Fishing this past week has been somewhat spotty. Walleye anglers continue to do well on sunken roads and rocky points but the bite is largely in the early morning and evening hours. Some of the better spots for walleyes have been the Flats, the Doc Hagens area, Ft. Totten/Cactus Point, Knudson’s Bay, the Casino and Concrete Bay area, Mission Bay, the Stromme/Storm Sewer area, the sunken road in Black Tiger Bay, and East Devils Lake. In these areas anglers are fishing from 6-25 feet of water using buckshots, jigging raps, kastmasters, and nils tipped with minnow heads.

Perch fishing continues to really be hit and miss with some fish being caught at the mouth of Creel Bay, the north end of Creel Bay, the Casino area, Black Tiger, and Jerusalem Bay. Hali’s, genz worms, kastmasters, and hanger rigs tipped with wax worms or minnow heads have been working the best. Pike fishing remains good in the north end of Six Mile, Sweetwater/Morrison area, and Pelican Lake. Smelt or herring with tip-ups works well. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/29/10

Welcome anglers to the Annual Devils Lake Fire Department Tournament. We wish everyone the best of luck and hope you enjoy your time in Devils Lake.

As for fishing, heavy snow on the lake really limited anglers this past week. However, the access group and the resorts have worked hard and been able to make some trails for anglers this week. The Casino, Woodland Resort and Ackerman Acres have plowed trails in their areas. The Chamber will be updating the trail list this morning at www.devilslakend.com (too long to include here). With the heavy snow anglers wishing to adventure out off the trails will find it tough going without a snowmobile. Possible, but tough.

Walleye anglers have been reporting a good morning and evening bite. The better areas have been the humps in the Flats, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, the Casino area, Rocky/Military Points, East Bay near the Camp entrance, the Stromme Addition area, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger. Try using sonars or buckshots, nils, raps, or kastmasters tipped with minnows or minnow heads.

Perch fishing is really hit or miss. Some anglers do well each day, but it’s been tough to duplicate it the next day. Some of the better areas have been the Casino, Rocky/Military Points, and the south end of Black Tiger. Look for deeper ledges from 30-50 feet. Hali’s, kastmasters, genz worms, hanger rigs with jigs such as ratso or ratfinkies, and small raps tipped with wax worms, minnows, or minnow head all tend to work at times.

Pike fishing remains good in the north end of Six Mile, Sweetwater/Morrison area, and Pelican Lake. Smelt or herring with tip-ups works well. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

Lake Access Update from John Dahlen (The "Trail Man")

• Lakewood landing is cleaned out.
• Trail looping around in North end of 6 mile bay is good.
• Trail from the 6 mile bay boat ramp to Doc Hagens has water on trail, will try and loop around the bad spots on Friday.
• Trail from Acorn Ridge Landing to Camp Grafton entrance good, trail then leaves landing and follows North shore through Strommes to Township road good. Trail then goes to Foughty's and on into Skadsoms Bay. From Foughtys the trail also goes South to Ackermans. All in good shape Trail leaveing Highway 2 looping in Haybale bay is good.
• In addition Woodland and the Casino have trails.

Also Woodland Resort has cleared trails in Creel Bay, the Casino in their area, and Ackerman Acres in their area.

1/22/10

Anglers are reporting fairly good fishing but it can also be hit and miss. The best walleye fishing is in the early morning and evening hours. Rocky points and other structure seem to be the key. Some of the better areas include the sunken roads and points in the Flats, the Doc Hagens area, Ft. Totten/Cactus Points and Knudson’s Bay, the Casino area, Stromme Addition and the storm sewer area, the sunken road in Black Tiger Bay, East Devils Lake, and Lake Irvin. Sonars, chubby darters, or buckshots, kastmasters, raps, and nils tipped with minnow heads have all been working well.

Perch fishing remains quite spotty with a few people getting some fish each day, but not much for numbers or consistency. Some of the areas producing perch have been the Towers area, Creel Bay, Military Point, Casino area, and Black Tiger.

Pike fishing’s been decent as well with fish being found along with walleyes in most parts of the lake. Those targeting pike have been doing best in Walfords Bay, Jerusalem Bay, Lake Irvin, and Sweetwater/Morrison. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/15/10

A warmer than normal weather forecast has finally gotten fisherman out exploring the lake. Most anglers are reporting a good 18 inches of ice and are accessing the lake with their vehicles.  Recent snows have resulted in a fair amount of snow in some areas.  Those wishing to venture around will need a 4x4 vehicle.  With very little money available for lake trails this year, trails will largely be limited to the casino and Creel Bay areas as the casino and Woodland Resort have been plowing those areas.  Other areas will only have the access points opened.  As for fishing, anglers have been reporting some excellent fishing this past week.

Walleyes are being caught in most areas of the lake with the better spots being the sunken humps and points in the Flats, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, the Casino area, Black Tiger, Stromme Addition, the storm sewer area, the south end of Black Tiger, East Devils Lake, and Lake Irvin.  Anglers are using lures such as sonars or chubby darters; or jigs such as buckshots, kastmasters, raps, and nils tipped with minnows or minnow heads.  Perch fisherman also reported catching some fish this past week.  The better areas have been Black Tiger Bay, East Devils Lake, Creel Bay, and the Towers area.  We’ve also had some reports of fish being caught in Pelican and the Flats.

Haleys, kastmasters, genz worms, ratfinkies, and other small panfish type jigs tipped with minnow heads or wax worms along with a plain hook and minnow set up have all been working.  Pike fishing’s been decent as well with fish being found along with walleyes in most parts of the lake.  Those targeting pike have been doing best in Walfords Bay, Jerusalem Bay, the north end of Irvin, and Sweetwater/Morrison.  Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

01/08/10

Extremely cold temps the past couple days have made fishing miserable, but have really helped with ice conditions. The forecast for the upcoming week looks awesome though. Most anglers are now finding from 14”-18” of ice and are driving vehicles. While finally thick enough to drive on, anglers still need to stay away from moving water areas such as bridges and coulees.

As for fishing, most anglers are reporting excellent walleye fishing, good pike fishing, but perch have been tough to find. Walleye fishermen are doing well on sunken rocky structure. The better spots have been the sunken roads and humps in the Flats, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, Rocky/Military Point, the north end of Creel Bay, the Casino area, Mission Bay, East Bay near the Camp entrance, Stromme Addition, and the sunken road in Black Tiger. Buckshots, nils, raps, and kastmasters tipped with minnow heads have been working well as have sonars and chubby darters. The best fishing has been in the early morning and evening hours. The exception would be Lake Irvin were anglers are also reporting some fish throughout the day. Pike fishing’s been good in Pelican Lake, the north end of Six Mile Bay, Wolfords Bay, and East Devils Lake. Smelt or herring with tip-ups is your best bet. With perch numbers way down, perch have been tough to find. A few anglers are finding a few in the north end of Creel Bay, the mouth of Creel, the Towers area, the Casino, and in Black Tiger, but no real numbers. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

01/01/10

Ice conditions are starting to improve with most anglers reporting 10-14" of ice. While some are starting to drive on the ice, we still recommend foot, atv, or snowmobiles. Recents snows have put some snow on the ice, so four wheel drive will more than likely be necessary.

Walleye anglers have been reporting some decent fishing in Lake Irving, the gap near the Mauvee, Doc Hagens, the north end of Six Mile, Ft. Totten area, Casino, Mission Bay, East Bay near the camp entrance, and Black Tiger. Buckshots, raps, kastmasters, and nils tipped with minnow heads all work at times. Pike fishing's been fairly good to the north at Sweetwater/Morrison as well as the north end of Six Mile and Jerusalem Bay. Perch fishing's been slow with a few fish being caught in Black Tiger Bay and the Country Club area. We hope you all have a Great New Year!!!

12/23/09

Ice conditions continue to improve on Devils Lake with most anglers now reporting 8-10 inches of ice. There have been a few people driving out, but we strongly recommend anglers to use atv’s or snowmobiles at the most. Also, we had a wet fall and there is still some open water in the moving water bridge, coulee, and channel areas. Use extreme caution around these areas.

As for fishing, anglers are reporting some decent walleye fishing in Mission Bay, the Casino area, East Bay near the Camp entrance, the north end of Six Mile, and the Doc Hagens area. Sonars and chubby darters, or buckshots, kastmasters, raps, and nils tipped with minnows have all been working. Anglers are also reporting some good walleye fishing along with pike at Lake Irvin. Perch fishing has been a bit slow yet with a few reports of some fish being caught near the Country Club in Creel Bay, the south end of Black Tiger Bay, and in East Bay out from the entrance of Camp Grafton. Pike fisherman and spearer’s are reporting some nice pike in Jerusalem Bay and some in Walfords Bay. Moving around a bit can help you find clearer water. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

12/18/09

Cold temps the past couple weeks have finally put enough ice on the lake for anglers to start venturing out. Most anglers are reporting from 8-10 inches but some have found spots with as little as 5-6 inches. Those going out have been walking out or using atv’s and snowmobiles. No vehicle traffic is yet advised!!!

As for fishing, anglers are reporting a few perch in Creel Bay and in Black Tiger. Walleye anglers are finding some fish in the north end of Six Mile Bay, East Bay, Mission Bay, the Ft. Totten area, and the Casino area. Pike anglers are reporting some fish in the north end of Six Mile, Jerusalem Bay, Lake Irvin, and the Sweetwater/Morrison lakes. With the ice just becoming fishable, there haven’t been a lot of reports as of yet. This should change as warmer temps and better conditions mean a lot more fisherman will be venturing out this weekend. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

12/11/09

Extremely cold temps finally resulted in Devils Lake freezing over. The best part this year is that calm winds helped it freeze smoother than it has in years. A few daredevils have been venturing out and are reporting from 6-8 inches in the earlier freezing areas but only around 4 inches in other parts. This weekend we would expect a few anglers starting to venture out on foot and possibly on atvs or snowmobiles. But at this time we’d only advise travel by foot and to use extreme caution. Good Luck and we urge all angler to use common sense and extreme caution.

12/4/09

Cold weather has finally started to make some ice on Devils Lake. Some of the smaller bays have now frozen over as have the smaller pike lakes to the north. Ice is still quite thin and we urge anglers to not venture out yet at this point. But it’s a start and hopefully by next weekend anglers may be able to start walking out on some of the smaller early freezing bays.

11/6/09

Anglers continue to report good walleye fishing on Devils Lake. Most anglers are now jigging the bridges of Hwy 57, 20, Six Mile & the Mauvee with minnows or jigging or trolling cranks along sunken points and roads. Some of the better areas include the Golden Highway, sunken road in Pelican, and sunken points such as Haley's Hump, Patience Point, and the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area.

