I have finally begun my fall transition to the river here near Bismarck. Water is super low, and the structure has changed, but the fish are starting to show themselves and for me this is the most exciting time of the year!

Before I go all in on this river report. Sakakawea and Devils Lake Fishing are still fantastic! In fact, Sakakawea has really turned on again and I would anticipate it only getting better as we continue to move into fall. For me however, it’s time to stay closer to home here, until my ice fishing season starts up. I will however have a few Sakakawea trips coming up and I will report back on those for you.

It’s a typical deal out on the river right now, especially with the super low water. Not a ton of spots to fish and pretty shallow water. Therefore, when you do locate a fish, there are typically more than a few in that particular spot. It will get cramped out there this fall if too many boats all trying to take advantage of the close and easy fishing. It’s the nature of the river near Bismarck and please respect everyone on the water.

For me the basic jig and minnow did and will do most of the damage this fall on the river. The fish however are hanging out in the current right now. Ok, I’m not sure if they are migrating or if this is where the food is? Another thing with the low water, is every junk fish that normally resides in a backwater area, or bay, or whatever, is out on the main river right now. So be prepared to hook into some junk (other) fish while pursuing walleyes.

The nice part about catching some fish on the river right now is the fishing usually gets better by day. The fishing will continue to get better and better with each passing day because of the cooler water temps. I am super surprised how warm the river is yet. We do need a few cold nights and those temps will drop fast. As soon as it does look for the fish to really begin to chomp!

I will be taking some bookings here on the Missouri River near Bismarck up until freeze up. I am also booking ice fishing trips right now, so if your looking to join me on Devils Lake this winter please get ahold of me!