Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 50
We have the perfect ice building weather starting this week. With that and so many out on the ice already finding success the ice fishing season is in full swing. For me, especially never knowing when the ice will be safe enough, I usually don't schedule anything until mid-December. I have booked a couple early bird trips starting this week so my reports will be more detailed. Devils Lake is starting to clear up under the ice and the fish ate beginning to bite. Lake Oahe is showing signs of...
People are venturing out on the small ponds and a few areas up here on and around Devils Lake already. The ice isn't great, but we are seeing 3 to 6 inches of it. The further north we go, the more ice we are seeing. One of the problems we are dealing with and are going to see early on especially up here on Devils Lake is that the water is pretty dirty from all the wind we had prior to the lake freezing over. This usually slows the bite down right away. Our sunlight is limited the way it is and...
The first half of this week we couldn't have asked for better fall fishing weather. For me, the week was spent both on the Missouri River and on Devils Lake. Unfortunately, I was going to fish Lake Sakakawea later in the week, but Mother Nature said otherwise. I'll start with Devils Lake since I did get 3 awesome days on it this week. The walleye fishing was exceptional! We caught good numbers and quality. I spent two days trolling leadcore line and smaller crankbaits like Salmos, flicker...
I was all ready to spend the week up at Devils Lake for three guide trips last week, but after watching the news and seeing winds anywhere from 25 to 45 mph, I decided it wasn't worth it. As I've gotten older, I have come to realize I don't hate walleyes that bad. The good news is we rescheduled for the following week, the bad news is I only got out a couple of times on the Missouri River near Bismarck before the winds rose. I had a decent Monday and a decent morning of scouting the river. I wil...
I've written about the lack of forage the smaller fish may have in Lake Oahe in a few reports as of late. While this is the case downstream on the main body of the flow, I'm not so sure this is the case up here in the river portion of Lake Oahe. The last few days, I've been scouting the river. I've seen what feels like millions of small baitfish in the river. While I'm not sure what it is, I am sure it's a great food source for our smaller walleyes in Lake Oahe. It's my personal feeling the...
If you follow me on my Snapchat you know there are two things I absolutely hate. One is the beet juice they use on our streets in Bismarck in the winter, the other is wind. As you can guess by the time of year, I haven't been complaining about the beet juice yet. The wind on the other hand, that's another story. It's been a battle trying to guide with the heavy winds we have had the last month or so. Now for this week's fishing report. Even with the heavy winds, both Devils Lake and Lake...
There is a lot of transition happening on Devils Lake right now, and I’m guessing this is the story for most of our waters in North Dakota. It’s just that time of year! Water temperatures fall at night and warm during the day. Weed growth begins to die off, and lots of food becomes available. I will say this from the last week on the water, Devils Lake’s future is super bright! Record hatches of pretty much everything that swims took place this spring with the rising water. Lots of fresh new t...
In this week's fishing report I'm going to change course just a tad. With my recent cancellations, it has given me an opportunity to scout the upper stretches of the Missouri River near my hometown of Bismarck, N.D. I like to get out on the river a few times in the late summer and early fall just to see some of the changes before the flows are cut back. As you may or may not know, this stretch of the river is where I cut my teeth in the fishing world. I've often wondered if it's possible that...
Walleye fishing up on Lake Sakakawea remains insane this week, and Devils Lake also remains good. I keep waiting for a major slow down, but it just hasn't happened yet. Like I've talked about in past reports, the bulk of the walleyes are deep on Lake Sakakawea. Not all, but a vast majority are. If you are worried about the deep water walleyes, in the river section, the fish are shallower. The Aim Walleye and the Last Chance tournaments were both held on Sakakawea last week and the good results...
It is hard to believe it's late August already. Kids are back in school, football season is starting, and the seasons are about to change. This means a few things for me. One, I don't stop guiding. In fact, I'm guessing since I guide for walleyes on the Missouri River in spring and fall, on Devils Lake all winter, and on both all summer, I probably log more time on the water than most. I love being able to change bodies of water all year long! I'm not done on Devils Lake or Sakakawea quite yet....
I split this week between fishing for walleyes on Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. I've talked about this in the past how guiding on three different bodies of water help make me a better fisherman and guide. You cannot get complacent and must stay on top of things, especially during the dog days of summer. So, I will start with Lake Sakakawea. The biggest change on Sak right now is that the walleyes are sliding out deep. They are being found very deep at times, which is creating a fish to kill...
I'm back on Lake Sakakawea this week and the walleye fishing certainly isn't a letdown. This lake has been on fire since the very beginning this year and it hasn't let up a bit. The walleyes are moving around some. You can still find some really nice fish up shallow. You just need to be a tad more patient with those fish, but in the end the reward is worth it. If you slide out deeper in let's say, 16-to-30-feet of water, you'll find plenty of fish out there also. It just seems like those are a...
The walleye fishing has been good on Devils Lake this past week! Bug hatches, tons of new food like baby perch and white bass, and lots of freshwater shrimp, give fish plenty to eat, yet the walleyes on Devils Lake just continue to bite! What's working? Well, it's Devils Lake, and it seems like whatever you like to use will work! What's working best? In my opinion if you want to put fish in the boat pull a bottom bouncer and a spinner tipped with crawlers. For me it's been a rotation of spinner...