BIG BUCK & DOE CONTEST: Once again Eds will be having its big buck and doe contest. The heaviest buck will win a CVA Blackpowder rifle kit and the heaviest doe a $50 gift certificate. Good Luck and have a save and enjoyable deer season!!!

10/23/09

Welcome hunters and fisherman to the Lake Region. With waterfowl hunting in full swing very few anglers have been hitting the lake. Those going are reporting some excellent success on walleyes and pike. The most productive areas have been the bridges of Six Mile, Hwy 20, Hwy 57, and the Mauvee; the sunken road in Pelican and the Golden Highway; and sunken points such as Haleys Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, Ft. Totten/Cactus Point, and Five Crows. At the bridges and on sunken rock piles anglers are vertical jigging or slip bobbering with minnows. On the sunken roads, anglers are trolling cranks such as shad raps, walleye divers, salmos, and reef runners. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!! Keep in mind that with no CST, Ed's offers the areas lowest offsale beer prices.

10/16/09

Welcome hunters and fisherman to the Lake Region. Another week of cold temps and some added snow this past week once again kept most fishermen off the lake. Prior to this cold front, anglers were reporting some excellent walleye and pike action on the lake. Typical fall patterns of working moving water bridge areas, trolling sunken roads and rocky points, or jigging these areas were the most effective presentations. Some of the better areas this time of year include the sunken roads of Pelican and the Flats, the bridge areas, and sunken rocky points such as Patience Point, Doc Hagens, Ft. Totten/Cactus Point, Five Crows, and Foughy’s Point. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!! Keep in mind that with no CST Ed’s offers the areas lowest offsale beer prices.

10/9/09

Welcome hunters and fisherman to the Lake Region. Cold cool temps and wind kept most fisherman off the lake this past week. The few who did make it out continue to report good fishing. Typical fall patterns are working the best with anglers working sunken roads, moving water bridge areas, and rocky points. In these areas anglers are trolling cranks or bottom bouncers with spinner or jigging with minnow, leeches, or crawlers. Some of the better areas continue to be the sunken roads of Pelican and the Flats, Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, Five Crows, Foughty’s Point, all the bridges and the area near the outlet to Stump Lake in East Devils Lake. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!! Keep in mind that with no CST Ed’s offers the areas lowest offsale beer prices.

10/2/09

Welcome waterfowl hunters to the Lake Region. With an excellent summer duck hatch action should be fast and furious. For those hunters looking to add some fishing to their trip, walleye and pike action has been excellent. Anglers are reporting good success at most of the bridges around the lake including the Mauvee bridge, Six Mile bridge, Hwy 57 & 20 bridges, and the Woods Rutten bridge. Other areas producing fish include the sunken roads of Pelican and the Flats, rocky points such as Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, Bird Island, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, Five Crows, Foughty’s Point, and the far east part of East Devils Lake near the outlet to Stump. In these areas anglers are jigging with minnows, leeches, or crawlers; or running bottom bouncers with spinners. Some anglers are also trolling cranks such as jointed shads, wally divers, or salmo’s on the points and sunken roads as well.

Devils Lake also has some of the best shore fishing you’ll find anywhere. The bridges and the rip rapped highways near the Hwy 19/281 intersection, the bridge areas mentioned above, the north end of Creel off Hwy 19, and the area south of DL near Acorn Ridge all offer some excellent walleye fishing. Try using lindy rigs or jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, or crawlers. The best action tends to be in the morning and evening hours on the windy sides. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!! Keep in mind that with no CST Ed’s offers the areas lowest offsale beer prices.

9/18/09

Anglers have been reporting some excellent pre-fall fishing on Devils Lake. While many anglers continue to report good fishing around the edges of weedbeds, typical fall patterns such as working the moving water bridge areas and deeper rock piles are heating up as well. Some of the better areas have been the bridges of the Mauvee, Six Mile, Hwy 57, and Hwy 20; sunken rocky structure such as the sunken roads of Pelican and the Flats, Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, Five Crows, the Stromme Addition area, Foughty’s Point, and the outlet area in East Devils Lake are all producing some nice walleyes along with some pike. Try trolling cranks such as jointed shad raps, wally divers, and hornets; vertical jigging with minnows, leeches, or crawlers, or bottom bouncers with spinners. If you’re not catching fish in one spot, move until you find a school of active fish and work that area. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

8/28/09

Fishing on Devils Lake continues to be excellent for most anglers. Those doing well are reporting good bites working the edges of weedbeds, old sunken points, the trees, and the bridge areas. Some of the better spots have been the sunken roads in Pelican and the Flats, Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens & Scooters Point area, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, Five Crows, Stromme Addition, Foughty’s Point, Haybale Bay, Black Tiger Bay, and the bridges of Mauvee, Six Mile, 57, & 20. In these areas anglers are mostly jigging or trolling cranks or bottom bouncers with spinners. Both leeches and crawlers work at times. Most anglers are reporting a lot of smaller fish with some nice eating sized ones mixed in. Larger fish have been more difficult to find. A few pike are being caught along with walleyes, but pike fishing overall has been rather slow. White bass continue to be caught in most all areas of the lake with the windy shorelines and bridge areas producing better than others. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

8/14/09

Fisherman continue to report excellent fishing on most all parts of Devils Lake. Those doing the best have been trolling the edges of weedbeds or rocky points with cranks or bottom bouncers with spinners, jigging rocky points and humps, or slip bobbering in the trees. The better areas continue to be the sunken roads and humps in the Flats and Pelican Lake, Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, New Mill Bay, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, the Casino area, all the bridges around the lake, Foughty’s Point and the area from there to Skadsen’s Bay, and the Black Tiger area. Try trolling cranks such as jointed shads or salmo hornets; or bottom bouncers with gold, firetiger, rainbow, or red/white spinners tipped with leeches or crawlers; or slip bobber or jig with leeches or crawlers. Anglers pitching windswept shorelines are also reporting some fish but wind is key and catching is a bit more sporadic.

Shore fisherman continue to report excellent fishing at the bridges of 57, Six Mile, and the Mauvee. Shore fisherman also continue to report a good bite near Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel, and the Hwy 281/19 area. Lindy rigs with leeches or crawlers have been working the best. White bass are being found in these areas as well, but the windy side is key. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

7/31/09

Fishing on Devils Lake has been excellent with most all presentations working this time of year. Walleye anglers are pitching cranks into the edges of weedbeds or windswept shorelines, jigging sunken rock piles or around the bridges, trolling cranks along shorelines or deeper rocky structure, slip bobbering in the trees, or trolling spinner with bottom bouncers along the outer edges of weedbeds and along sunken rocky points. Some of the better areas have been the weeds of Pelican Lake; the sunken roads and flooded timber in the Flats, sunken points such as Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, Bird Island, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, 5 Crows, and Swanson’s Point; the trees from Foughty’s Point to Black Tiger Bay; and the bridges around lake. Pike have been a little tougher to find, but are mixed in with walleyes in most areas. White bass are being found in most all areas of the lake by both boaters and shore fisherman. Jigs tipped with minnows along windswept shorelines have been the best.

Shore fisherman continue to report a good evening bite along the rip rapped shorelines. Some of the better places continue to be all the bridge areas, from the dike to Acorn Ridge south of DL, the north end of Creel Bay along Hwy 19, and the Hwy 281/19 area to the west. Lindy rigs tipped with leeches or crawlers have been working well. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

7/17/09

Winds and a major cold front slowed fishing this past week, but a nice forecast for the weekend should turn things around. Prior to this cold front anglers were reporting excellent fishing in most all areas of the lake.

Anglers have been finding fish cranking the windswept shorelines and edges of weedbeds, trolling bottom bouncers or cranks along sunken roads and points, slip bobbering in the trees, and jigging deeper rocky points.Some of the better cranking areas have been Pelican Lake, the smaller bays in the Flats, Doc Hagens, New Mill Bay, Knudson’s Bay, the north end of Creel Bay, the Storm Sewer area, Haybale Bay, and Browns Bay with shad raps, wally divers, and hornets.

Slip bobber fisherman have been doing well in Pelican Lake, the Mauvee area, Florida near Grahams Island, Swanson’s Point, and Foughty’s Point.

Live bait fisherman have been working the sunken roads in Pelican, the Flats, and Six Mile and sunken points and rock piles such as Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, Bird Island, and the Ft. Totten/Cactus area. Pike fishing’s been a bit slower, but most anglers are reporting some fish mixed in with walleyes. White bass continue to be caught in most all areas of the lake. Their population has skyrocketed and now’s a great time to take advantage of their abundance. Jigs or plain hooks tipped with minnows or cranks in firetiger, blue/silver, or perch all work great.

Shore fisherman continue to report an excellent evening bite at most all the bridges, the rip rap near Acorn Ridge, off Hwy 19 on the north end of Creel Bay, and the Hwy 281/19 area. Leeches on lindy rigs or slip bobbers have been working the best. Saturday the Lake Region Anglers Association will be having their annual Adult/Child fishing tournament at Grahams Island starting at 9:00am. This is sponsored in part by West Bay Resort. For more details check out the anglers site at www.ndsportfishingcongress.org. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

7/10/09

Anglers continue to report excellent fishing on Devils Lake. While anglers are still catching fish shallow, many are starting to also find fish out on deeper rocky points and humps as well. The most popular presentations continue to be slip bobbering in the trees and along weed edges or cranking windswept shorelines, but live baiters runner bottom bouncers and spinners or trolling cranks deeper are also reporting increased success. Slip bobber and live bait fisherman are working the trees and weed edges of Pelican Lake, the Mauvee Coulee area, the north shore of the Flats, Howards Bay, Holy Bay, the trees near Grahams Island, Doc Hagens, New Mill Bay, Knudson’s Bay, the Ft. Totten/Cactus area, Swanson’s Point, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger Bay. Crankers are mainly working Pelican Lake, the Flats, Howards Bay, Doc Hagens, New Mill, East Bay along Hwy 57 north and south of Acorn Ridge, Haybale Bay, and East Devils Lake. Cranks such as #5 or #7 shad raps, wally divers, countdowns, esko’s, and hornets have been the most popular. Best colors have been blue/silver, black/silver, hot steel, perch, and firetiger.

Shore fisherman continue to report excellent fishing at the bridges, the Hwy 281/19 area, north end of Creel Bay, and Hwy 57 near Acorn Ridge. Best bite’s in the early morning or evening hours. Try using lindy rigs tipped with leeches. White bass fishing’s been excellent in most all areas of the lake. Unfortunately for the other fish species in the lake, the bass population has exploded making for some excellent fishing for those who target white bass. Minnows or powerbait fished with white or chartreuse jigs along with firetiger or blue cranks have been working well for bass.

