It’s been a great week out here on the prairie. I’ve gone back and between open water on the Missouri River and back to the frozen stuff for fun.
The river has been more of a scouting mission as of late looking for spots, channels and of course fish. All indications show things are going to be good this spring! The river in the Bismarck-Mandan area opened up early this spring. The nice part is we have less snow around the area so the water didn’t get very dirty and that has allowed us to find fish!
For me I like to find multiple spots to have options. Of course we all like to catch the big ones. The river in the spring offers a chance every time you wet a line at a chance at a big girl! Fish 7 to 10 pounds have been fairly common the last few springs. We have actually seen two state record walleyes caught the last two springs. One just shy of 18 pounds which didn’t count and the other just short of 16 pounds. Just incredibly big fish! The other reason I like to scout around this time of year is to find eaters. So far both are present locally!
I’m super excited to get the open water guide season rolling here. I’ll open for business starting the 15th of March. The river bite around Bismarck will remain solid through May. If your tough enough get ahold of me to book your early spring trip. mikepelusooutdoors@gmail.com
Most of the fishing this time of year consists of pitching jigs with both minnows and plastics. If the boat numbers are low enough we also troll shallow running crankbaits. Both so far are working well! Remember, North Dakota never closes down for fishing, and even the Corona Virus won’t stop us!