I reluctantly left Lake Sakakawea earlier this week to travel east to Devils Lake, and all the discussion as of late has been regarding how good the fishing has been on both of these waters. I'm here to tell you Devils Lake is holding its own. Both bodies of water have been blessed with increased water levels this summer. Lake Sakakawea has risen over 11 feet since ice out and Devils Lake has gained three feet. Fresh water into these systems is a huge shot in the arm for the future of their...
The walleye bite at times is absolutely insane for both numbers and quality fish on Lake Sakakawea this past week, with overall fishing success continuing to be good. Walleyes on most days have been trending deeper in the 16-to-20-foot range, but if wind and water clarity are right fish can still be had up shallow, in depths under 10 feet, but don't overlook that 20-to-30-foot range either. The bulk of the fish throughout the lake (east to west) are crushing slow death rigs and propeller rigs ba...
This week, the walleyes are still biting across Lake Sakakawea. Some areas like the mid-section or the Van Hook Arm can be better, but that doesn't mean the eastern edge can't be dynamite! Key depths have been 12-to-18 feet. Now, some days with the right winds and water clarity they move up shallower, some days they stay deeper. We are still keying in on the water temperatures, and the lake is fluctuating around 68 to 72 degrees. If you are seeing it in this range, you are good to go! Crawlers...
The walleye fishing is on fire up here on Sakakawea. On certain days, it's truly remarkable. A mix of slow death, PK prop rigs, and a plain old live bait rig with crawlers is hard to beat. The fish are still really shallow on days depending on conditions, but average depth to catch them in seems to be 10 to 18 feet of water. Watch your electronics closely and the current the lake has right now with all the runoff coming in. Night crawlers on a slow death hook and or plain hook pulled behind...
Once again the wind seems to be giving us problems up here in North Dakota. Recently, one out of every three days the winds are strong enough to keep us off the water. When you can get on the water and things are right, the bite is on! One thing I have learned these last two weeks up here on Sakakawea is make sure you have bait and different types of bait. One day crawlers work great, the next day minnows or leeches. It's kind of goofy, but the water temps keep changing and we have pretty good...
Things have really started to heat up here on Devils Lake! The impressive walleyes and total weights in the Spirit Lake Casino Tournament recently are evidence of that. So, what's working for walleyes? Maybe a better question or easier question would be "what isn't!?" I truly believe you can catch fish on Devils Lake anyway you like to right now. For us guiding, it's been a mix of bobbers and trolling bottom bouncers and depends on the day/weather. The one lure that is doing really well up here...
We finally have received a couple lighter wind days and we have also been able to get around Devils Lake a little more. Both of which have helped the fishing. The water hasn't warmed up a ton yet but it's getting better, it is currently 60-62 degrees and the water is mixed. Some areas are really dirty and some are really clean. You have to drive around a bit looking for stained water. Once you find that with a little breeze, the fish seem to bite. Bobbers and leeches have been the best...
I honestly cannot believe this is my last spring river fishing report. It just feels like we all got cheated out of a nice long season here. It is what it is, so here we go. Looking back, the Missouri River opened up around Bismarck in mid-March like normal. Maybe it was a few days later then average, but the water was good. The flow was definitely lower, but usually when it starts out low, it changes and dishes itself out. It did just that and navigating and access was decent. The fishing...
Walleye fishing on the Missouri River has definitely improved since Wednesday of last week. The water in the river is settling back down, it's clearing up, and the fish are responding. I'm almost done on the river here near Bismarck for the spring. A few more trips and I will be headed to Devils Lake for a pretty good stint and then, of course, Sakakawea. This is always a bittersweet time for me. Usually, I'm tired of the river and ready for a change at this point in the season. This year...
Boom goes the dynamite if you are looking for action! Early this spring I was questioning if we had a population of smaller fish. Well, I'm here to tell you we do! Unfortunately, I fear these are older fish finding very little to eat and not growing much. The bigger fish in the system seem to be doing just fine. Between herring, smelt, white bass, drum and definitely some of these smaller walleyes we are catching the big girls have plenty of food. The smaller fish, not so much. It is my opinion...
It is hard to believe the Big Muddy walleye tournament has come and gone already on the Missouri River this spring, but that's probably because we never really had a spring. Lots of major weather events definitely got in the way. I feel good about how things played out. Even though I didn't fish the tournament, I was in tune with what was happening and what took place. For me as a full-time guide this is important. Sometimes when you get stuck in guide mode you can miss out a little. Typically,...
It's the week of the Big Muddy walleye tournament, which is always the pinnacle of the spring here on the Missouri River near Bismarck. It means a couple things to me. First off, I wasn't allowed to fish it for the first 10 years of its existence, and I sure wish I could have back in those days. I have dabbled in it a few times over the last decade and have come close to winning it a few times. It's a tough one, and in my opinion the Big Muddy showcases the best of the best! So, for a guy like...