This weekend is the Angler Young Angler tournament at Lakewood. We wish all you young anglers the best of luck. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

7/2/09

Fishing continues to be quite good on Devils Lake for both shore fisherman and boaters. Anglers are now finding walleyes in most all parts of the lake, but the western part of the lake continues to be the better area.

Boaters are finding fish by slip bobbering the trees, cranking windswept shorelines and weed edges, and working sunken roads and rocky points with bottom bouncers and spinners or cranks. Crankers are working shad raps, countdowns, rattletraps, and wally divers in the shallower bays in Pelican Lake, Howards Bay, Doc Hagens, New Mill Bay, Knudson’s Bay, and Browns Bay in East Devils Lake. Blue/silver, black/silver, perch, and firetiger have been the better colors. Slip bobber fisherman have been working the trees near the Mauvee Coulee, Grahams Island area, Ft. Totten area, casino area, Howards Bay area, and most all the bridges. Those using bottom bouncers and spinners have been doing well working sunken roads in Pelican Lake and New Mill Bay and also most of the rocky points spread throughout the lake. Pike and white bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most all areas of the lake.

Shore fisherman are reporting their best action in the evening hours just before dark for walleyes with bass and pike action happening all day. The better areas for shore fisherman have been all the bridges, the Hwy 19/281 area, Hwy 19 near the airport, Skadsens Bay (which has now been shut off for boaters due to the new coffer damn being built across the entrance), and the area from the dike to Acorn Ridge on Hwy 57. In these areas anglers are pitching jigs or cranks, slip bobbering, lindy rigging, or using a split shot or other weight and a plain hook or floating jig tipped with a leech. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable 4th of July holiday weekend. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

6/26/09

Welcome anglers to the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce Annual Walleye Tournament. Walleye fishing this past week has been excellent for most all fisherman. Those having the best luck have been working wind swept shorelines and weed lines with cranks such as #5 shad raps, #7 countdowns, or plastics such as mimic minnows and slurpies; or slip bobbering with leeches or crawlers in the trees. Some of the better areas have been Pelican Lake, the smaller bays and points in the Flats, the trees near Grahams Island and Patience Point, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area, Swansons Point by the Casino, Stromme Addition, Skadsen's Bay, and Black Tiger.

Shore fisherman continue to do well in the early morning and evening hours. Try using lindy rigs, slip bobbers, or cranks. The better areas have been the bridges, the Acorn Ridge area, north end of Creel Bay along Hwy 19, Skadens, Mauvee area, and the Hwy 19/281 area. Bass and pike are being caught along with walleyes in most areas of the lake. Good Luck and Good Fishing!!!

6/19/09

Overall fishing remains quite good on Devils Lake for both shore fisherman and boaters. For walleyes, anglers have been working windswept shorelines on windy days or slip bobbering in the trees on calm days. Some of the better areas for cranking have been Pelican Lake, Howards Bay, New Mill Bay, Doc Hagens, the storm sewer area in East Bay, Penny Bay, Skadsen’s Bay, and Haybale Bay. In these areas anglers are pitching #5 shad raps, #7 or #9 countdowns, and jigs with plastic such as mimic minnows or slurpies. For cranks the best colors continue to be firetiger, blue/silver, black/silver, and perch. For slip bobbering, the trees of Pelican and the Mauvee area, the trees near Grahams Island (Florida as it’s called), Patience Point, the trees near Ft. Totten, Swanson’s Point, Foughty’s Point, and the Skadens area have all been producing fish. Anglers are also reporting some fish on bouncers and spinners and that should improve as water temps increase. Pike and white bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas.

Shore fisherman are reporting some excellent early morning and evening fishing for pike, walleyes, and white bass. The best fishing has been along the Mauvee, the Hwy 19/281 area, the Mauvee, Six Mile, 57, 20, and Woods Rutten bridges, the north end of Creel Bay along Hwy 19, and Hwy 57 just before Acorn Ridge. In these areas, anglers are pitching cranks or jigs, lindy rigging, or slip bobbering with leeches, minnows, or crawlers. Leeches have been working the best for walleyes and minnows for white bass. While the windy areas are tougher to fish, the better action is usually worth the extra effort. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

6/12/09

A little warmer weather and things really start picking up on Devils Lake. Water conditions have been playing a big role for boaters. Later in the day when the water warms up, so does fishing. Also, a little wind blowing into shorelines also seems to trigger better action. Most anglers are pitching cranks such as shad raps and countdowns and plastic into shallow windswept shorelines or are slip bobbering along weed edges or in the trees. Those finding the warmest water are also finding a little better fishing. The better areas continue to be Pelican Lake, the Mauvee area, Howards Bay, Doc Hagens, the north end of Six Mile, Knutson’s Bay and the Ft. Totten area, New Mil Bay, Mission Bay, Penny Bay, and Skadsens Bay. Pike and white bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in these areas and also in East Devils Lake.

Shorefisherman are reporting some excellent fishing at the Mauvee, Six Mile, Hwy 20, and Woods Rutten bridges in the evening hours. The rip rap along the north end of Creel Bay and the Hwy 281/19 area have been picking up as well. In these areas anglers are pitching cranks, jigs, or using slip bobbers or lindy rigs tipped with leeches. Anglers in these areas are reporting the better fishing being on the windy sides. For white bass, anglers are finding fish in most areas of the lake. Some of the better areas have been Channel A, Hwy 281, the Brinsmade Bridge, and County #4. Each day one area seems better than the other and those moving around have been having the best luck. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

6/5/09

Most anglers reported excellent fishing this past week. Boaters are finding walleyes in the warmer shallow bays during midday and the afternoons as the water warms up.

Shore fisherman are reporting great fishing in the evening hours. Boat fisherman are now finding pike, walleyes, and bass in most all of the shallow bays located around the lake. Finding the warmest water continues to be the key. Water temps have been ranging from 52 degrees on up to 64 degrees depending on the weather. The best presentations continue to be pitching #5 shad raps, #7 and #9 countdowns, esko’s, and jigs with plastic such as mimic minnows.

Anglers are also finding fish slip bobbering in the trees or along windswept points. Some of the best areas have been New Mill Bay, the north end of Six Mile, Pelican Lake, Howards Bay, Doc Hagens, Knudson’s Bay, Penny & New Penny Bays, and East Devils Lake. Shore fisherman are reporting good bites at all the bridges (Mauvee, Six Mile, 57, 20, & Black Tiger) and along the rip rap in these areas as well as the Hwy 281/19 area. In these areas anglers are pitching jigs with leeches or plastic, slip bobbering, and using lindy rigs. Bass fisherman are doing best on jigs and minnows or jigs w/plastic. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

5/29/09

As water temps increase on Devils Lake anglers are finding action heating up as well. Most anglers are finding water temps in the mid 50’s to low 60’s with the warmer temps occurring later in the day. Anglers doing best are looking for the warmer water and working those areas.

For walleyes, anglers are doing well during the warmer afternoon periods and near dusk. Try pitching cranks such as shad raps and countdowns, or jigs tipped with plastic twister tails or powerbait into windswept shorelines. Some of the better areas have been Doc Hagens, Pelican Lake, the shallow bays of the Flats, New Mill Bay, Knudson’s Bay, Six Mile, the moving water bridge areas, Channel A, and Penny Bay.

Shore fisherman are reporting excellent fishing in the evening hours along the rip rap of the north end of Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay, Hwy 281/19 area, and the Brinsmade bridge area. Pike and white bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas of the lake. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

5/22/09

With water temps finally warming up fishing on Devils Lake is really starting to take off. Shorefisherman are reporting excellent walleye and pike fishing along the coulees feeding into Devils Lake, the Mauvee and Six Mile bridges, and along the rip rap shorelines of Six Mile, the Flats, and Pelican. In these areas anglers are pitching cranks such as shad raps and countdowns, jigs tipped with twister tails or leeches, and lindy rigs or slip bobbers tipped with leeches. The best bite is from mid day to dark during the warmer water periods.

Boat fisherman are finding some excellent jigging along the bridges, pitching cranks or jigs tipped with twister tails or power bait, or pitching slip bobbers with leeches in the trees or wind swept shorelines. The key is to look for the bays and areas with the warmest temperatures. White bass are just starting to turn on. Boat fisherman are finding large schools of white bass in the north end of Six Mile Bay, Penny Bay, and the Flats.

Shore fisherman are finding fish in Channel A, the Mauvee and Six Mile bridge areas, and the culverts on the coulee from East Devils Lake to Stump Lake. One of the better areas is about 7 miles south off County #4 south of the Southam turn off Hwy 2. Firetiger cranks or chartreuse jigs tipped with minnows or twister tails have been working well. We wish everyone a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

5/15/09

Anglers continue to report some excellent spring fishing even despite the cold fronts that have been moving through the area. The best fishing continues to come from shore fisherman in the far west and far east parts of the lake. The Mauvee Coulee, Channel A, the bridges north of Lake Alice, the bridges leading to Stump Lake, and the bridges on Hwy 19 have all been offering some excellent walleye and pike action. In these areas anglers are pitching jigs with leeches, minnow, or chartreuse or white twister tails.

Boat anglers are also starting to report some good walleye and pike action in the shallower western bays of the Flats and Pelican. The best fishing for boaters has been pitching cranks or jigs into shallow water during the warmer mid day periods or jigging the moving water bridge areas. A few white bass are starting to show up at the bridges and Channel A, but water temps need to improve a bit more before that action will heat up. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

5/8/09

A good spring runoff continues to offer anglers some excellent spring shore fishing this year. Anglers are reporting good catches of walleyes and pike in most all the coulee and bridge areas that lead into Devils Lake. These include the bridges north of Lake Alice all the way to the Cando area, the Mauvee bridges from Lake Irvin to Pelican Lake, the bridges in the Webster/Garske area, Channel A, the bridges on the lake itself, and the bridges between Devils Lake and Stump Lake. While the larger spawning walleyes seem to have already spawned, anglers are reporting good catches of the smaller more eating sized male fish.

Pike are also being caught along with walleyes in most areas as well. Water temp this time of year is a big factor. The warmer water areas are typically the better areas and anglers are finding that moving from one bridge to another can make a big difference in action. For walleyes and pike most anglers are doing the best on jigs tipped with plastic such as powerbait or twister tails. White and chartreuse tend to be the better colors. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

4/23/09

Anglers this week reported some excellent fishing on the coulees and bridges in the Devils Lake area. The key for the best fishing is to move around if the fish aren’t in the area you’re fishing. Chances are there’s another area where they are.

The pike started really strong and have since slowed a bit, but now the walleye action has picked up. Anglers are reporting good catches of eating sized males and some nice large females as well. Keep in mind these large fish are our future and we ask all fisherman to practice catch and release on these bigger females. Also, G&F rules require any fish caught behind the gill plate to be released as its rules consider those fish to be snagged and you will be issued a ticket.

