ND Live Fishing Reports

Fishing reports are updated every Friday and follow the ND Live radio program heard throughout North Dakota

Greg Schoneck

Umpteen, Is That A Number?

Northern, Walleyes, White Bass filling the live well like a Minnesota pan fish outing. This can only be Devils Lake.  I already fed the Northern $25 bucks in premium grade, lacquer finished plastic and they are just getting started.

5 am at my house shows up in just two ways. Dark, eyes closed, soft pillow and still another hour to go. The other is a blurred, frenzied, frantic rush to slam the truck door with a cup of coffee in hand and head east. I got it made, 120 miles, two short hours, and I will be fishing the spring bite in Devils Lake.

Brandon recently re-opened 6 Mile Bait and has it stocked with just what you would expect of a lake store, bait and tackle. Open early and closing late he will even put you on fish if you ask. It’s worth the asking as he is also a Devils Lake Guide. Give Brandon a call; he will be pleased to help. (701-393-4480) Thanks to him and a fishing buddy Eric, my day was a typical DL fishing experience. Remarkable!

Pitching cranks to shorelines ranging from rip rap, trees, and cattails you can expect Northern, Walleye and White Bass. If someone from DL tells you they are pitching the cane it probably means cattails. Fun comes from both ends as fish tend to really slam a crank. The other end is at the boat. Pay close attention as all three will follow your crank, sometimes right to the surface.  

Some days you can get away with a simple snap, some days you need more. Northern seem to love high gloss plastic. $25 bucks worth before I decide to tie on an Invisa-Leader. There is nothing invisible about them and you will likely feel you have way too much junk on your line but walleyes actually don’t mind and you will save a fist full of cranks. 

The morning is characterized by Northern and a walleye now and them. Follows keep the blood pumping. Seeing a big walleye slide back down after following to the boat is exhilarating. So is the dramatic pause as the lure stops for just a second with 3 feet of Northern inches behind. Sometimes it works, today is one of those times.

Water temps play a huge role in the success of this bite. It’s still a bit early in the season for fantastic morning bites. As the water warms during the day fish tend to move up and become more active. Don’t dismiss the morning bite; just be aware that it is driven in part by water temps. The more obvious to keep in mind is wind. Fish the windy shorelines as much as possible.

We did a lot of drifting today since the wind pushed hard out of the south. We chose a protected little back bay nicknamed “Golden Pond” by 6 Mile Bait’s Brandon Wegener. The afternoon turned the odds in favor of the walleyes that outpaced the Northern 10 to 1. It is a fish a cast for a while.

Today’s best morning crank, a countdown in blue. The afternoon favorite, a #5 Shad Rap in blue/silver. I like Firetiger and caught several fish on it but blue seemed better today. Husky Jerks get pitched a lot as well. If I was to guess which crank is used most at DL it would be a toss-up between Countdowns and Shad Raps.

Golden Pond is just that, Golden. The afternoon is magic, fish after fish, way too many to keep track of. Keep in mind there is a limit on the fish, but not on the fun. What’s that? How many? I would guess by end of day we had about, uh, maybe, umpteen. Is that a number? It is on Devils Lake!

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Remember fishing is a learned sport. More you practice the better you get, so better get fishing!

Greg Schoneck for ND Live