Devils Lake Fishing Report 3/1/18

Hello, this is your fishing report for the Devils Lake Basin for the week of 3/1/18. The weather this past week has really turned around in our favor. The sun has been out and we’ve been blessed with some very light winds. It’s amazing what that can do for our attitudes and the fishes!

The perch bite remains consistent. We are targeting them in anywhere from 35 feet of water out to 50 feet of water. Everyday it’s a little different depth but it puts us in the ballpark of where they have been day in and day out. I’ve been finding my best fishing on ledges coming off sharper break lines. I think the fish use these ledges as feeding shelves. They don’t seem to sit on these all day but instead filter off and on throughout the day to feed. My best time to be perch fishing especially in these deeper depths is midday with high sunny skies. At these depths with the additional sunlight it seems the fish can find your baits easier. The best baits that have been producing are the Clam Pro Tackle Time Bomb spoon absolutely stacked up with spikes/eurolarvae. Also, the old standby of the buckshot rattle spoon. Both baits have glow paint along with create a disturbance below the surface. Let’s not forget about the tungsten jig stacked with spikes as well. I never leave home without one of those. Don’t be afraid to pound the bottom of this mud basin while fishing. You would be surprised at how effective that can be to either call fish in or to get reluctant biters to EAT!

The walleye bite has been good, morning and evening have been the best time to be out which is no surprise. The fish have been coming in anywhere from 7-12 feet of water. Most times we’re able to pull up on a piece of structure that looks “fishy” and be rewarded. Somedays of course are better than others but if you can find a good looking main lake point with a nice slow tapering edge the Walleye won’t be far behind. For the walleyes I’ve been mainly using jigging style baits such as a Phantom Lures Tilly and also the Rapala Jigging Rap. The last few days has seemed to get the fish charged up a bit and they have been aggressively eating them. Some prefer to tip with a minnow I very rarely do. Rattling jigging spoons have also been good. When I can’t get them to commit to a more aggressive offering I will have a jigging spoon at the ready with a minnow head to drop down and close the deal.

I have recently partnered up with Snobear to offer Snobear trips through the remainder of the 2018 ice season. If you have interest in that please reach out and I would be glad to accommodate you and your group. Of course, we also offer the traditional portable ice house, run and gun style perch chase as well. The day is yours and we’re happy to be a part of it.

I’m booking for Spring trips on the Missouri River South of Bismarck along with Summer trips for Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea as well. Days are starting to fill up so if you’re thinking about doing something this Spring or Summer give me a call let’s put it on the calendar!