Well we shifted gears and I just can’t believe it’s open water season. Absolutely crazy to think one week ago I was driving a truck on the ice and now I’m driving a boat on the Missouri River near Bismarck.

River like always has changed of course. Like each spring it takes a little time to sort out all the new spots, hazards, sandbars and lots of dead cattle scattered along the shores and sandbars. So sad.

One big observation was the fish we caught were full of smelt. Haven’t seen a ton of smelt in the walleyes down here for awhile. Another thing we are seeing are some big northern pike mixed in with the walleyes. The one thing that didn’t disappoint on our first outing of the season, is we boated a 28 plus inch walleye.

So all in all the very first time on the water this season was a successful one! The rest of the walleyes boated were extremely healthy. I will say this, take your time venturing out and pay attention because there is a lot of obstacles your going to encounter and some of which could be career enders. So be careful!

We kept things simple today. We pitched 1/4oz Northland Jigs tipped with minnows with a 6’10” JTX ml JT Custom rod up on the current sides of the sandbars near the main current.
If your looking to save your boat or get the dust off the long rods get ahold of me to book your Missouri River trip near Bismarck today.