. Our electronics had the open water temperature at 44.5 degrees and up tight against the cattails we were topping out at 50 degrees. Still a little chilly yet out on the Main Lake itself.
GO NORTH YOUNG MAN!
We really don’t expect the Main Lake to click on for a little bit with those temps and the snowfall yesterday and today. However, if you are making a trip in the next few days there is good news.
The coulees, though the current has slowed almost altogether, are still producing fish and the real shallow Northern Feeder Lakes are a little warmer and are producing some really nice fish. If you have the ability or the possession of a puddle jumping boat, this is the ideal time to put it into use.
Dry Lake, Mike’s Lake, Lake Irvine, and the open part of Chain Lake are going to produce really good fishing over the next few weeks.
Devil’s Lake Transitions: Revisited
(originally posted 7-21-16)
Back on the Water
We finally got back on the water after quite a few days of inclement weather keeping us on dry land. We were worried about having to try to get back on the fish with such a long layoff.
Thanks to a stiff 15 mph south wind, part of the guessing game of where to fish was taken care of and in short time we were able to pinpoint a 9 foot ledge that was holding some really nice Walleyes. Dalmatian Salmo #5’s and Scatter Raps were again the ticket to a really nice 10 Walleye limit. We were fairly aggressive and kept the trolling speed between 1.5 and 2 mph.
I cannot express to you the importance of finding that old shoreline ledge that is holding the right sized fish. Sometimes is takes longer to identify the correct ledge than it does to boat you limit. The signs of transitioning fish is apparent as some of the shallower spots that we were whacking them 2 weeks abo are barren now. This got me thinking of how fish behave on the Big Devil:
Transitions on “The Big Devil”
Many different fishing waters offer different options. Some are small bodies of water with no structure and basically just shallow bowls with uniform depth. Other, more complicated fisheries are loaded with structure, loaded with different depths, rocks, ledges, weed beds, flooded flats, and such. Both types offer different challenges and opportunities.
Devils Lake is of the latter. Name an underwater structure targeted for fishing and 9 times out of 10 “The Big Devil” has it. Flooded flats? Check. Sunken Shorelines? Check. Submerged weed beds? Check. Flooded farmsteads? Check. Old house foundations? Check. Fragments of an entire town? Check. Various pieces of abandoned farm equipment? Check. Rock Piles? Double Check.
All of this structure and underwater environments in varying depths of water create a wide range of areas to focus on throughout the fishing season. We live here on the northern tier of North Dakota where the temperate climate we endure brings about definite temperature fluctuations. It is these water temp variances that create fish transitions on the big water.
April Fishing
Since our fishing licenses renew on April 1st, we will start there. April usually means post ice out or very late ice. A person can really put a whooping on the Perch and Crappies at this time if the ice is still stable enough to travel on. Walleyes are targeted in the water flow areas of Six Mile Bay and the Mauvais Coulee. Pike seem to be everywhere. The shore fishing is at its best starting at this time.
May Fishing
As April turns to May, the shallows become our focal point. We are trying to find the warmest water possible, as this will present the most active fish. Often times this means venturing to the extreme northern end of the Devils Lake system and fishing the feeder lakes: Lake Irvine, Dry Lake, Mike’s Lake, and Chain Lake all provide excellent Crank Bait pitching for Walleye playing fields.
June Fishing
Late May and Early June is usually much of the same with the added aspect of emerging weeds in the shallows. We are, in general, still pitching cranks, but can also bring out the slip bobbers and the spinners with bottom bouncers and entice weed bound Walleye and Pike out from their Weedy ambush hiding place.
Perch are hard to come by at this time as they are usually so embedded in the weeds hiding from the bazillions of super predators swimming around that it doesn’t pay to target them.
Mid June to late June, in recent years has been a two-inning ball game, pull spinners and snap jig the rocks. Walleyes, and BIG Walleyes, can still be had shallow pitching, but to really put the whooping stick to the almighty Eye, pulling spinners with leeches along weed edges and sunken ledges and old shorelines is the ticket.
