Woodland Resort - Devils Lake, ND | Fishing and Hunting Reports

Sorry for the delayed fishing report, things have been crazy around here! On behalf ov Woodland Resort and Mitchell's Guide Service we would like welcome the FLW Walleye Tour. Woodland Resort is proud to host this event and would like to welcome all tournament fans to come on out and watch the weigh-ins and cheer on your favorite Professional walleye fisherman. Thursday and Friday weigh-ins begin at 3:00 pm and Saturday the weigh in will be held at Lake Chevrolet in downtown Devils Lake.

Another fantastic week of fishing! We have had a gorgeous week of weather and the walleye fishing has been awesome. It's all about the weeds lately. We have been either trolling slowly along weedbeds or slip bobbering along them with leeches. Both methods have been very effective. The walleyes have been running anywhere from 15 to 22 inches and there are some smaller ones that we throw back along with them.

The northern pike fishing has slowed up quite a bit. We have been catching an occasional northern with the walleyes but honestly we have not really been fishing for them. The weeds have taken over the shallows and this has pretty much ended our pitching crankbaits. When the weeds are poking through the waters surface in 10 feet of water, not many fishermen have the patience for reeling in weeds cast after cast.

Fri July 16

Sat July 17

Sun July 18

Wed July 21

Sat July 24

Sun July 25

Thurs July 29

Fri July 30

Sat July 31

Monday, July 5 2010

Happy 4th of July everyone! Well how do you like to catch your walleye today? This is the question the guides of Mitchell's Guide Service has been asking a lot lately. All methods are working these days. Slip bobbering the flooded timber and weed lines, casting crank baits on wind swept shorelines, trolling crank baits, and bottom bouncing with spinners have all been effective methods of fishing on Devils Lake since our last report. Some days were tougher than others due to either too much wind or flat calm conditions. But the fishing has been very good overall.

The water temperatures have definitely warmed up and the fish are beginning to make a transition to a little deeper water. The weed lines have really grown and it is common to find weeds poking through the surface in 8 to 9 feet of water. This illuminates a lot of casting spots so with change so do our methods of fishing. This isn't all figured out in a couple hours of fishing. It takes a team work of guides constantly exploring and trying new methods in many different parts of the lake and then sharing the information amongst the guide staff to help make every day successful.

We have been getting a few complaints lately of people having a hard time finding openings with Mitchell's Guide Service in the month of July. So I went through the schedule book and found several days in July that we do still have available. Some days are soon full and there are a few that are wide open so here it is...

THE 12 DAYS OF JULY

Sat July 10

Sun July 11

Thurs July 15

Fri July 16

Sat July 17

Sun July 18

Wed July 21

Sat July 24

Sun July 25

Thurs July 29

Fri July 30

Sat July 31

Wednesday, June 24 2010

BOBBER DOWN! Fishing is back to being incredible again. Some days we have had to work hard for them but lately it has been quick limits on walleyes topped off with either non stop reeling in white bass or going casting for some northern pike. The weather has warmed up considerably since our last report and it has brewed up a storm or two along the way as well. On Monday morning most of the lake region got hit with 2 to 4 inches of rain. As if we needed more of that.

As far as size of walleyes, most of the fish we are keeping are in that 15 to 18 inch range with an occasional 20 incher or better. There are a few throw backers that we do catch with them but when you combine all of this it sure makes for some non stop bobber action. We seem to go through a ton of leeches in a days time. Bottom line is Mitchell's Guide Camp is full of happy customers and when they are happy we can hardly wait to do it all over again tomorrow!

July is right around the corner I want to remind all of you thinking about a fishing trip that the best is still yet to come. Currently we are enjoying some of the best shallow water bites of the season but July and August is normally the time of year that we catch most of our fish. Some of our 50, 75, and even 100 fish days happen in July and August. The bobber fishing will still be solid but the bottom bouncer spinner bite along weed walls will eventually take over. As the water warms up and the fish slide out to that 8 to 12 foot range the bouncin season will begin. This is some of the funnest methods of fishing one could ever experience. We do have several dates in July that are full but there are still plenty of dates that are available and we would love to have you.

Good Luck Fishing Everybody!

