Fishing By Month

Jan - Feb - Mar - Apr - May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sept - Oct - Nov - Dec

JANUARY:
The month of January is typically very cold in ND. Lows will often exceed 20 degrees below zero. However, perch fishing is excellent during this time. By now, the ice is typically 2-3ft thick requiring a gas powered ice auger. Fisherman now concentrate their efforts on the deeper bays. While perch can also be found in the trees, most anglers will work the middle deeper water of bays. Perch fisherman tend to go with small (1/8 to 1/32 jigs), jigging raps, rattle snakies, kastmasters, other small jigging spoons, or a plain hook with a split shot and a slip bobber. When looking for perch, plan to move around until you find them. Many anglers will drill in excess of 100 holes in their search for Devils Lake's jumbo perch. The perch are usually in large schools this time of year and you need to move around until you find a school of active fish. Additionally, most angler will resort to using ice houses this time of year. To help with mobility, a small portable quick flip type house is recommended.

FEBRUARY:
The month of February usually starts out with some of ND's coldest weather with lows often exceeding 20 degrees below zero. From a fishing point of view, this month is almost identical to January. The perch fishing is usually excellent as the fish have moved into deeper water. In years of high fishing pressure, this month can be a little tougher fishing due to the pressure put on the fish from December and January anglers.

MARCH:
Pre-ice out is another one of Devils Lake peak fishing periods. Thousands of anglers swarm to Devils Lake to catch pre-spawn jumbo perch and walleyes. While the perch and walleye may have had quite a bit of pressure over the winter, they are now starting their pre-spawn period of increased activity. This is one of the best times to catch one of Devils Lake's jumbo perch. Additionally, this month typically experiences some excellent walleye fishing. The fish are schooling up and starting their migration to their spring spawning areas. As with November, this month becomes questionable from an ice safety point of view. As the month progresses, the ice starts to deteriorate. This typically starts with the shore areas first. So, while the ice on the lake can still be good, the area along the shore will have melted. Once this starts to happen, fishing is usually limited to foot or atv access. We usually tell folks their probably safe planning a trip here until March 15th to 20th. After that, it's all up to mother nature.

APRIL:
The month of April typically starts with the lake having extremely deteriorated ice conditions that do not allow for fishing. As the month progresses, the ice disappears and open water fishing starts. This month is typically limited to walleye and northern pike fishing. Since these fish are starting their spawning runs at this time, most anglers concentrate on bridge areas and feeder creeks/coulee's that have moving water. Jigging is by far the preferred presentation at this time.

MAY:
Like most Midwest areas, the month of May is the real start of the open water season. White bass start their spawning run and congregate by the thousands in the north end of Six Mile Bay. Fisherman typically pitch jigs tipped with a twister tail and/or minnow into what's known as Channel A. Northern pike and walleye are in the peak of their spawn at the beginning of the month and this usually means slower fishing for these species. As the month progresses, the water warms and the fish become quite active. During this time, most angler pitch cranks such as shad raps, countdowns, & husky jerks in the warmer shallow waters or use live bait rigs near the bridges or moving water areas. The later part of May is one of the hottest fishing times for big northern pike and walleye.

JUNE:
June is probably the busiest fishing month for open water fisherman. This is also one of the best months for fishing. Most species have completed their spawning and are moving back into the main lake from their spawning areas. White bass are still active in Six Mile Bay. Walleye and pike are caught in most areas of the lake during this time. The best fishing starts in the remote shallow bays at the beginning of the month and typically ends with fish going to deeper water as the month progresses. Most boat fisherman start out pitching cranks such as shad raps, countdowns, or husky jerks in 2-6 feet of water; or they'll jig moving water areas such as bridges/coulee. Shore anglers during this month will concentrate on bridge areas such as the Mauve Coulee bridges, Six Mile Bay, the Hwy. 20 Bridge, or the Hwy. 281/19 area. As the month progresses, boat fisherman will start working deeper water with live bait rigs, or they'll troll cranks in 20-30 feet of water with down riggers or planer boards.

