When is the best time to fish Devil Lake? This is a question
I get asked constantly. Truthfully, if I knew the answer to
this question and was always right, I wouldn’t have to guide
for a living. The fact is every year is different and everybody’s
luck is different. Just because I had a good or bad day in
my boat does not necessarily mean the fishing was good or
bad for everyone else. I have seen my share of seasons come
and go and have been guiding professionally for some time.
The only thing I can guarantee is that there will be some
pretty good fishing each month out of the year along with
plenty of not so productive days. I encourage people to visit
Devils Lake when their schedule allows and to pick a period
of time that is inclusive to fishing tactics that are interesting
or comfortable to the inquiring angler. Ice Out The end of
April and beginning of May can be tremendous for big pre spawn
fish. You either hit this bite or miss everything entirely.
There is a window where anglers can do very well and expect
to hit big fish but the problem is that you never can predict
when this window will exactly occur with any long-range forecast.
During and right after the spawning ritual itself, the fishing
is usually quite tough for a period of about two weeks. Granted
not all of the fish spawn at the same time and males can still
offer opportunities but fishing can be tough after the spawn
until fish start reacting to warmer water in usually shallow
water. With ice out fish, you are either a hero or zero, one
extreme or another from my experiences. This period of time
is usually a jig bite all the way. May/ Early Spring Stable
weather at this time of year can produce some awesome fishing
in shallow water. We often find nice spawned out females in
less than three feet of water. Casting is one of the most
productive methods and a very exciting way to catch fish.
If you or your fishing party isn’t excited about casting all
day, pick another period of time. That being said, cold fronts
and or wind can crash the shallow water pattern in a hurry.
We often use a temperature gauge to find fish at that time,
looking for warm shallow water.
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Adverse weather will often push fish deeper, resulting
in using more traditional methods like Lindy Rigging or
jigging. June/ Early Summer Patterns become very obvious
as the spring fades into summer. We usually find fish
shallow and in the mid-range depths and several patterns
emerge. Usually, most of June can be fished effectively
by either casting the shallows, probing the mid-depths
with slip bobbers or jigs or live bait rigging. |
June is by far; the most popular time of year for anglers
to fish and the fishing is usually pretty good at that time.
Can’t say however that the fishing is any better in June as
it is during other periods of the open water season. July
and August/ Mid Summer People are hung up on June no doubt
but for numbers of walleye, July and August are usually our
strongest months. As a general rule of thumb, the fish will
move a little deeper as the summer progresses. Trolling, live
bait rigging and jigging will catch fish somewhere on the
lake all summer long. We will normally experience an "off
day" now and then but this time of year seems very consistent
as fronts don’t have as devastating effect on fishing success
as earlier in the season. If you are not a fan of trolling,
this might not be the best time for fishing Devils Lake unless
you are prepared to jig or rig in deeper water. September
and October/ Fall September is a very popular time to fish
Devils Lake, as many anglers like to travel that time of year.
The days are usually very comfortable and the kids are back
in school. Several different patterns emerge in the fall as
trolling, live bait rigging, jigging and casting are all tactics
that can and will produce fish. Unlike other periods of the
season, the fish can be found spread out much more in several
different depths and patterns that might be completely opposite
of each other. As fall progresses into October, classic deep
structure areas with rock become classic producers. Remaining
weed edges and shallow water patterns can sometimes remain
productive right until freeze up. Bottleneck areas with current
also seem to become more productive as fall progresses. Conclusion
So which time is the best time to fish Devils Lake? I can
honestly tell you that each of these periods or months can
bring back some pretty fond memories. What happened last year
or the year before however might not be on the agenda for
this year. Visit and experience this great fishery when it
works for your schedule and is conductive to how you like
to fish. Be flexible and take advantage of whatever pattern
that presents itself because in the end, the walleye aren’t
reading this article and don’t always do what they are supposed
to. More and more anglers are experiencing just how great
this fishery is however. We have our bad days but believe
me when I tell you that our good days are just about as good
as it gets for walleye fishing. For more information on fishing
Devils Lake, visit the Devils Lake Area Tourism web site at
www.devilslakend.com.
Editors Note: The author, Jason Mitchell heads Devils Lake’s
premier open water guide service. For more information on
fishing Devils Lake with Mitchell’s Guide Service, call their
office at 701-662-6560 or check them out on the web at: www.fishdevilslake.net.
Walleyes
Inc. Pro Team Favorite when visiting Devils Lake North
Dakota |
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