Monday, June 14 2010

The fishing on Devils Lake was very good up until the last four days. The weather has been very unsettled with mostly north winds that are a sign of a major cold front. The water temperatures went from upper 60's to lower 60's. Without warm temperatures the water has also become very clear and clear water and shallow water walleyes do not mix. I don't want to sound too negative we are still bringing in limits most days but we have to work harder than ever for them. We are still catching them pitching crank baits and mimic minnows in 1 to 5 feet of water and slip bobbering with leeches in flooded timber or along the weeds.

The white bass fishing has been very incredible in certain parts of the lake. Most of our clients catch and release them but sure do have a ball catching them. We are still catching northern pike and some of the northerns brought in this last week were over 10 pounds.

So far June has been very cool and the upcoming forecast looks very nice with 70 to 80 degrees for the next 10 days. This should give us a little algae bloom to cloud up the water and improve our fishing dramatically.

Thursday, June 3 2010

I am going to sound like a broken record...but again this past week the fishing has been fantastic! Mornings have been a little slow for pitching crankbaits but the slip bobbering has been very good. From 11:00 am on we start pitching crank baits, mimic minnows, and Berkley rip shads with a jig head and "Hang On!" the walleyes, northern pike, and white bass just about tear the rod out of your hand.

Mitchells Guide Service has been in full swing the past 10 days and the team-work and communication between guides has gotten us through some tough days especially mornings when things have been on the slow side. It is an honor to be a part of this very "elite" team of guides and thanks to the team work not a single group that we have had this past week has left without their limit of walleyes. And it's only going to get better! The water temperatures are now in the 60's and climbing. As long as we have decent weather, a little wind but not too much, the best is still yet to come for this shallow water fishing bonanza.

The fishing has been fantastic this past week. Nice limits of walleyes and northern pike have been taken and there are even some pretty good reports of white bass biting as well. The weather has been a bit of a roller coaster infact yesterday and today and we have had to cancel all of our groups due to either thunderstorms or high winds. So the water temperature has heated up and so has the fishing. We are still catching most of our fish pitching crank baits and mimic minnow in the shallow backwater bays and we have had some success slip bobbering the shallow water as well.

The schedule for Mitchell's Guide Service is now in full swing. Our staff of guides is going to be very busy from here on out so look forward to more timely fishing reports and more photos as well. Now is the perfect time to take that first fishing trip of the season and enjoy one of the best shallow water walleye bites on the planet. We would love to take you and your group fishing real soon!

Sunday, May 16 2010

Fishing the past couple of days has steadily improved. Mid 70 degree temperatures and plenty of sunshine has brought the water temperatures from 46 degrees to anywhere from 50 to 54 degree temperatures. Anglers have been spending most of their time in the shallow water back bays both pitching crank baits and mimic minnows and slip bobbering as well. This shallow water bite provides some of the funnest methods of fishing of the year. Not only is it fun exploring all the new water we seem to get as a result of the flooding but there is nothing like feeling that explosion of a northern pike or a big walleye hitting your crank bait as it is reeled in. We highly recommend that you bring along a pair of polarized sunglasses so you can see all the fish that follow your crank bait right up to the boat. For those of you who love to cast, It doesn't get any better than this, and the best fishing is just beginning.

Fishing this past week has been challenging. Recent snow has made fishing very difficult and getting around the lake is nearly impossible without plows, tracks, or snowmobiles. It took all of Monday and part of Tuesday, but we have been able to replow our roads in Creel bay and parts of the big lake. Fishing remains slow. This has a lot to do with recent weather, and the loss of mobility.

We are getting reports of good walleye fishing in some of the upper lakes and some decent perch fishing in East Bay. Things can change in a hurry; so don’t give up on Devils Lake yet!

Our sincerest and deepest apologies for the delayed fishing report. We have been extremely busy fishing of course and some of these evenings get pretty short when we are walleye fishing every night until dark. The fishing has been very good at times and not so good at times. It seems like we do very good one day and the next day the fish are very finicky. We have had a lot of weather changes in fact there were 4 days when we went from 30 below to 35 above. That is a 65 degree temperature change! It did feel like a heat wave and it is shrinking some of our snow making it easier for us to get around.

The walleye fishing has still been our most consistent bite but we have had some excellent perch days since our last report as well. We are finding some of the better walleye fishing on humps and flooded points and we did find a feeding school of perch in 28 feet of water. Buck shot rattle spoons, Rapala jigging shad raps, chubby darters, and the newest lure we have discovered is the moon shine shiver minnow. This is an awesome bait that Devils Lake walleyes are going nuts over! The best way I can describe it is that it has the head of a chubby darter and the back fin of a Rapala jigging rap. When jigged aggressively it darts in the water and it seems to have more of a side flutter action as it falls. A deadly bait tipped with a minnow head on the bottom treble hook. They are hard to find but you can go to www.moonshinelures.com and you can read all about them.