JULY:
Fishing in July typically means fishing deeper. The water temps have risen, weeded have developed and this results in the fish moving deeper. Fisherman typically concentrate their efforts on the outer edges of trees, sunken rock piles, rocky points extending out into the lake, and flooded roads. Presentations include deep running cranks like #9 Shads, Bombers, or Thunder sticks; livebait rigs such as bottom bouncers & spinners tipped with a leech or crawler, lindy rigs, or jigs. The most common species fished this month are pike, walleye, & white bass.

AUGUST:
Fishing in August is quite similar to the month of July. Most anglers concentrate their efforts on deeper water fishing the edges of trees, sunken rock piles, rocky points extending out into the lake, and flooded roads. Presentations include deep running cranks like #9 Shads, Bombers, or Thunder sticks; livebait rigs such as bottom bouncers & spinners tipped with a leech or crawler, lindy rigs, or jigs. The month of August also is the start of perch fishing on Devils Lake. Summer perch fishing typically has very little pressure in comparison with the ice fishing season. Even though the fishing can be just as good. Anglers typically will work rainbow spinners tipped with a crawler in 20-30 feet of water until they catch some perch. They will then anchor and use slip bobbers and jigs tipped with a piece of a crawler or a wax worm. The most common species fished this month are pike, walleye, white bass & perch

SEPTEMBER:
As hunting season starts, fishing activity starts to slow on the lake. However, the fishing during this time of year continues to be excellent. As with July and August, most fisherman concentrate their efforts on the deeper waters fishing the edges of trees, sunken rock piles, rocky points extending out into the lake, and flooded roads. Presentations include deep running cranks like #9 Shads, Bombers, or Thunder sticks; livebait rigs such as bottom bouncers & spinners tipped with a leech or crawler, lindy rigs, or jigs.

OCTOBER:
October is an excellent month for fishing big walleyes on Devils Lake. The water temps are cooling, days are getting shorter, and due to hunting season fishing pressure drops considerably. Many sportsman have found this month to be their favorite. They'll shoot their limits of ducks and geese in the morning, and then limit out on walleyes and pike in the evening. Structure gets very important this time of the year. Most anglers will concentrate their efforts on deeper rocky areas during the day and shallower rocky areas in the evenings and early mornings. Try jigging or bottom bouncers with spinners in deeper water, or pitching cranks such as shad raps in the early mornings and evenings. Most fished species during this month are walleye, northern pike, & perch. This is typically about the end of the white bass fishing. As the water cools, the white bass become very inactive. It should be noted that every so often we will experience a blizzard during the later part of this month. Usually, this weather passes, but on occasion it will stay cold and the lake will start to freeze. While the fishing and hunting is excellent this time of year, any trips to Devils Lake can be questionable from a weather standpoint..

NOVEMBER:
The month of November can be a tricky month from a fishing point of view. In normal years, the month will have open water to start with, but usually ends with ice. In warmer years, there's open water most of the month and in colder years, it can be frozen the entire month. Open water fishing this time of year is typically for walleye, perch, & northern pike. Like October, most fisherman concentrate their efforts on rocky points or islands. Live bait presentations are the most common presentation with some cranking in the evenings still going on. Perch fishing this month is usually excellent as the fish move out of the shallow waters and into the deeper areas. Sunken islands such as Lost Jig, Bird Island, & Pelican Island are usually good places to start. But be forewarned. If you plan to fish this time of year, you need to pay special attention to the weather reports.

DECEMBER:
The month of December typically starts the ice fishing season. Since the shallower bays freeze first, these bays are the first areas with ice conditions thick enough to be safe for travel. Fisherman usually start on foot, then move up to atv's, and then vehicles as the ice conditions improve. Many consider first ice to be the best perch fishing time. Perch fishing typically starts out in the following areas: Black Tiger Bay, Creel Bay, the Towers area, & the Ft. Totten area. Walleye fishing is also excellent during this time. Walleye anglers will work rocky points or gravel bars with ice jigs such as sonars, ripple tails, jigging raps, & rattle snakies. Perch fisherman tend to go with small (1/8 to 1/32 jigs), jigging raps, rattle snakies, kastmasters, other small jigging spoons, or a plain hook with a split shot and a slip bobber. FOR PERCH: THINK SMALL & LIGHT.