Finally have a few days on the ice guiding up here on Devils Lake. The cold snap definitely firmed up the ice and I’d say we have on average 10 plus inches all over the lake. Quite a few ridges out there, most are quiet at the moment, but with the snow they are forecasting that will change also.
The fishing was kind of what I expected. We had such a good summer, I was hoping that would transfer over into winter. It definitely looks like it has. I feel both the walleyes and perch on average, grew and got bigger. More water in the lake this last spring created an above average spawn and things are definitely healthy.
No big surprises as far as where we caught fish and how we caught them. The walleyes were on main lake structure like humps or points. Spoons with rattles and the plain old hook and a minnow on a JT Custom snare rod did most of the damage.
The perch were a tad different. They really weren’t on much for structure. I was surprised we found perch in super shallow water all the way out to 40 feet. The size was a great mix of small fish up to 14 inches and really healthy. It look to me the future is really bright and the winter should be decent.
Little spoons with minnow heads and or small tungsten with wax worms caught the bulk of the perch. I’m hoping the perch continue to pool up. Access to all these fish is really good right now but this snow storm coming in might change all that.
I have some scattered dates this winter. If you are looking to book a trip try and get ahold of me. Email or text is best right now especially since it’s guide time again! I also have a day rental house up here in Devils Lake which is an option also. Get ahold of me!