As for fishing for walleyes and pike, anglers are reporting the best success with jigs with plastic. This includes twister tails, mimic minnows, powerbait, and other jig/plastic body type jigs. White, chartreuse, firetiger, or silver/black all work at times. Some of the better areas include the bridges along the highways of the main lake, Channel A, the bridges of the Mauvee Coulee, Edmore Coulee, and the coulees going north of Lake Alice. Anglers are also reporting that those putting in small boats off the ditches are having some excellent success as they target the edges of the moving water and calmer water areas. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

4/17/09

While there are few people still walking out on the ice, we DO NOT recommend it. Ice conditions have deteriorated to the point that even foot traffic is not safe. However, anglers shore fishing are starting to find some excellent fishing around the open water bridge and coulee areas. These areas include the south end of Channel A near Hwy 2 and the railroad bridges, The bridges along the Mauvee Coulee from Churches Ferry to Pelican Lake, the coulees in the Webster/Garske area, and the coulees north of Lake Alice.

For pike, anglers are using jigs tipped with plastic or daredevils. For walleyes, anglers are primarily using jigs with white or chartreuse plastic twister tails or powerbait. Keep in mind, ND Game and Fish laws consider any fish hooked behind the gill plate as being “snagged” and they must be released immediately. We also ask all anglers to help insure the future of our fishery and to release the larger spawning females. The next few weeks can be the best and most enjoyable time for shore fisherman and we wish you all the best of luck.

4/3/09

Cold temps have allowed ice fishing to continue on Devils Lake. Currently, most anglers are driving vehicles on the ice but as temps increase shorelines will start deteriorating and anglers will need to start using atv’s or concentrating on shore fishing around bridges and coulees as they open. Reports from anglers indicate fishing continues to be hit and miss. Walleye fishing remains quite good, but the bite seems best in the early morning and just before dark periods. Some of the better areas for fishing have been Mission Bay, Doc Hagens, the north end of Six Mile Bay, Stromme Addition, the storm sewer area, and the sunken Black Tiger road. Sonars and chubby darters, or buckshots, raps, nils, and kastmasters tipped with minnows or minnow heads have all been working.

Perch fishing has been tough for most anglers. Those catching some are reporting marking a lot of fish, but find they’ll only be able to stay on active schools for short periods of time. The better perch areas have been Skadsens, the Woods Rutten area, and the south end of Black Tiger Bay.

Pike fishing’s been good in the north end of Six Mile Bay with some nice fish coming from that area. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

3/27/09

Last week warm temps deteriorated shorelines and it appeared the end of driving on the lake was near. But this week’s cold snap has refrozen shorelines and appears to have given ice fisherman a reprieve. Fishing on the other hand continues to be a bit hit and miss. Anglers are reporting decent walleye catches but are having trouble staying on any perch.

For walleyes, anglers have been fishing the north end of Six Mile Bay, the Doc Hagens area, Mission Bay, Foughty’s Point, the sunken Black Tiger road, and Jerusalem Bay. Sonars and chubby darters or nils, buckshots, kastmasters raps, and other spoon type jigs tipped with minnows or minnow heads continue to be the lures of choice. Perch fisherman are finding some fish in the south end of Black Tiger Bay, the Woods Rutten area, Skadsen’s Bay, and the mouth of Creel Bay.

Perch fisherman are reporting they have to move quite a bit to both find fish and to stay on them once they do. Hali’s, kastmasters, small raps, genz worms, and other small jigs tipped with minnows, minnow heads, wax worms, and spikes all work at times.

For pike fishing try Jerusalem Bay or the north end of Six Mile Bay near Channel A. Smelt or herring off tip-ups continues to work the best. Pike and walleyes are also being caught in Lake Irvin, but access has been deteriorating and moving water in that area will make it one of the first areas to cause problems. As temps warm up, anglers will need to start using atv’s or walking out. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

3/20/09

Anglers reported fishing this past week to be hit and miss. One day anglers would do quite well in an area only to not do so well the next day. Some of the better areas for walleyes have been Lake Irvin, Mission Bay, Doc Hagens, Jerusalem Bay, and Six Mile Bay. The best bite has been in the early morning and evening hours but anglers are reporting some fish throughout the day. In these areas anglers are using sonars and chubby darters, or kastmasters, raps, nils, buckshots, and other spoon type lures tipped with minnows or minnow heads.

Perch fishing has been hit and miss as well with the better areas being the Woods Rutten and south end of Black Tiger Bay areas. Hali’s, kastmasters, genz worms, forage minnows, and ratso’s tipped with wax worms, spikes, minnow heads, or perch eyes all work at times.

Pike fishing remains good in the Churches Ferry and Lake Irvin area. Smelt or herring off tip-ups remains the best bet. Ice conditions have been pretty good with most of the snow cover having melted down some allowing travel by vehicle in most all areas. The ice in many areas is quite thick and the use of an extension is a good idea. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

3/13/09

The recent cold blast and wind kept most anglers off the lake this past week. The few who did venture out reported typical cold front conditions with slow or hit and miss fishing. But this week we have a completely different weather forecast which should help things pick up. Typically, this time of year offers some of the best perch, walleye, and pike ice fishing. Prior to the recent cold front, anglers were reporting good to excellent fishing.

For perch, anglers were finding fish in the Woods Rutten/East Bay Campground area, south end of Black Tiger Bay, Casino area, and the mouth of Creel Bay. Hali’s, small raps, kastmasters, genz worms, buckshots, and ratso’s tipped with wax worms, spikes, minnow head, minnows, or perch eyes all work at times. Each day a few anglers were doing well while others struggled. Mobility and trying different presentations were the keys to those doing better.

Walleye fishing’s also been good in most areas of the lake. Anglers are reporting good catches of eating sized fish on the sunken Black Tiger road, Stromme Addition, Casino area, Mission Bay, Creel Bay, and Doc Hagens. Sonars and chubby darters, or raps, kastmasters, and buckshots tipped with minnow heads have been working the best.

Pike fishing continues to be good in Lake Irvin. Anglers are mainly using smelt or herring on tip-ups, but those using sonars, chubby darters, and other walleye type setups are also reporting some nice walleye catches with a few jumbo perch mixed in. There’s a fair amount of snow on the lakes, but driving around with a 4 wheel drive hasn’t been too bad. Ice thickness is to the point where and extension is required in some areas. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

3/6/09

Fishing this past week picked up a bit as the weather stabilized, but it was hit and miss with some anglers doing quite well while others continued to struggle. For walleyes, the best areas were Lake Irvin, the sunken Black Tiger road, Doc Hagens, Mission Bay, the Casino area, and East Bay near the camp entrance. Sonars, chubby darters, buckshots, kastmasters, raps, and nils have all been working for anglers.

Anglers reported some perch catches in the Woods Rutten area, Casino area, and Black Tiger Bay. Hali’s, small raps, genz worms, kastmasters, or small jigs such as ratfinkies tipped with wax worms, spikes, minnows, or minnow heads have been the best bets.

Pike fishing continues to be good on Lake Irvin, Walfords Bay, and Jerusalem Bay. Smelt or herring with tip-ups continues to work the best. Recent temps and resulted in the snow being more compact and getting around a bit easier. Four wheel drive is still needed and snowmobiles are recommended for those wishing to venture. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

2/27/09

Most anglers are have been reporting poor fishing the past couple days since this major cold front moved in. Prior to this snap though fishing was pretty decent and as the weather improves this week things should pick up again.

Some of the better areas for walleyes have been Doc Hagens, the Casino/57 bridge area, East Bay near the Camp entrance, and the sunken Woods Rutten road. Other areas producing fish include Bud Bay, the Ft. Totten area, Rocky/Military points, the Woodland and Country Club areas, Stromme Addition, and Foughty’s Point. In these areas anglers are jigging sonars and salmos; or using buckshots, raps, nils, kastmasters, and other spoon type lures tipped with minnows or minnow heads.

Perch fishing has also been hit or miss with some anglers doing quite well each day while others around them will struggle. Mobility continues to be the key for perch. Some of the better areas have been the Casino area, Military Point, Woods Rutten area, and the south end of Black Tiger Bay. Buckshots, forage minnows, genz worms, hali’s, kastmasters, and ratfinkies tipped with minnows, minnow heads, wax worms, spikes, or perch eyes all work at times. Lake Irvin continues to produce pike, walleyes, and a few jumbo perch. The bridge area and the far north east area have been the best. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

2/20/09

Fishing has been a bit hit and miss as of late. Each day some anglers do great while others around them will struggle. The better areas for walleyes have been the Casino, 57 bridge, Doc Hagens, Stromme Addition, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger. Those catching fish are reporting a short early morning and evening bite in anywhere from 8-25 feet of water. Sunken trees and rocky ledges or points have been the more key areas to work. Try actively working sonars or chubby darters; or nils, raps, buckshots, kastmasters tipped with minnows or minnow heads. When pressure occurs in an area the walleyes tend to scatter or shut down and those working the outer edges and away from the crowds tend to do the best.

Perch fishing’s been hit and miss as well. Some of the better areas have been the deep water off Rocky and Military Points, the Casino area, the Woods Rutten area, and the south end of Black Tiger. Kastmasters, genz worms, buckshots, small raps, or hanger rigs tipped with spikes, waxworms, minnow heads, or perch eyes all work at times.

Some anglers have also reporting Lake Irvin picking up for pike and walleyes with an occasional jumbo perch mixed in. For pike, smelt and herring off tip-ups has been the setup of choice. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

2/13/09

Last week’s warm weather blast brought some excellent fishing and really helped ice conditions. But as the weather cooled and snow moved in ice conditions deteriorated and fishing really slowed. At the present, moving around on the ice is again tough as there’s a fair amount of water under the snow in places and a hard crust is forming on the snow. Until things freeze up a bit (or warm weather again appears), driving will remain difficult.

As for fishing there has been some perch being caught in the Woods Rutten area, south end of Black Tiger, the 57 bridge area, and Military/Rocky Points. Hali’s, small raps, buckshots, genz worms, and ratfinkies tipped with wax worms, spikes, or minnow heads have been working the best.

Walleye fishing while a bit slower than last weekend continues to be quite good with a good morning and evening bite. Some of the better areas have been Doc Hagens (snowmobile access only), Bud Bay, Rocky/Military Points, the 57 bridge area, East Bay near the camp entrance, Foughty’s Point, and the sunken Black Tiger road. Try working sonars or chubby darters, or raps, nils, kastmasters, buckshots, and other jigs tipped with minnows or minnow heads. The best success has been in the 10-20 foot range in trees or rocky points.