This is also the period in which we start to see the Perch venture out of the weeds as that area has seen a temperature rise that just isn’t comfortable for them.
July Fishing
July presents the dog days of summer and we usually see high 80’s and 90’s in air temperature. The waters of Devils Lake rise up into that high 70’s range and we start to see split pea soup in shallow. The spinner bite dips a bit deeper, onto that second shoreline ledge in 15-25 feet of water. This is the time of year that I really start to perch hunt. Most of the Perch have left the weeds and are schooling up on these ledges and in sunken timberlines.
August
Late July and pretty much all of August is much of the same, we often bring out lead core to get #5 Shad Raps and #5 Salmos down into that 20-35 foot range where a lot of the Walleyes and Perch have migrated to find cooler water. This is also the point in the year where the pendulum usually starts to swing back and everything kind of goes in reverse, we start seeing more fish back in that 10-15 foot range. We can attack the weeds again for numbers.
September
September, for me, means shotguns and Canada goose decoys, canola fields and Mourning Dove Kabobs. The fishing, however, is still very good. Pulling Spinners, Pulling Lead Core, Slip Bobbers, and Pitching cranks can all be used at this time of year and there are catchable, keeper fish in every depth.
November is a risky endeavor on Devils Lake, storms can come up quick as can the wind and the chilling waters are not great for taking a dip. The best bet at this time is back in the shallows or the rock piles and humps. Late November some years sees us tip-toing out onto 3-4 inches of ice to target structure-hugging walleyes.
December, ICE FISHING!!!! I truly love this time of year; I am an Ice Fishing fanatic. I love drilling holes and discovering the pot of gold on the bottom of the lake. December ice fishing means structure for eyes and usually shallow flats or timber for perch.
January again sees a transition as the big perch schools begin to go a little deeper and become basin roamers.
February is feast or famine time. This time of year I am usually targeting 30-50+ feet of water looking for those mega schools of fat Devils Lake Jumbo perch.
Late February and most of March is kind of like migration season. The fish are moving towards their spawning areas and I have a few select spots that I target exclusively at this time of year for Jumbo Perch and the elusive Devils Lake Mega Crappie.
And we start all over again.
Information is king on Devils Lake
With all of this fish movement, knowing when and where to go is vital. Information is key on Devils Lake throughout the year. There are a lot of ways to acquire it. Ice fishing you will see a set of Binoculars on just about every dashboard; I chide my fishing partner about his “Wisconsin Fish Finders”. GPS and Digit sharing have become common and beneficial. The bite on Devils Lake often times can change like the weather, just wait 5 minutes. A calm dead water day can turn into feeding frenzy bite mania as a 10 mph wind picks up. I am a disciple of the idea that Devils Lake fish move in transitions, and that if you keep good enough records and journal your days on the water, you have the information that will make you successful. Stop by your local Bar and Restaurant or Cleaning station to collect some of the most vital fishing information there is out there.
Using this data, I have developed an opportunity for you as a fisherman to capitalize on predicting these transitions and cashing in on my detailed records. Year after year, I have gone back to certain areas that, like clockwork, attract fish as the calendar get longer. An example of this development is below:
Pulling Plump Perch in the Dog Days of Summer
Plump Perch are there for the taking. The Perch have started to migrate out of those safety-providing weeds and are starting to congregate on the intermediate ledges. Attack the coveted schools with 2 oz. bottom bouncers, #0 or #1 spinners with a slow death and small stinger hook tipped with a half or quarter night crawler. I usually try to keep the speed under 1 mph, as you hit a school you will feel the machine gun tapping of perch nipping at the crawler. Often times the swing and miss to swing and connect ration can be 10:1. It is pure exhilaration though when you pop that 13-14 inch Devils Lake Jumbo.
My favorite areas to find these Golden Schools are North Creel, North Six mile, Patience Point, Doc Hagen’s, Dead Cow/Mattson’s Bay, and East Devils Lake Jerusalem area. I will use the bow mount against the wind and just drift the spots where I have identified that there is a school.
