Lake Sakakawea is known for its walleye fishing and it has a reputation of producing very big walleyes. As a full time guide on this lake here in North Dakota, and having a guide group the last 3 days on Sak I put a lot of pressure on myself to put clients on fish. We caught fish all 3 days but something is funky on the lake right now. You mark some fish out deep 35 to 55 foot of water and a lot of those fish are uninterested in what we are trying feed them, you get some to bite and you have to keep these fish because they are extremely deep! My feeling is the large walleyes are even deeper. The lake is huge with lots of water for these big girls to rest.
The amount of food in this lake is insane and I think these fish are feeding heavy at night right now and laying in the deep water by day digesting. Again, making these fish extremely difficult to catch.
I know the lake has an amazing population of fish and at the moment it doesn’t feel like it. I am however optimistic that these walleyes in time here this fall will begin to show themselves. Yes it’s frustrating at the moment but things will rebound and these dog days of walleyes on Sakakawea will be long forgotten.
Heavy bouncers with slow death rigs are still working. Jig raps at times are producing and starting tomorrow I’m gonna start pulling lead core and snap weights to cover some water. I’ll have another fishing report for everyone after the weekend. Hopefully a little better news with a different tactic. I will also be offering fall trips on Sakakawea, Devils Lake and the Mighty Missouri River. Also, if your looking to book a trip with me this winter up on Devils Lake please start digging into some dates. Spots are already beginning to fill up. We will have lodging available up at Devils Lake for you as well. Email me at mikepelusooutdoors@gmail.com