Pike fishing remains steady with some good fishing in Walfords Bay and Jerusalem Bay. Lake Irvin continues to be good for walleyes, pike, and a few large perch. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

2/6/09

Walleye and pike fishing continue to be good to excellent on Devils Lake while perch fishing remains spotty. Those catching walleyes are reporting good fishing in the Doc Hagens area (snowmobile access only), Bud Bay, Military/Rocky Points, the Casino area, Foughty’s Point, Stromme Addtion, and Lake Irvin for larger fish. Salmo’s, sonars, or jigs such as buckshots, kastmasters, nils, raps, and rocker minnows tipped with minnows or minnow heads have all been working. In these areas, try rocky points or the edges of trees from 8-24 feet of water.

Perch fishing remains spotty, but some anglers are reporting good success. The best area has been Black Tiger Bay were anglers are reporting some nice sized perch and quite a few smaller ones mixed in. In this area, anglers are working the 30-36 foot range and using small buckshots, kastmasters, rocker minnows, small raps, ratso’s and ratfinkies tipped with wax worms, spikes, perch eyes, or minnow heads. Also, a plain hook and a minnow fished off a slip bobber also works well and often catches the larger perch. Rocky/Military Points and the casino area are also producing some perch. Pike fishing remains good on Morrison Lake, Walfords Bay, and has started picking up in Lake Irvin. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/30/09

Welcome fisherman to the Annual Devils Lake Volunteer Fire Dept Annual Fishing Tournament!!! We wish you all the best of luck. For those of you who are in town to do some non-tournament fishing you should find a fairly decent bite going at this time.

Walleye fishing’s been good in the early morning and evening hours in most parts of the lake with some fish being caught all day long on deeper rocky structure. Those finding fish are working buckshots, kastmasters, raps, & nils tipped with minnows or minnow heads; or try jigging sonars or chubby darters in depths from 8-24 feet of water. Look for edges of trees or rocky structure. Some of the better areas have been Swansons Point by the Casino, Doc Hagens, Bud Bay, Military/Rocky Points, Old Mil Bay, the 57 bridge, Mission Bay, Stromme Addition, Foughty’s Point and Doc Hagens. Perch fishing has also picked up a bit.

Not big numbers or bite going, but those working for perch are finally reporting some success. Two size classes have been dominate. Either some nice large perch or ones too small are what are being caught. Moving around can help change from one size to the other. Those catching fish have been using small raps, kastmasters, buckshots, genz worms, hali’s, or small jigs such as ratso’s and rat finkies on hanger rigs. Tip them with wax worms, spikes, or minnow heads. Some of the areas producing fish have been the Dome house area, Rocky/Military Points, the Casino, and Black Tiger Bay.

Pike fishing remains good in Walfords Bay, Jerusalem Bay, Morrison Lake, and Lake Irvin has finally started picking up for pike as well. Smelt or herring fished with tipups continues to work the best. Trail systems on the lake have been helping access, but getting off them and venturing around is quite difficult. Those wanting to venture should plan on traveling in groups or use snowmobiles. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/23/09

Fishing on Devils Lake continues to be fairly good for walleyes and pike, but remains slow for perch. The biggest problem has been mobility due to the heavy snow cover on the lake. While the local Access group and the resorts are keeping a main trail system open, getting off the trails to do any exploring is getting quite difficult even with a 4x4 vehicle. Those wishing to venture around to look for fish should plan on using snowmobiles or travel in groups with 4x4 vehicles.

Some of the better walleye fishing has been coming from Doc Hagens, Bud & Old Mill Bays, Rocky/Military Points, the north end of Creel Bay, the trees around Swansons Point near the Casino, 57 bridge, Mission Bay, Stromme Addition, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger Bay on Devils Lake and the north and east areas of Lake Irvin. Try jigging raps, nils, buckshots, kastmasters, and Swedish pimples with a minnow or minnow head. Also, jigging with sonars and chubby darters has been working as well.

Pike fishing remains good in Walfords Bay and Jerusalem Bay on Devils Lake, Morrison Lake to the north, or Lake Irvin. Smelt or herring fished with tipups continues to be the best bet. Perch fishing remains slow with a few people catching some fish each day, but it’s more of a hit and miss deal.

Some areas where perch are being caught is near Military Point, the Dome house area, the Casino, Skadsens, and Black Tiger Bay. Hali’s, kastmasters, small raps, buckshots, ratsos, and some of the new Northland grubs tipped with waxworms, spikes, or minnows/heads all work at times. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/16/09

Trails on Devils Lake continue to improve due to efforts by local resorts and the Lake Access Committee. Mobility off the trails however is limited to 4 wheel drive vehicle and even that is tough in areas. Those wishing to do any venturing should plan on using snowmobiles.

As for fishing though it has been good to excellent for walleyes, slow for perch, and good for pike. As usual, the walleye bite is best in the early morning and evening hours with most fish being in the good eating sized range with a few larger fish being mixed in. Some of the better areas include, Doc Hagens, Bud Bay, Rocky/Military Points, the Casino area, Mission Bay, Stromme Addition, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger Bay. Anglers are also reporting some good walleye fishing in Lake Irvin. In these areas anglers are working the shallow areas in the trees on out to the deeper old rocky shorelines. Sonars, chubby darters, jigging raps, buckshots, or a plain hook and minnow with a slip bobber all work at times.

Pike fishing remains good in Walfords Bay, Jerusalem Bay, and Sweetwater/Morrison lakes. Smelt or herring with tip ups have been working the best.

Perch fishing remains slow with a few being caught in Creel Bay, the Main Bay near the Dome house, the Casino area, Skadsens, and Black Tiger bays. Hali’s, small raps, buckshot, and other small jigs tipped with minnows or wax worms all work at times. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/9/09

This past week the lake access committee was finally able to get out and make some trails. Luckily we missed the heavy snows last night and that should help them stay open for a bit. Currently there are trails in Creel Bay, the Casino area, the Towers area to Bud Bay & the 6th tower, East Bay to the Camp entrance and from the boat ramp to the storm sewer area, Ackerman Acres to Foughty’s and Haybale, and East Bay Campground/Black Tiger area. Special thanks not only to the access committee, but also Woodland Resort, the Casino, Ackerman’s, and East Bay Campground as these folks are also doing their own trails to help anglers.

As for fishing the walleye fishing’s been quite good, perch fishing a bit slow, and pike fishing good as well. Walleye anglers are reporting good success in the shallower 10-20 foot zones in the am & pm hours and a decent bite during the day out on the gravel humps and points in the 15- 24 foot zones. Buckshots, raps, and nils tipped with minnows or minnow heads; or sonars and chubby darters have all been working. Some of the better areas include Doc Hagens, Bud Bay, the Casino area, Mission Bay, East Bay near the camp entrance and Stromme Addition area, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger Bay.

A few perch are being caught in the mouth and north end of Creel Bay, the Casino area, Black Tiger Bay, and Jerusalem Bay. Lake Irvin has also been really good for walleye fishing, but access is much more limited due to the heavy snowfall.

Pike fishing and spearing remain good in Jerusalem Bay, Walfords Bay, and Sweetwater/Morrison. Irvin’s been slow for some reason this year. While there are some trails on the lake, the snow cover is heavy and those wishing to be more mobile may want to use snowmobiles. Four wheel drive is essential if you plan on driving off any of the trails. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

1/2/09

Heavy snows have made getting around on the lake somewhat difficult and the continued snow and high wind forecasts have resulted in the Lake Access Committee delaying the plowing of it's main trail system. A few trails are being maintained by local resorts such as Woodland, Ackerman Acres, the Casino, & East Bay Campground. With the heavy snow, four wheel drive vehicles or snowmobiles are required.

As for fishing walleye fishing remains good with anglers reporting good eating sized fish with an occasional large fish in Creel Bay near the Country Club and north end, the Casino area & Mission Bay, East Bay near the Camp entrance, Stromme Addition, and Foughty's Point, Black Tiger Bay, and Jerusalem Bay in East Devils. Buckshots, sonars, jigging raps, and chubby darters are all working at times. Try fishing the outer edges of trees and rocky structure in the 12-24 foot depths.

Pike fishing and spearing remain good in Walfords Bay, Jerusalem Bay, and Sweetwater Morrison. Lake Irvin has been slow for pike, but walleye action has been excellent.

Perch fishing remains slow with a few fish being caught by the Casino, East Bay near the Camp entrance, Black Tiger Bay, and Jerusalem Bay. Good Luck and we wish everyone a Great New Year!!!

12/26/08

Cold temps continue to improve ice conditions on Devils Lake. Anglers are reporting 14-18 inches of ice in most areas an many anglers are now driving on the lake. For those wishing to venture, we still advise atv's or snowmobiles and extreme care must be used near moving water bridge areas and the many pressure ridges forming on the lake.

Perch fishing remains slow with some fish being caught in the Country Club area, near the Casino, and in Black Tiger.

Walleye fishing however continues to be good. Some of the better areas include the Country Club, Beer Can Island, Wolfords Bay, Mission Bay near the gravel pits and sunken railroad bed, Stromme Addition, the sunken road and south end of Black Tiger. Raps, sonars, and buckshots have all been working well with most anglers targeting the 10-24 foot depths.

Pike fishing and spearing have been excellent in Wolfords Bay and Jerusalem Bay. Also, the Sweetwater/Morrison area to the north is also producing fish. Good Luck and we wish everyone Happy Holidays and a Great New Year!!!

12/19/08

Sub zero temps continue to improve ice conditions, but winds and storms have been hampering fisherman from making it out. Those going are report from 10- 15 inches of ice in many of the smaller and earlier freezing bays. However, some areas such as the Main Bay, Dome house area, middle of Mission Bay, area near mouth of Creel Bay, and East Devils lake froze late and ice conditions in those areas are much less. Also, heavy fall rains resulted in a lot of moving water and extreme care should be used around the bridges, coulees, and Channel A area.

As for fishing, anglers are reporting some excellent walleye fishing in the 10-20 ft depth in the early morning and evening hours. The better areas have been the gravel pits in Mission Bay, Stromme Addition, East Bay across from Camp Grafton, and Black Tiger Bay. Sonars or buckshots and raps tipped with minnows or minnow heads have been working well.

Perch fishing’s been quite slow with few reports coming in. A few are being found in Creel Bay near the Country Club and the south end of Black Tiger. But anglers haven’t been finding any numbers.

Pike fisherman are reporting some good action on Sweetwater/Morrison. Spear fisherman are also reporting some good fishing. The Wolfords Bay and Jerusalem Bay in East Devils continue to be the better areas. As we said, ice conditions are improving, but anglers still need to use caution and common sense. Some people are starting to drive on the ice, but we still recommend traffic be limited to snowmobiles and atvs. Good Luck and Good Fishing!!!

