- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 455,624
- Reaction score
- 44
May 3—DEVILS LAKE — Minnesota might hog the spotlight as the state's annual fishing opener approaches, but a certain big lake on the North Dakota side of the Red River shouldn't be overlooked, either.
That, of course, would be Devils Lake.
Devils Lake has a reputation — and a good one. The ice should be all or mostly off by May 1, and boats will be launched soon after. Walleyes will be shallow — and biting — like this time every spring. Fishing season in North Dakota is open year-round, though new fishing licenses were required beginning April 1.
Early season tactics and techniques will be shared later, but first a look at what to expect of this North Dakota lake. Water levels are governed by Mother Nature's moisture. Last year, Devils Lake held at a constant level due to heavier-than-usual rainfall — 25 to 30 inches throughout the summer. The Devils Lake area was one of the few areas in the upper Midwest that did not suffer drought conditions.
The current level is at about 1,450 feet above sea level, according to Jeff Frith, manager of the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resources Board.
"I expect it to remain about that level, and the National Weather Service agrees, saying the lake will maybe rise one-half foot," Frith said. The regional snowpack was considerably lower than the 56-inch annual average. About half that fell this past winter, which made for great ice and lake travel.
But, marginal snowpack means very little current is flowing from the smaller lakes and coulees north of the main lake. There is enough water for walleye spawning runs to a few upper lakes.
Todd Caspers, district fisheries biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, works on Devils Lake fisheries topics nearly every day. "In terms of spring runoff, there can be good walleye spawning success whether it runs hard or is like this year with minimal current," Caspers said.
In 2012, his research showed no runoff, but a very good hatch. "Taking the last nine years as a whole, we have experienced above-average hatches annually," Caspers said. "The long-term average is 25 young-of-year (walleyes) per net, but since 2016, we have averaged 34 young-of-year per net. The years 2021, 2022 and 2024 were exceptionally strong."
That's good news for the big lake's tourism industry, whether talking about guides, tourism officials, local resorts, motels, the casino, area businesses and out of town or out of state visitors.
They know the walleyes are waiting.
Walleyes, which prefer to spawn in rocky, gravelly, hard-bottom areas, could be in the main-lake bays or in the upper lakes after ice-out. Underwater railroad grades and old road beds also attract spawners.
Something new for 2025 on Devils Lake will be a tagging study the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is planning to examine exploitation rates. About 1,000 walleyes from 13 inches to 29 inches will be wearing metal lip hardware. Each jaw tag will be numbered. Whether the fish are kept or released, Caspers wants to know when a tagged walleye has been caught.
To report a tag number in Devils Lake, call the district Game and Fish office at (701) 662-3617, or enter the information on the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov. Anglers may keep the tags.
Early season anglers also line the shorelines, bridges and just about anywhere they can cast out. Walleyes and pike roam close to shore. Typical tactics include dead bait on the bottom for pike, casting floating crankbaits, slip-bobbering with minnows or jigging.
Local guides are willing to share their expertise in boats or even on land. Cody Roswick, a 14-year veteran guide and owner of FinHunters Guide Service, described his successful spring tactics. He leans on slip-bobbers or casting jigs and plastic. The key to finding early season walleyes is locating the warmest water. Usually, that means backs of bays with mud bottoms and some new weed growth.
Roswick's go-to casting set-up: Small paddletails by Northland or Berkley (Ripple Shad) on white, chartreuse or firetiger 3/16- or 1/4- ounce jigs (Roswick favors Northland RZ jigs). In recent years, Roswick says he has found two-tone jigs to be especially deadly. Those are either black/white, orange/white or chartreuse/white jigs fished with a steady retrieve just above the bottom.
For his slip-bobber fishing, Roswick's rods are spooled with 8-pound lime-green Fireline with the same size fluorocarbon leader. He prefers a 3/32-ounce jig baited with a leech.
"Pike like leeches, so if bite-offs occur, I switch to 15-pound fluoro," he said.
Guiding starts in mid-May for Roswick and most walleye guides. Roswick can be reached at (701) 840-5407 or online at
finhunters.com
.