The perch fishing has definitely picked up and I do not want to sound like we are killing them every day because we are not but in all honesty when we find an active school it doesn't take long to catch a limit of them. The bad news is that we can do so well on them one day and the next day we go back to the same holes and no sign of them. So the can be very elusive as well. Smaller buckshot spoons, forage minnows, genz worms tipped with waxies have been about the best.

The northern pike fishing has been very good as well. We have only fished for northerns 2 days so far this season but both days we did get our limit in pretty short order. A combination of jigging flutter spoons tipped with 3 minnows and tip up fishing with frozen hearing kept the guys very busy running to flags and catching them with a rod and reel as well.

Happy New Year! Things have really picked up here in the last week. The walleye fishing has been incredible for both numbers and size. Nearly every group we have taken so far has limited out on walleyes. We have been fishing lots of structure mostly humps and sunken islands but we have had some success on some larger walleyes in the shallows in 8 to 10 feet of water. Our best luck so far has been on Northland Buckshot Rattle spoon and the Rapala jigging shad raps tipped with minnow heads.

We haven't fish perch that much yet but are hearing lots of reports of schools of perch being found in a number of places. Only problem has been they have been very tough to get to bite so far especially with all the weather changes we have experienced this past week.

The northern pike fishing has been very good as well. We have not done much tip up fishing yet bet plan to in the next coming days. We have heard some pretty good stories from the folks in Woodland's spear houses. They have seen lots of pike and some bruisers as well.

We did luck out on that last storm we had over Christmas. We did get about 1 foot of snow but the wind really blew it around when it came so it is not like it has a blanket of 1 foot of snow everywhere. We are driving our trucks pretty much everywhere on Devils Lake and we are finding a consistent 12 to 15 inches every where we have been so far.

I will be posting some photos shortly but am waiting to receive some from clients we guided this past weekend.

Good Luck Fishing and be safe -

Steve "Zippy" Dahl

Perch Patrol Guide Service

Happy new year! We have the plows on the ice! We just finished plowing a trail from Woodland Resort to Rocky Point, Military Point, and to the North end of Creel Bay. We now have 14 fish houses on the ice. Fishing in our rental houses has been spotty. Some decent fish in some, but slow in others. Had our first 20lb pike caught Wednesday in one of our pike houses in Wolford bay. Look for better fishing now that we can get our trucks on the ice and improved mobility. We are finding nothing less than 11" of ice in Creel Bay and it sounds like most other ice reports are indicating the same. Remember to use caution on early ice.

Merry Christmas everybody! We keep building ice! Creel Bay has about 9 to 10 inches and most of the main lake is also in that 8 to 10 inch range. So far we have been lucky and have not had much snow covering it but it sounds like that may change real soon. For the Christmas Holiday they are predicting 6 to 12 inches of snow for our region but there is some talk that the majority of the storm may track to the south of us. Lets keep our fingers crossed on that one.

Most of the Perch Patrol Guides are busy gearing up for another busy season but a few of us have been out and caught a limit of walleyes. We were fishing some flooded timber in about 18 feet of water. We were using buckshot rattle spoons tipped with minnow heads. Nothing quite beats the thrill of marking fish on the Vexilar and anticipating that first bite of the season. The fish were a little on the finicky side and we would really have to tease them in order to get them to bite. When they did bite they pretty much tore the rod out of our hand! We haven't chased any perch yet but plan to tomorrow and the day after Christmas. We will be guiding our first clients of the new season on December 27th, so I will have more to report on the fishing in our next report.

Over the holidays, many of you will be getting together with your families and friends and it is an opportune time to discuss and plan a fishing trip with the Perch Patrol this winter. Our rates and packages are the same price they have been for the past 4 years and we are very much anticipating another fabulous year of ice fishing on Devils Lake this winter. I want to encourage you to either call the Perch Patrol Hotline or Woodland Resort and get something scheduled as soon as you can because our schedule is filling quite rapidly. A lot of weekends are already full and if you can manage a midweek trip remember the local fisherman are mostly working and a lot of days we have the lake all to ourselves. One weekend that is wide open yet is the last weekend in January. This is a tough weekend to get lodging in Devils Lake because is the same weekend as our local volunteer fireman's ice fishing tournament. We did set some rooms aside at Woodland to accommodate your group so you may want to take advantage of that before it gets snapped up.