12/12/08

Recent cold weather has definitely helped when it comes to ice conditions. We still don’t advise any vehicle traffic and only limited atv or snowmobile traffic. Some of the areas on the Main bay, Mission Bay, East Devils Lake, and the moving water bridge areas just recently froze and I would expect ice conditions in those areas to be quite marginal if not unsafe. However, in the shallower areas and smaller bays that froze earlier, anglers are reporting from 6-9 inches of ice.

In the north end of Creel Bay near the Country Club and north of it and in Black Tiger anglers are reporting a few perch. No real numbers but they are catching some.

As for walleyes, we’ve had some reports of good catches of eating sized fish in the trees near the Casino and gravel pits in Mission Bay, the Acorn/Stromme Addition area, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger.

Pike fisherman are reporting some good action on Sweetwater/Morrison. Spear fisherman are also reporting some good fishing. The Wolfords Bay and Jerusalem Bay in East Devils have been the better areas. As we said, ice conditions are improving, but anglers still need to use caution and common sense. Good Luck and Good Fishing!!!

Stop in and check out the new Frabill ice houses. The perfect Christmas gift for the fisherman in the family with prices starting at $449.00. From now until Christmas Eds also offers free assembly on your ice house purchase.

12/5/08

Ice conditions are slowly improving and a few people have been walking out on the ice. While the smaller bays have had ice for a while, the larger bays and moving water areas continue to have open water. Ice is reported to be up to 6- 7 inches in some of the smaller bays around the edges, but anglers are also finding ice as thin as 2 inches or less as they go out. We still recommend extreme caution and foot traffic only.

As for fishing, anglers are reporting a few perch in the north end of Creel Bay, some walleyes around Foughty’s Point, and some good pike fishing in Sweetwater/Morrison and the other lakes to the north. The current cold weather forecast should help ice conditions. Good Luck and Good Fishing!!!

Stop in and check out the new Frabill ice houses. The perfect Christmas gift for the fisherman in the family with prices starting at $449.00.

11/28/08

Congratulations to Nathan Miller and Kyle Schlieve winners of our annual big buck and doe contests. Nathan’s buck weighed 242 pounds and Kyle’s doe 146 pounds. Nathan wins a CVA muzzleloader w/accessories and Kyle a meat grinder. Pictures of their and others deer can be seen on our website at www.edsbaitshop.com.

As for fishing, ice covers most of the lake with the exception of the main bay and the mouth of some of the smaller bays and the moving water bridge areas. A few anglers have been venturing out on some of the smaller bays and Sweetwater Lake and are reporting some pike action. However, with ice conditions still very marginal, we do not recommend venturing out on the ice at this time. We still need some colder weather in order to make the ice safe even for foot traffic.

11/21/08

With many of the smaller bays already partially frozen, last nights cold temps resulted in even some larger bays list East Bay partially freezing over. Depending on wind and temps more of the lake will be freezing so the start of ice fishing should be just around the corner.

This is also the last weekend of Ed’s Big Buck and Doe contest. Heaviest buck wins a CVA muzzleloader kit and the heaviest doe wins a meat grinder. Pics of the deer weighed are posted on our website at www.edsbaitshop.com. Good Luck!!!

11/14/08

After a brief cold spell, warmer temps have taken over and slowed ice production down quite a bit. A few anglers are back to taking their boats out. So, the lake is not yet frozen over and now for sure would take another few weeks.

As you prepare for ice fishing, stop on in and talk to Bill about the new line of Frabill portable ice houses.

With the ND deer gun season now in full swing don’t forget Ed’s is once again having it’s annual Big Buck contest. As the big bucks come in, their pics can be seen on our website at www.edsbaitshop.com. The heaviest buck winner gets a CVA muzzleloader kit and the heaviest doe wins a meat grinder. Good Luck & Good Hunting and Fishing!!!

11/7/08

With yesterday’s heavy rain, then snow, and strong winds, open water fishing for this season is about over. The lake is not yet frozen over and that typically would take another few weeks. As you prepare for ice fishing, stop on in and talk to Bill about the new line of Frabill portable ice houses.

With the start of the ND deer gun season today Ed’s is once again having it’s annual Big Buck contest. As the big bucks come in, their pics can be seen on our website at www.edsbaitshop.com. The heaviest buck winner gets a CVA muzzleloader kit and the heaviest doe wins a meat grinder. Good Luck & Good Hunting and Fishing!!!

10/31/08

With most outdoorsmen concentrating on hunting, very few anglers have been hitting the water. Those making it out continue to report excellent fishing. With the recent rains, the moving water areas of the bridges have been the best areas for most anglers. In these areas anglers are jigging minnows and reporting nice catches of eating sized fish. Anglers are also reporting some nice fish pitching cranks such as shad raps and jointed shad raps along the edges of weedbeds and windswept shorelines. Some of the better areas for cranking have been East Devils Lake, Black Tiger Bay, and the Stromme Addition area. Also, the typical fall sunken points of 5 Crows and the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point areas are producing fish as well. In these areas anglers are mostly jigging with minnows. Next week Ed’s will once again be having it’s annual Big Buck contest. As the big bucks come in, their pics can be seen on our website at www.edsbaitshop.com. Also, if you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

10/24/08

Walleye fishing on Devils Lake continues to be excellent. With the recent heavy rains in the area, there’s a fair amount of moving water in the coulees and bridge areas. Many anglers have been working these moving water areas such as the Mauvee, Six Mile, & 57 bridges and doing quite well. Anglers are also reporting good fishing using normal fall patterns. Those include jigging the deeper rocky points such as 5 Crows, Ft. Totten/Cactus Point, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, & Foughty’s Point; and cranking windswept rocky shorelines. Some of the better areas for that are in Pelican Lake, Bud Bay, Mission Bay, East Bay, & East Devils Lake. Pike and bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas. If you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

10/3/08

Walleye fishing on Devils Lake continues to be excellent. While most anglers are catching a lot of fish working the shallow edges of weedbeds, the deeper rocky points, bridges, and shallower cranking areas are also starting to pick up. Most anglers continue to do their best working bottom bouncers and spinners along the deeper weedbeds and rocky structure, but jigging around the bridges of 57, 20, 6 Mile, and Mauvee has been picking up. Many are also starting to pitch cranks along windswept rocky shorelines. Some of the other areas producing fish have been Pelican Lake, Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus area, Stromme Addition, and Black Tiger Bay. Pike and bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas of the lake.

Don’t forget to stop by this Saturday as Relay for Life will be having a pig roast starting at 4:00pm. If you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

9/26/08

Fisherman continue to report excellent walleye fishing on Devils Lake. Most anglers are working the edges of deeper weedbeds, old shorelines, and sunken points with bottom bouncers and spinners or cranks. Anglers are also reporting that the shallower cranking bite’s been picking up. For cranking, anglers are working the edges of weedbeds or windswept rocky shorelines. Most fish are still on the smaller size, but anglers are catching a few larger fish mixed in. Some of the better areas continue to be Pelican Lake, the points and humps in the Flats such as Haley’s Hump & Patience Point, Doc Hagens, the Ft. Totten/Cactus area, Stromme Addition, Foughty’s Point, and Black Tiger Bay. Pike and bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas.

Shore fisherman continue to report some excellent evening fishing at the bridges, along the rip rap before Acorn Ridge, and the Hwy 281/19 area.

This weekend is the start of the state’s resident only duck/goose season and we wish everyone a safe and enjoyable weekend. If you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

9/19/08

Not much has changed over the past few weeks as anglers continue to report excellent fishing. Most anglers are still reporting catching a lot of smaller sized walleyes and being able to sort through them to keep their limits of the more eating sized fish. Some larger fish are also being caught along with the smaller ones, but they have been harder to find. Presentations continue to be trolling cranks or bottom bouncers with spinners along the edges of weedbeds, old sunken shorelines, and rocky points. Cranks such as jointed raps or salmo hornets have been working the best. Some of the better walleye areas continue to be the Stromme Addition area, Doc Hagens, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, the Golden Highway, the sunken roads in Pelican, Bud Bay, Foughty’s Point, and the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area. Pike continue to be caught along with walleyes in most of these areas and some are also working shallower weedbeds for larger pike. Shorefishing continues to be excellent as well. The Acorn Ridge area and Hwy 19/281 intersection area have been the better spots. Pitching cranks or jigs, or fishing Lindy rigs have been the best presentations. Working the windswept shores has been the best for walleyes. Pike and white bass are biting well in these areas. If you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

9/12/08

Anglers continue to report some excellent fishing. While cold fronts moving through have made the bite change some from day to day, most anglers are still finding a lot of walleyes. The key patterns continue to be working the outer edges of weedbeds by trolling the deeper beds with cranks or bottom bouncers and spinners and cranking the shallower beds; or try trolling the gravel/rocky structure of sunken points, old shorelines, and sunken roads. The better areas continue to be the Stromme Addition area, Pelican Lake, Haley’s Hump, Patience Point, the golden highway, Doc Hagens, the bridges, Five Crows, and Foughtys Point. Pike and bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas.

Shorefishing continues to be excellent as well. The Acorn Ridge area and Hwy 19/281 intersection area have been the better spots. Pitching cranks or jigs, or fishing Lindy rigs have been the best presentations. Working the windswept shores has been the best for walleyes. Pike and white bass are biting well in these areas. If you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

9/5/08

While cold windy weather has kept most anglers off the lake, those making it out continue to report excellent fishing success. Most anglers are still reporting catching a lot of smaller sized walleyes and being able to sort through them to keep their limits of the more eating sized fish. Some larger fish are also being caught along with the smaller ones, but they have been harder to find. Presentations continue to be trolling cranks or bottom bouncers with spinners along the edges of weedbeds, old sunken shorelines, and rocky points. Cranks such as jointed raps or salmo hornets have been working the best. Some of the better walleye areas continue to be the Stromme Addition area, Doc Hagens, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, the Golden Highway, the sunken roads in Pelican, Bud Bay, Foughty’s Point, and the Ft. Totten/Cactus Point area. Pike continue to be caught along with walleyes in most of these areas and some are also working shallower weedbeds for larger pike.

