Spring Bulldog

Two fishermen could not be more opposite. In fact I have no idea how we can stand to be in the boat with each other. Boyd lives and dies for northern. For most of my walleye fishing days northern are just trouble I don’t have time for. Boyd loves to put the pressure on with heavy line and a tight drag. Good Grief, let the drag do its job. This list could go on but I think you get the idea.

It’s my second week in a row at Devils Lake and the plan is to find big northern.  If you’re reading this you know you never say you’re going after big fish, even if you are. That kind of talk will come back to bite you. Boyd starts the show with a rig called a Spring Bulldog. This thing is huge, maybe 7 inches and had to be over 4 ounces. I’m in the back of the boat running a pretty normal rig. Husky Jerk dressed in blue, one of my favorite colors. We each get a fish or two and have several follows which surprised us due to the water temps.

It’s still spring here even though mid- June is time for the early summer patterns. Things have been delayed by a long winter followed by a very cool spring with all of the usual cold fronts. In fact early this week we got 3 inches of snow just a 100 miles west from where I live. With the cold overnight temps it takes some sun to warm the shallow flats where we are fishing. That’s why the early morning bite was surprising. The party did not last long however. Within an hour we were looking for a new location.

One thing Boyd and I may share in common is “If it ain’t working don’t keep doing it.” After several empty stops with disappointment at each new location the sun finally broke out of the clouds and I broke out of my winter sweater. “Fish the conditions” is the lesson of the day. The big musky lures and spinner rigs are not getting hit. With sluggish fish doing way more following than striking we go through the lures and finally settle on X-Raps. Boyd even stooped low enough to use one. It cost him though. Ya, and did I ever love it. He got not one but two of those fish that are only trouble when you’re a single minded or should I say narrow minded northern fisherman.  20 inch walleyes. I could not be more pleased!

Due to late spring we should be fishing new weeds with spinner rigs but because of the cold spring the only cover is last year’s weeds. Adequate, but not the real deal. Look for expansive flats in the 6 foot range that have the grassy weed growth. You may need to move deeper or look shallow but weeds are the key as they provide cover for these big fish as they lay in wait for a spring bulldog. More likely, according to Boyd, a dinner of White Bass. These flats are scattered from west Devils Lake to east Devils Lake and a contour map is going to help you get started.

I’ve caught the 40 inch, 20 lb plus northern incidental to walleye fishing in Sakakawea, so big fish are not something totally new, but 40 inch northern in Devils Lake ? Come on, DL is noted for lots of northern but not trophy class fish in the 20 lb range. This is gonna hurt but I’ll say it anyway. I could not be more off on my assumption. Most of my experience with northern here at DL is a result of pitching or cranking up walleyes. Most of my fish have been less than 10 lbs. That all changed today. While we did keep a limit of eaters the majority of fish seen were over 30 inches and 6 were way over the 30 inch mark.

I wish I could say we came home with a bunch of big fish pictures and stories of heroism but not so. What I did come home with was a totally new attitude about northern and respect for an angler with whom I share nothing in common. Not yet anyhow.

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