For more info, check out the Devils Lake Tourism website at
devilslakend.com
.
Continue reading...
That, of course, would be Devils Lake.
Devils Lake has a reputation — and a good one. The ice should be all or mostly off by May 1, and boats will be launched soon after. Walleyes will be shallow — and biting — like this time every spring. Fishing season in North Dakota is open year-round, though new fishing licenses were required beginning April 1.
Early season tactics and techniques will be shared later, but first a look at what to expect of this North Dakota lake. Water levels are governed by Mother Nature's moisture. Last year, Devils Lake held at a constant level due to heavier-than-usual rainfall — 25 to 30 inches throughout the summer. The Devils Lake area was one of the few areas in the upper Midwest that did not suffer drought conditions.
The current level is at about 1,450 feet above sea level, according to Jeff Frith, manager of the Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resources Board.
"I expect it to remain about that level, and the National Weather Service agrees, saying the lake will maybe rise one-half foot," Frith said. The regional snowpack was considerably lower than the 56-inch annual average. About half that fell this past winter, which made for great ice and lake travel.
But, marginal snowpack means very little current is flowing from the smaller lakes and coulees north of the main lake. There is enough water for walleye spawning runs to a few upper lakes.
Todd Caspers, district fisheries biologist for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, works on Devils Lake fisheries topics nearly every day. "In terms of spring runoff, there can be good walleye spawning success whether it runs hard or is like this year with minimal current," Caspers said.
In 2012, his research showed no runoff, but a very good hatch. "Taking the last nine years as a whole, we have experienced above-average hatches annually," Caspers said. "The long-term average is 25 young-of-year (walleyes) per net, but since 2016, we have averaged 34 young-of-year per net. The years 2021, 2022 and 2024 were exceptionally strong."
That's good news for the big lake's tourism industry, whether talking about guides, tourism officials, local resorts, motels, the casino, area businesses and out of town or out of state visitors.
They know the walleyes are waiting.
Walleyes, which prefer to spawn in rocky, gravelly, hard-bottom areas, could be in the main-lake bays or in the upper lakes after ice-out. Underwater railroad grades and old road beds also attract spawners.
Something new for 2025 on Devils Lake will be a tagging study the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is planning to examine exploitation rates. About 1,000 walleyes from 13 inches to 29 inches will be wearing metal lip hardware. Each jaw tag will be numbered. Whether the fish are kept or released, Caspers wants to know when a tagged walleye has been caught.
To report a tag number in Devils Lake, call the district Game and Fish office at (701) 662-3617, or enter the information on the Game and Fish website at gf.nd.gov. Anglers may keep the tags.
Early season anglers also line the shorelines, bridges and just about anywhere they can cast out. Walleyes and pike roam close to shore. Typical tactics include dead bait on the bottom for pike, casting floating crankbaits, slip-bobbering with minnows or jigging.
Local guides are willing to share their expertise in boats or even on land. Cody Roswick, a 14-year veteran guide and owner of FinHunters Guide Service, described his successful spring tactics. He leans on slip-bobbers or casting jigs and plastic. The key to finding early season walleyes is locating the warmest water. Usually, that means backs of bays with mud bottoms and some new weed growth.
Roswick's go-to casting set-up: Small paddletails by Northland or Berkley (Ripple Shad) on white, chartreuse or firetiger 3/16- or 1/4- ounce jigs (Roswick favors Northland RZ jigs). In recent years, Roswick says he has found two-tone jigs to be especially deadly. Those are either black/white, orange/white or chartreuse/white jigs fished with a steady retrieve just above the bottom.
For his slip-bobber fishing, Roswick's rods are spooled with 8-pound lime-green Fireline with the same size fluorocarbon leader. He prefers a 3/32-ounce jig baited with a leech.
"Pike like leeches, so if bite-offs occur, I switch to 15-pound fluoro," he said.
Guiding starts in mid-May for Roswick and most walleye guides. Roswick can be reached at (701) 840-5407 or online at
finhunters.com
.
For more info, check out the Devils Lake Tourism website at
devilslakend.com
.
Continue reading...
