It’s been a tale of two lakes this week for me. My first half started up on Sakakawea where things just continue to buzz with great fishing. My second half was spent on Devils Lake.
It’s definitely not fair to compare the two lakes at this time. I truly believe come later fall we are going to see what Devils Lake has been hiding all summer. I’ll get to that.
Sakakawea we are seeing a tiny trend deeper this week. I always talk about the bulk of the fish when giving fishing reports. As a guide we are always trying to stay on the numbers or concentrations of fish. Right now those fish on Sakakawea are in that 18 to 25 foot region.
Some fish are shallower and some fish are deeper for sure. The same presentation that has been working day in and day out has been a slow death with a half crawler. Kinda a no brainer right now. Super nice average size fish have been caught this way all summer!
Now let’s talk about what’s hiding in Devils Lake. Without question DL has some super giant fish. In my opinion the lake is changing and the fish are changing right along with it. For so many years the lake was littered with flooded timber. Now don’t get me wrong, there is still flooded timber. Just not what it was.
You are seeing a lot more weed growth in the lake and a lot of deep weed growth. It is my belief the walleyes have found it to be very beneficial and comfortable for them to reside in those weeds making those fish extremely difficult to get at.
As soon as that weed growth begins to die off this fall look out! Devils will show why it’s considered one of the top walleye lakes on earth. It’s not like you are not catching fish. You just have to work a little harder for them right now. The key from what I’m seeing is move and burn. Keep cruising to new areas and try and fish as many as you can in a single outing.
By the end of the day you’ll have a nice livewell of fish. I’m starting to wind down here for both Sakakawea and Devils Lake for the summer. I have a couple of openings left. I am beginning to book trips starting around October 1st for the Missouri River near Bismarck. I will run trips until she freezes up. All indicators are pointing to a banner fall once again!