Shorefishing continues to be excellent as well. The Acorn Ridge area and Hwy 19/281 intersection area have been the better spots. Pitching cranks or jigs, or fishing Lindy rigs have been the best presentations. Working the windswept shores has been the best for walleyes. Pike and white bass are biting well in these areas. If you happen to get that big pike or walleye, don’t forget to enter them in Eds monthly Big Fish contest for gift certificates. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

8/28/08

Not much has changed this past week as fishing on Devils Lake continues to be excellent. Anglers continue to report catching lots of smaller walleyes with many eating sized and some larger fish mixed in. The two key productive areas have been the edges of weedbeds and sunken rocky areas and points. Some of the better weedbed areas have been in Pelican Lake, the Doc Hagens area, and Stromme Addition. Some of the more productive rocky areas have been the sunken roads in Pelican and the Flats, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, Scooters Point, Foughty’s Point, and Birklands Point. In these areas anglers are trolling cranks such as jointed shads and salmos or bottom bouncers and spinners tipped with crawlers or leeches. Pike and white bass continue to be found along with walleyes in most areas of the lake with better action in the shallower areas.

Shore fisherman continue to report excellent walleye fishing near Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel Bay, and in the Hwy 281/19 area. Lindy rigs, jigs, or cranks such as shad raps have all been working. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

8/22/08

Fishing on Devils Lake continues to be excellent. Anglers are reporting catching lots of smaller walleyes with many eating sized and some larger fish mixed in. The two key productive areas have been the edges of weedbeds and sunken rocky areas and points. Some of the better weedbed areas have been in Pelican Lake, the Doc Hagens area, and Stromme Addition. Some of the more productive rocky areas have been the sunken roads in Pelican and the Flats, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, Scooters Point, Foughty’s Point, and Birklands Point. In these areas anglers are trolling cranks such as jointed shads and salmos or bottom bouncers and spinners tipped with crawlers or leeches. Pike and white bass continue to be found along with walleyes in most areas of the lake with better action in the shallower areas.

Shore fisherman continue to report excellent walleye fishing near Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel Bay, and in the Hwy 281/19 area. Lindy rigs, jigs, or cranks such as shad raps have all been working.

This Saturday the Lake Region Anglers will be having their annual Walleye Widows outing at Grahams Island. Cost is $25.00/two person team (one male/one female) and each boat can have up to two couples. Hours are 9-3 with a steak fry afterwards.

If you happen to get “the big one”, don’t forget our monthly big fish contest. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

8/15/08

Walleye fishing has been excellent on Devils Lake with anglers reporting catching a lot of fish. While most tend to be a bit small, those with patience are sorting through them and keeping their limits of the more eating sized fish. Anglers are also reporting some nicer sized fish mixed in, but their numbers are more limited. Right now, most all presentations have been working.

Fish are being found along rocky sunken points, the outer edges of deeper weedbeds, in the trees, and right in the weeds in shallower water. In these areas anglers are trolling the sunken points and outer edges of weedbeds with cranks or live bait rigs, pitching cranks into the shallower weedbeds, and slip bobbering in the trees. Some of the most productive areas have been Stromme Addition, Doc Hagens, Patience Point, Haley’s Hump, the bridges, the trees by the Mauvee in Pelican, Black Tiger Bay near East Bay Campground, and East Devils Lake near the outlet. Pike are also being caught along with walleyes. The Lafluer boys have been reporting great pike action using spinnerbaits in the shallow weedbeds. White bass continue to be caught in most all areas of the lake. Many anglers are working windy rocky shorelines with blue or chartreuse cranks or jigs tipped with minnows.

Shore fisherman continue to report and excellent evening bite along the rip rap between the dike and Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel Bay, and especially the area from West Bay Resort to the intersection of Hwy 19 and the old 281. Lindy rigs with leeches have been working the best. If you happen to get “the big one”, don’t forget our monthly big fish contest. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate.

8/8/08

Welcome MWC anglers to the Lake Region. We wish you all the best of luck. Anglers have been reporting some excellent walleye fishing the past couple weeks. While many fish are small, sorting through them or trying a different color or pattern can often be the trick that gets you a bit larger fish. Anglers are reporting catching some fish pitching cranks, but most anglers are either trolling the edges of weedbeds or old shorelines, or slip bobbering these edges or the trees. Those trolling are using cranks such as jointed rapalas, salmo hornets, or bottom bouncers with spinners and crawlers or leeches. Some of the better areas have been the Stromme Addition area, Haleys Hump, Pelican Lake, Foughty's Point, the Ft. Totten / Cactus area, Bud Bay, Doc Hagens, and Skadsens Bay. Pike continue to be caught along with walleyes, but their action is somewhat slower this time of year. White bass are being found everywhere along with walleyes.

Shorefisherman continue to report excellent fishing as well. The highway near Acorn Ridge, north end of hwy 19 in Creel, and the 281/19 area have all been producing a lot of fish. Lindy rigs with leeches and crawlers are working well. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

8/1/08

Anglers are continuing to report some excellent fishing right now. Reports indicate most fish are smaller but as you move around and weed through the smaller ones you can keep a decent sized limit. Most all presentations continue to work as well.

Anglers are pitching cranks, running live bait rigs, or trolling cranks along the edges of weedbeds. Some of the better areas continue to be Pelican Lake, Six Mile Bay, Bud Bay, Old & New Mill Bays, the bridges, and probably the hottest areas being Stromme Addition, Skadsens, Penny, & Black Tiger Bays in East Bay, Doc Hagens, and Haley’s Hump. Pike continue to be caught along with walleyes but their action continues to be a bit slow. White bass are being caught throughout the lake as anglers are finding large schools almost everywhere.

Shorefisherman continue to report some excellent fishing along the rip rap on Hwy 57 near Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel Bay on Hwy 19, and the Hwy 281/19 intersection area. Lindy type rigs or jigs have been working the best for shore fisherman. Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

7/25/08

Anglers are reporting catching a lot of smaller walleyes this past week, but finding larger fish has been a bit tougher. Action on walleyes has been excellent and most all presentations have been working. Anglers are pitching cranks, running live bait rigs, or trolling cranks along the edges of weedbeds. Some of the better areas have been Pelican Lake, Six Mile Bay, Doc Hagens, Bud Bay, Old & New Mill Bays, the bridges, and probably the hottest areas being Stromme Addition, Skadsens, Penny, & Black Tiger Bays in East Bay. Pike continue to be caught along with walleyes but their action has slowed a bit. White bass are being caught throughout the lake as anglers are finding large schools almost everywhere.

Shorefisherman continue to report some excellent fishing along the rip rap on Hwy 57 near Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel Bay on Hwy 19, and the Hwy 281/19 intersection area. Lindy type rigs or jigs have been working the best for shore fisherman. Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

7/11/08

Anglers reported some excellent fishing over the past week. Walleye fisherman are reporting a lot of smaller fish but are sorting through them and keeping good numbers of the more eating sized. While most all presentations are working, the better numbers of fish are coming from the outer edges of weedbeds in the 8-15 foot depths. In these areas anglers are trolling bottom bouncers with spinners or cranks such as shad raps, jointed shad raps, & hornets. Anglers are also reporting some good cranking in the shallower windswept areas and along some of the deeper rocky points. Slip bobbering in the trees also continues to be working well. Especially for the larger fish.

Pike and white bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most all areas of the lake. The better areas continue to be Pelican Lake, the Flats, the Golden Highway, Doc Hagens, Old Mill & New Mill Bays, the 57 bridge, and the Stromme Addition area. White bass populations are booming and huge schools can offer some excellent action.

Shore fisherman are reporting a good evening bite at the bridges of the lake, the north end of Creel Bay, the rip rap near Acorn Ridge, and the Hwy 19/281 area. Cranks, jigs, or live bait rigs tipped with plastic, leeches, or crawlers are all working. For white bass though, a chartreuse or white jig tipped with twister tails or minnows has been hot. Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

7/3/08

Happy 4th of July weekend. We hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. Fishing on Devils Lake this past week has been quite good. Most anglers are reporting decent catches of walleyes in most all parts of the lake and with most all presentations. With summer coming so late this year, most anglers are reporting the better fishing to still be in the shallower waters.

Slip bobbers in the trees or along structure and cranking have been working the best. For slip bobbering, try the the trees of the Flats and Pelican. Typically the thicker the trees the better the fishing. Try a spot for 10-15 minutes and move if you don’t catch anything.

For you crankers, try working the windswept shores or the edges of weedbeds. Some of the better cranking areas have been Pelican, Golden Pond, Oswalds Bay, Howards Bay, New Mill & Old Mill, Doc Hagens, Mission Bay, the Stromme/Storm Sewer area, Penny Bay, and East Devils Lake. Shad raps, countdowns, or jigs tipped with leeches or plastic have all been working well.

Pike and white bass continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas of the lake.

Shore fisherman continue to report a good bite at the bridges, along the rip rap near Acorn Ridge, the north end of Creel Bay, and the Hwy 281/19 intersection area. Cranks such as shad raps and countdowns and lindy rigs tipped with leeches or crawlers have been working the best.

Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

6/27/08

Welcome tournament fisherman to ND’s longest running fishing tournament, the Annual Devils Lake Chamber Walleye Tournament. We wish you all a safe and enjoyable weekend. This week anglers are reporting good to excellent fishing, but they’re having to move around and work a little harder to find the more active fish. Some of the better walleye fishing has been around weedbeds and cattails or in the trees. In the weedbeds anglers are pitching cranks such as shad raps, countdowns, eskos, and jigs tipped with plastic. In the trees, anglers are mainly slip bobbering with leeches and crawlers. Anglers are also finding some fish out a bit deeper with bottom bouncers and spinners. As water temps increase these areas should pick up. Some of the better areas have been Pelican Lake, Monkey Ridge, Howards Bay, Doc Hagens, Bud Bay, Old Mill & New Mill bays, Mission Bay, the Storm Sewer area, and East Devils Lake.

Pike continue to be caught along with walleyes in most areas. White bass fishing continues to be excellent with large schools being found in most all areas of the lake. Jigs with minnows, blue cranks, & firetiger cranks all work well.

Shore fisherman are reporting a good bite in the early morning and later evening hours. Some of the better spots have been the rip rap along Hwy 57 south of DL, the bridges, the north end of Creel Bay, and the Hwy 19/281 intersection area. Lindy rigs with leeches, crawlers, or minnows and small cranks or jigs have all worked at times. Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

6/20/08

Anglers are finally reporting warming water temps and along with them fishing has been picking up. Anglers are reporting some excellent walleye fishing with most all presentations. Some anglers are cranking the wind blown shorelines and the edges of weedlines in Pelican Lake, Oswalds Bay, Howards Bay, Old Mill & New Mill bays, Mission Bay, Penny Bay, the Storm Sewer area, and East Devils Lake. Cranks such as #5 & #7 shad raps, #7 & #9 countdowns, esko’s, and wally divers have all been working well. Other anglers are catching fish slip bobbering in the trees in Pelican Lake and the Grahams Island area, and other anglers are working the bridges and sunken rocky points with jigs or bottom bouncers and spinners.

Pike continue to be caught in most all areas of the lake and have really turned on as of late.

