We didn’t blow away! The very windy conditions this week made fishing a bit more challenging but for the most part the fish didn’t seem to care! Things picked up a little more this last week and we are continuing to see better fishing. Hopefully the stable weather the next 10 days will continue to improve the bite.
We have been seeing most of the perch in mud bottom areas in 20-40ft. Look for basins and large mud flats. The hard part about fishing these areas is they can be very large. Cover water til contact is made with fish then smaller moves to dial into where to main school is. Every day has been different to what these perch want. Some days a small tungsten with wax worms and spikes is best. Other days a small spoon with a minnow head or wax worms are best. Change it up to see what works best that day. Fishing these deeper water perch it is recommended by the ND Game and Fish to keep every fish caught due to barotrauma.
Walleyes have also been biting better the last few days. 10-25ft fishing off of structure in the low light periods of the day. Cloudy days seem to be a little better and they can be caught off and on all day. The go to lure this week has been a larger tungsten jig tipped with a full minnow. Spoons with minnow heads are also productive. Gold, White, and Chartreuse have been the best colors.
White bass have been caught in the same mud areas as the perch. Upsize the baits a little from the perch setups and cover as much water as possible. Be more aggressive with jigging with the white bass.
Pike are still biting. We are catching them while fishing walleyes and perch. Clear water is excellent for spearing and tip up fishing this winter. Look for shallow bays and weed edges.
Travel remains very good once on the lake. The wind as drifted in snow at many access points this week. Some are cleaned out and others are not. Ice is still around 25-30 inches.
Good luck to anyone coming out this week! Remember our Catch and Cook deal at the Bar for your next trip!!
Head to Ed’s!