It’s happening! The water is rising and it’s coming up quickly! If you have ventured out to a boat dock near you, especially in the Bismarck/Mandan area, you will notice the river looks completely different. Along with it looking different, it’s also acting different.
Are the fish, or should I say, the males gonna make journey? It’s still the million dollar question, but I’m holding on strong that they still will make the journey. The fish were kinda scattered on the big Muddy this morning. With the rising water, it’s certainly easy to see why this giant river got her nickname. The clarity for the most part, was under a foot today in most spots.
The early bite was slow to start, but picked up as the day progressed. Jigs and minnows worked, but the floaters pulled shallow seemed to get the walleyes attention a little better today. We concentrated in the 5 to 10 foot range with number 11’s and 13’s, a split shot 3 foot above the bait to keep all the debris off was a must!
Fish holding areas and the channel is changing by the minute and can look a lot different to you if you haven’t been out for even a couple days. Be careful and I believe once these temps straighten out a little, we should have a great bite near town.
Now for part two of this report and that’s Lake Sakakawea (West). Between the dirty water and water temps once again, it’s an ever changing deal for the fish and the fishermen. We are seeing water temps anywhere from 46 degrees up to 58 degrees, depending on where you are at. Same story or deal as the river down here is happening up on the Big Lake. The males are just starting to feed, but the females seem to be laying low recuperating from the spawn. The old legends I used to hangout with all used to say 10 days before the big girls get back on track. Once all healed up they should or will also go on the chow.
Cranks, jigs and Lindy rigs are all playing a part in catching fish right now. Shallow water…let’s say 3 feet all the way down to 20 has the most activity if the conditions are right. I’ll be up again the next 4 days Fishing Sakakawea, so I’ll continue to bring you fishing reports.
Taking bookings for all of the above right now. Sakakawea, Devils Lake and the Missouri River/Lake Oahe will all be firing in the coming weeks. Get in touch with me either by email mikepelusooutdoors@gmail.com Another thing if you get the chance and are looking for some tried and true products at a discount check out another Facebook page called MPO Fishing Store. I share promo codes on this page to save you 10 to 20 percent on things like JT Custom Rods, Opti Planer Boards, Vexan Fishing, KMDA Drift socks, Quick Swaps which by the way are now my new favorite! etc. I’ll continue to add products that I personally use while guiding on a daily basis for you to save a little money. Like and Share the page and I’ll continue to work with companies and people I know to bring more great products to you.