Winter is really starting to move along. Can notice the days getting a bit longer each week and we finally got out of that nasty cold snap. Needless to say, we have very good ice right now! 30 plus inches in most places! Again, use caution near ridges and cracks. Also, the bridge areas are very thin to open water, so be very careful in any current areas.
As for the bite…we have been all over the board. One day we will have some really solid walleye fishing and the next day it is search mode for them or we will mark them but getting them to bite is very tricky. Not really sure as to why they go one day and the next they are so moody. We still use a lot of buckshots, pk spoons, and jigging raps most days. Seems like the spoons with a minnow head or a full minnow tipped behind the back have been the most popular presentations for getting bites. Don’t be afraid to use a smaller tungsten and a minnow and let it sit down there on or close to the bottom. Best depths have been in the 6-20 feet area. We are working flooded brush, rocks, and humps most mornings and evenings. As the sun comes up in the morning, look for walleyes to slide out a bit deeper most days.
As for the perch…we have been doing fair on finding them thus far. The perch that we do find really seem to be on a “SPOT ON THE SPOT”. Not all brush piles are created equal. We have some holes that we can catch 30-50 perch out of in a morning and ten feet over you catch a few or even none. Best depths have been 25-40 feet. We are working brush and the mud near or adjacent to the brush piles. So the name of the game is moving and drilling holes. Smaller buckshots and minnow heads or pencil weights and tungsten jigs tipped with spikes have been the ticket most days.
We are hoping to start finding some larger school of perch out in the mud very soon! This is a pretty typical pattern on Devils Lake in the later January to early February timeframes.
Remember that Saturday in the big ice tournament in Devils Lake out on Six Mile Bay! Remember to Head to Ed’s to get any tackle, bait, fuel, on and off sale. There will also be FREE Chilli there as well!
Good luck to everyone and stay safe!!