Hello Everybody! This past week we returned from the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was a great show with record crowds each day and I would like to personally thank everyone who stopped by our booth and visited with us. I would also like to thank everyone who booked a trip with us at the show and tell you we looking forward to fishing with you very soon.

We have ice!!! We are very lucky to have had a perfect freeze so far. We have had very cold temperatures and most importantly we have had very little wind and very little snow. This next week the forecast is for even more cold temperatures and we could see some 25 to 30 below zero temperatures by mid-week.

We have not been fishing yet but we have heard reports of 4 inches on most of the main lake and up to 6 inches on some back bays and lakes up north. We are looking forward to getting out fishing very soon but we have been very busy getting our equipment ready and assembling our new Fish Trap Thermo X's and getting them customized for another season.

The phones and emails have really picked up the past two weeks and we are taking a lot of reservations. If you are planning a trip with us this season and have not yet booked a trip, we encourage you to do so immediately as dates are already starting to fill up. Especially if you have a group of 4 or more people. Our most popular package is still the Perch Express but we want to remind you that we also do single day trips as well. If you want to do the Perch Express Package and want to fish either more days or fewer days, we can make those adjustments and customize a package that will fit your needs.

Lake is froze over. We have about 5 " of ice and growing near the resort. Not much to report yet. Should start getting some houses out this next week.

No ice yet! Forcast looks like cold weather on the way and ice on the lake hopfully soon. We will be in St. Paul, MN starting December 4th for the Ice Fishing show. Show runs from Dec. 4th to the 6th at the River Centere. Stop by our booth if you make the show. More ice reports as it comes.

This past week by far has provided us with the nicest weather of the summer. Temperatures have been in the high 70s and low 80s with plenty of sunshine and light winds. The fishing has been outstanding as well. It is the best of both worlds, we are doing really well trolling crankbaits in the morning and working the weed lines with bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers in the afternoons. Some of the nicest walleyes of the season are being caught using both of these methods. The slip bobber bite has slowed up quite a bit. Although, we have not done much of it lately, mostly due to the lack of leeches available now days.

The northern pike fishing has also picked up. Again, we are not doing anything special to target them, we seem to catch plenty as we walleye fish. These northerns vary in size from 3 pounds to 14 pounds.

The hunting season is soon upon us and all we can think about is fishing. It is that good on Devils Lake right now. With all this beautiful weather we have had, the fish are still in their summer patterns and we are making them pay the price!

If you are looking for a late summer fishing trip and want to experience some pretty incredible fishing on a lake that has hardly any boat traffic and fishing pressure, now is the perfect time. We have plenty of room and would love the opportunity to take your party fishing.

We again, would like to remind you hunters that are coming in October of our "Hunters Special" that we put together to accommodate your schedule. We have done this in years past and in many cases have been told this was the "highlight" of the trip.

The walleye fishing on Devils Lake is still tremendous and the northern pike fishing this past week has been very good as well. We are not doing anything special or different to target the northerns, we just seem to catch them as we are walleye fishing. Some of the nicest walleyes of the summer are being caught trolling crank baits. Both the Rapala jointed number 5 Shad raps and the No. 5 Salmo Hornets are still the baits of choice that are most successful.

We do have some of our guides doing very well trolling live bait with bottom bouncers along the weed beds as well. A walleye chop going into the weeds seems to really improve the bite almost to the point of being suicidal.

This past week it seems that summer finally arrived. We enjoyed many days in the mid 70s to lower 80s. Despite this summer being cooler than normal it has improved our fishing in many ways. The main reason it kept our fish in shallow water for most of the summer and it has given us longer periods of time to figure spots out because the extended shallow water bite.

With fall officially underway the fishing on Devils Lake is as good as it has been all summer. In fact, it is in some ways better as the fish seem to be getting bigger. Take a look below at some of the dandy fish that were brought in this past week. If you are looking to take a fishing trip this fall you will not find better fishing anywhere that's going on right now on Devils Lake. With school beginning and the summer winding down, Mitchell's Guide Service has plenty of room to take your party fishing. We would love to have you!

