So my report is obviously again from both Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea. I was/am fortunate enough to have fished both of these bodies of water this past week. The following week will be the same.

I’ll start with Sakakawea. Lots of fish! Maybe on the tad smaller size overall from earlier this summer but plenty of them. I’ve said it a bunch this summer, do not get married to any particular depth or areas. The fish are constantly moving around. At least the biters are.

Still staying true to the plain hooks and slow death rigs behind a bouncer pulling them a little slower than years past. Half a crawler and slowing up a little on the marks seems to put fish in the boat. At least the the kind I’m looking for to keep clients happy.

If I was fishing any of the tournaments now and also coming up my approach would be a lot different. Forward facing sonar with an arsenal of jig raps, creeks chubs, jigs etc would be the name of the gave chasing down the larger fish.

Devils Lake this week was a bit more challenging. A recent hatch, heavy winds, intermittent rain showers and haze all played a factor in the fish activity. We still caught s pile of fish! Lots of 13 to 15 inchers on that system right now. You definitely can find the pockets of larger fish, but patience is a virtue.

Spinners, slow death, prop rigs of every color seemed to produce at times. Covering water also seemed to be the best approach. Keep moving until you find the bigger more active fish. All sorts of structure right now has fish on it. Weeds, rocks, roads, points, humps all produced and produced at different times.

I have a couple late August open spots for Sakakawea if anyone is interested. Otherwise, it’s October and November on the river near Bismarck! That is going to be epic!