White bass populations are booming and most all boaters are reporting catching a lot of white bass pitching cranks.

Shore fisherman are doing well in the early morning and evening hours on both pike and walleyes. The better areas for shorefishing have been the Acorn Ridge area, the bridges, the north end of Creel Bay, and the Hwy 281/19 area. Lindy rigs or slip bobbers with leeches or crawlers have been working the best. White bass have been really active with good action along the Grahams Island road, the rip rap of Mission Bay, Channel A, and the Hwy 281/19 area. Blue or firetiger cranks or jigs tipped with minnows work the best.

Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

6/13/08

High winds, cool temps, and rain this past week made for tough fishing conditions on Devils Lake. With water temps remaining mostly in the 50’s those anglers going out reported only fair fishing. On the few days that the weather did cooperate, anglers reported some excellent fishing though in the typical spots for this time of year. Finding the warmest water has been the key this spring.

Some of the spots that are producing fish have been New Mil Bay, Old Mil Bay, the Howard Farm area, north of Stromme Addition, Skadsen’s Bay, the bridges, and many of the other smaller bays that warm up quickly when the weather cooperates. In these areas anglers are pitching cranks such as shad raps and countdown, jigs with minnow, leeches, or plastic, or slip bobbering the trees and humps.

Pike continue to be caught throughout the lake and on most all presentations. Boat fisherman are mainly pitching cranks or jigs with plastic while shore fisherman are using smelt, herring, or leeches.

White bass are being found in good sized pockets throughout the lake as well. However, some of the better spots have been Channel A and the windy rip rap areas along the highways. Firetiger or blue cranks and jigs tipped with minnows or plastic have all been working well.

Shore fisherman are reporting good success of walleyes in the early morning and evening hours while bass and pike fisherman are having success throughout the day. Some of the better areas continue to be the bridges, the north end of Creel Bay along Hwy 19, the Hwy 19/281 area, and the bridges of the Mauvee.

This weekend is the Spirit Lake Walleye Tournament and we wish all anglers the best of luck. Good Luck & Good Fishing!!!

6/6/08

Some half way decent weather the past couple weeks has finally increased water temps on Devils Lake and fishing has picked up along with them. Anglers are reporting excellent pike and white bass fishing, but while getting better each day walleye fishing is only fair to good.

For walleyes, many anglers are looking for the warmest water temps and pitching cranks such as countdowns, eskos, and shad raps into shallow water rocky shore lines or along the edges of cattails and newly developing weedbeds. Other anglers are also catching fish slip bobbering in the trees or working livebait rigs in deeper water. Some of the better spots have been Pelican Lake, Howards Bay, Old Mil & New Mil Bays, Knudson’s, Mission Bay, the bridge areas, and the shallower bays in the Black Tiger area.

Pike fishing’s been excellent with anglers catching fish pitching cranks in most all shallow areas of the lake.

White bass fishing’s been really picking up with anglers finding schools scattered throughout the lake. Some of the better white bass areas have been the Woods Rutten area, Mission Bay, the north end of Six Mile Bay, the Grahams Island Road, and the Hwy 281/19 area. Firetiger or blue cranks or jigs tipped with plastic or minnows have been working well.

Shore fisherman are reporting some good early morning and evening fishing in the bridge areas, Mission Bay, and the Hwy 281/19 area. Don’t forget to enter that big fish in our monthly contests. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

5/23/08

Anglers are reporting that fishing has been picking up as water temps are slowly increasing. Pike fishing has been excellent, walleye fishing a bit tough but getting better, and white bass fishing is just starting to take off.

Some of the better places for walleyes and pike have been the bridges, Pelican Lake, the smaller bays and trees in the Flats, the north end of Six Mile Bay, Knutson’s Bay, Mission Bay, Penny Bay, and Skadsens. In these areas anglers are jigging in the trees or bridge areas, or pitching cranks such as countdowns and shad raps or jigs tipped with plastic into the shallows. Look for the warmest water and you’ll typically find the better fishing. White bass are starting to show up in most areas of the lake and are being caught along with walleyes and pike.

Shore fisherman are reporting increased walleye and pike success near the bridges and along the rip rap in the Hwy 281/19 area in the early morning and evening hours. Cranks, jigs, or lindy rigs with leeches have been working the best. For white bass, try pitching jigs with twister tails or minnows in the Channel A area, the intersection of Hwy 20 & 57, the rip rap in Mission Bay, and the Grahams Island road area.

Current leaders in our monthly big fish contests are Josh Greene with a 23lb pike and Kelly Zander with a 8 3/4lb walleye. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

5/16/08

As water temps slowly increase, so has the fishing activity. Due to a cooler spring season, most anglers are finding water temps to be from 45-55 degrees depending on the weather that day. As the temps warm, the fish have become more active.

Boat fishermen are finding some walleyes and pike during mid day as temps increase and in the early morning and evening hours. The better areas have been Six Mile Bay, Mission Bay, the smaller bays in the Flats, and Pelican Lake. In these areas anglers are pitching cranks such as shad raps and countdowns or pitching jigs with plastic such as powerbait. Anglers are also starting to report some white bass showing up, but action on bass overall has still been slow. Boat fisherman are finding some fish jigging the bridges of the Mauvee and Six Mile.

Shore fishing’s been a bit slower than past years due mainly to a below normal runoff that resulted in less fish being in the coulees and channels. Shore fisherman are doing well though around the bridges of Six Mile and the Mauvee and along the rip rap in the 19/281 area. The best bite is in the early morning and evening hours. Try pitching cranks, jigs tipped with minnows, leeches, or powerbait; lindy rigs, or for pike smelt or herring. Don’t forget our monthly big fish contest. The largest walleye wins a $50 gift certificate and the largest pike a $25 gift certificate. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

5/9/08

Poor weather continued to hamper fishing activity on Devils Lake this past week. Anglers making it out are reporting only marginal water temps and spotty fishing.

For walleyes, boating anglers are finding some jigging the bridges of Six Mile and the Mauvee and pitching cranks such as countdowns and shad raps in the shallower warmer water areas of Six Mile, the Flats, & Pelican. The areas with the warmest water are producing the best and that’s typical this time of year. Pike are also being caught along with walleyes in these areas, but anglers are reporting slower pike activity from past years. With very little moving water due to the dry spring, fish don’t seem to be as concentrated in specific areas as they do during higher run off years.

Shore fishermen continue to report some pike and walleyes in the Mauvee Coulee, the bridge areas, and Channel A. For pike anglers are using cranks, daredevils, live bait such as leeches and minnows, or just letting a smelt or herring lay on the bottom for less active fish. As water temps start to increase, so should the fishing activity around the lake. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

5/2/08

Cold fronts this past week and a lack of moving water have resulted in a slower start to open water fishing this year. A warmer forecast should help things pick up as water temps increase. The one plus this past week was a new lake record walleye caught by Travis Mettler of Concrete ND. The walleye weighed a whopping 13lbs 3 ounces. Congratulations Travis.

As for fishing, a few people have been going out in boats and are reporting some fish activity with pike, but slow walleye action. Shore fisherman are reporting similar activity. Some of the better spots for pike and some walleye action have been the coulees. This includes Channel A and the Mauvee. In these areas anglers are pitching cranks such as shad raps and countdowns; jigs tipped with twister tails and/or minnows; slip bobbers tipped with minnows or leeches; or are using smelt or herring and letting it lay on the bottom.

This time of year the possibility of snagging is higher than normal and anglers need to keep in mind that they’re not allowed to keep any fish that’s caught behind the gill plate. Purposely snagging is illegal. Ed’s is also having it’s summertime big walleye and pike contests with gift certificates for the largest caught each month. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

4/25/08

This week’s cold front has slowed fishing a bit in the area, but the last couple weeks warm temps resulted in ice clearing from Devils Lake. Most all areas of Devils Lake are now free of ice and once again ready for boaters. While a few boats have been out in the Channel A area, most anglers have been fishing from shore. Run-off this year has been light due to the areas dry conditions, but anglers are still reporting fish showing up in the Mauvee Coulee and Channel A areas. In these areas, anglers are catching a fair amount of pike, but walleye fishing remains rather slow. This should change as temps warm up.

For pike, anglers have been casting cranks such as shad raps and countdowns, jigs with twister tails and minnows, or using smelt or herring. For walleyes, anglers are using shad raps and countdowns, or jigs and minnows. The better areas have been near the bridges on the Mauvee, the railroad tracks, the Hwy 2 area, and the gates on Channel A. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

4/18/08

Coulees and bridge areas around the lake are opening up and anglers have been out fishing. Most are reporting increasingly better pike fishing with a few walleyes showing up. The best times have been during the warmer part of the day and right at dusk. With very little runoff, action is expected to be a bit slower than in years with more moving water.

Some of the areas where anglers are catching pike and walleyes include Channel A, the Six Mile bridge, and the bridges along the Mauvee Coulee. With water temps still quite low, anglers are reporting the better fishing on smelt, herring, and minnows, but some are reporting fish on cranks and jigs tipped with twister tails or powerbait.

Most of the lake is still frozen over, but some of the smaller bays are starting to get close to opening up and some warm temps and wind would clear them off rather quickly. By early next week these should be opening up. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

4/14/08

It appears that ice fishing season is about over and it’s just about time to start breaking out the open water equipment. While there is still ice on the lake, anglers are reporting soft conditions especially along the shorelines and in shallower water areas. Extreme care is advised.

For those itching for some open water fishing, most of the bridges around the lake now have open water and are fishable. A few anglers have been taking advantage of this and are reporting some fairly decent pike fishing, but not much yet for walleyes. But that should change as temps increase and the coulees open up. Looks like the perfect time to replace that line and get the tackle boxes organized before the open water season takes off. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

4/4/08

Warm temps are starting to take their toll on the ice. While the main sheet of ice is still in fairly good shape, getting on and off is getting tougher and those getting on are starting to find some slush spots in areas. Also, the bridge areas are starting to open requiring extreme care in those areas.

Anglers this past week report spotty fishing. Some walleyes are being caught in the north end of Six Mile, the Ft. Totten/Cactus area, Mission Bay, the bridge areas, and East Bay near the Camp entrance. Sonars, chubby darters, or buckshots, kastmasters, nils, & raps tipped with minnow heads have been the most popular.

Anglers are finding some perch in Creel Bay near the Country Club and the mouth, the north end of Six Mile Bay, the Towers area, and the Casino area, but the schools have been small in size making it hard to stay on a bite.

Pike fishing remains good in the Churches Ferry area, but warm temps are taking their toll on ice conditions. With ice conditions in the area deteriorating each day, we advise anglers to limit their travel to atvs, snowmobiles, or foot traffic. Good Luck & Good Fishing from us at Eds Bait Shop!!!

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