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Fishing the Solunar Table
This is full moon week. Of all the weeks in the moon cycle to be fishing, it is imperative that you get out and fish this week. Tuesday was the Full Moon and the 4 star day, but the rest of the week is also elevated stars. The calendar itself with its majors and minors look like this:
The Process of Water Elimination
The goal of fishing is, obviously to catch fish. Anyone who tells you that “We ALWAYS hammer them” is a liar. No one always hammers them, it is just the nature of the beast. I have the pleasure of talking to some of the best walleye fishermen on Devils Lake everyday through my employment and friendships that I have established.
Even they have bad days, but a bad day of fishing is still better than a great day of work, even if the fishing IS your work. Also, by being on the water actively fishing you are constantly collecting information, collecting data if you will. Sometimes that data is waypoints where fish bit and new hot spots. Other times, last night for us, a guy is just not on ‘em.
We tried a new area, selected some ledges to try to find some perch and deeper water Walleyes. We were only on the water for about 2 hours. In that 2 hours however, we were able to eliminate large chunks of water for future outings. A bad day of fishing isn’t always a wasted day of fishing.
Why This Is Important
Some might say,:
Well, he’s just getting lazy!
Not the case, in fact, that will never be the case.
This information is vital for those coming from out-of-town and out-of-state. When should you plan that trip to Devils Lake.
As I have stated in the OPEN WATER GUIDED FISHING page, people often ask when is the best time to come to Devils Lake to do some fishing. The answer doesn’t rely on the fishing quality, because I truly believe the fishing is always good to excellent on Devils Lake.
The answer lies in the person asking the question, because it all depends on the fishing techniques you enjoy the most.
Match your Preferred Method To the Time It Works the Best
Some points to ponder:
- If you like to pitch Cranks and Plastics into 2-5 feet of water we suggest you come in June.
- Slip bobbers on intermediate structure and shallow bottom bouncers and spinners with leeches? End of June and early July would be best.
- Trolling cranks on road beds and breaks/ledges, the entire month July.
- Spinners with worms and leeches for Walleyes and Mega Perch Schools? Arrive in Mid-July through the end of August.
- Deep Water Lead Core Trolling for Big Walleyes and Jumbo Perch? The End of July and Early August.
The Big Devil has something for everyone, just knowing when that opportunity is will exponentially improve the quality of your trip.
Good Luck out there!
CATCH MORE FISH!!
Are there spots to get on in the northern lakes or even places to park a pickup? Can a guy just dump his boat in off the road? Is channel “a” navigable?
That is a loaded question with several different answers.
Lake Irvine has no ramp, during high water a guy can dump a smaller boat in the ditch off of 281 about 3 miles north of Churches Ferry.
Mikes’s Lake has no ramp but there are several flooded roads where small boats can be loaded.
Dry Lake has a ‘pay to play’ ramp at Dry Lake Campground.
Your ‘Is Channel A Navigable’ question I assume is asking if a guy can go from 6 Mile Bay, through the Channel and into Dry Lake.
I have personally never done it.
Do I know of guys that have? Yes.
Is it easy? No.
There are several underwater obstructions and you better know the path to take very well or you risk severe boat damage.
There are no parking lots except at the Dry Lake Campground and you have to pay the fee to be there.
This is also the start of the busy season for the farmers and there have already been many issues with people not pulling over far enough on the gravel roads and obstructing the road way. We are 100% against this practice and urge any fishermen that decide to venture to the Northern Feeder lakes to be respectful and cognizant of the fact that they are partaking in a leisure activity and the farmers are trying to do their jobs that their livelihood depends on.
Thanks for the heads up!
The walleye bit is getting better by the day. The problem is not just finding fish, but the right conditions. The water on Devils Lake in many areas is very clear. Too clear. Looking for water with a little color in it is the key to catching numbers of walleye.
Not much crystal clear water right now with the high run off. We have found clarity ranging from chocolate milk/zero up North on Irvine to 2-3 feet max on some of the main lake.