A reminder for all the hunter planning a duck or a goose hunt in October, Mitchell's Guide Service is running the "Hunters Special" This is a 1/2 day guiding fishing (4 hours) in the afternoon after your hunt. The prices are $250.00 for 3 people and $225.00 for 2 people. We started this a couple of years ago and in many cases it has been the highlight of the trip.

A week of change. This past week our methods and presentations have changed a bit going from a live bait bait either on slip bobbers or trolling with bottom bouncers to a much improved trolling crank bait bite. Not too say that we are done using live bait but we have enjoyed some phenomenal results trolling Salmo Hornets and jointed shad raps on flooded road beds and along highway rip rap. The depths we have been successful at are anywhere from 7 to 25 feet of water. Some areas we are trolling with just fire line but other areas we are using lead core. The size of some of the walleyes we caught trolling have been very impressive as you can see in the photos below. So, the troll bite is on! It is a little behind this year compared to most but this past week we have discovered the walleyes to be relating more to the harder bottom as the weed bite began to slow up a bit.

We are not catching a lot of northern pike lately but we seem to catch one or two a day. The size of the pike have been pretty decent but we are not catching limits of them. We are not really targeting them but they sure can double the rod back when they hit that crank bait.

With school back in session and as we enter fall, we want to remind you that the fishing on Devils Lake with Mitchell's Guide Service is still red hot! Now is the perfect time with the kids back in school to treat yourself to an unbelievable fishing trip to top off the summer. We get a lot of clients in the fall that take advantage of the kids going back to school and take a well deserved vacation. Last fall the fishing was awesome and with all the patterns running behind schedule this season due to the cooler temperatures this bite will last for many weeks to come.

Our apologize for the delayed report. Time flies when your having fun! Fishing on Devils Lake remains excellent on many different types of presentations. We are still catching a lot of fish trolling along the weed beds in 8 to 14 feet of water on many parts of Devils Lake. We are mainly live baiting using bottom bouncers 3 feet of line and a plain hook tipped with either a leech or half of a night crawler. We are also catching a lot of fish slip bobbing the flooded timber and along the weed beds as well. Trolling crank baits have also been very successful along the highway rip rap and the many flooded roads in the lake as well. We have also had some success jigging rock piles on calm days.

So not much has changed since our last report. Writing these reports seems like all we talk about is the excellent fishing on Devils Lake but honestly this season has been that outstanding. I don't want to get into statistics here but I would be hard pressed to remember a group this season that did not take their limit of walleyes home with them. That is a pretty darn good sign of success on any lake and it has become normal for us here on Devils Lake.

We still have plenty of summer left and the fishing is as good as ever so it is not too late to put a group together and come and fish Devils Lake with Mitchell's Guide Service. We are still running 6 to 8 guides per day and staying plenty busy but we can always find room to fit you in. August is "Iowa Month" and we definitely want send a special welcome to all our Iowa farmers out there who are waiting for harvest to get here. Come on up to Devils Lake and experience some world class walleye fishing. Who knows you may even run into your neighbors!

Fishing on Devils Lake has been very good this past week despite some cooler than normal temperatures. Another cold, turbulent week has returned surface water temperatures to the mid 60's. With all of the cool weather, it feels more like early June than early August, if you're into fishing like we are, this is probably more good than bad as the cool water temperatures have helped to extend the active bite in the 10 to 15 foot range. The walleye fishing has really picked up on the humps and bars on the main lake and in the flats and there are we are still catching plenty of fish on the edges of the weed lines and in the flooded timber.

It is still pretty much pick your poison as to all the methods we are using to catch fish. Some of our guides are doing really well slip bobbering and jigging, some are doing very well using bottom bouncers with spinners and lindy rigs, and some of our guides are doing very well trolling crankbaits. We are still catching plenty of big walleyes 17 to 24 inchers and a lot of eaters in that 14 to 16 inch range. You cannot beat the action as far as the numbers of walleyes we catch and release in a day. It is just unreal to think of how many fish this lake must have in it not to mention the number of different size classes that we catch through out the day. Our future walleye fishing on Devils Lake could not look brighter!

Not a whole lot has changed since the last report. We are still bringing our lunch box to work everyday and having a great time helping our customers experience world class walleye fishing on Devils Lake. We have enjoyed a great summer so far and it is by no means over with. There is still plenty of good fishing ahead and it is still a great time for you to gather up your family, friends, co-workers, who ever you can find and book a fishing adventure with Mitchell's Guide Service. It will be the highlight of your summer.

If you're thinking summer is over and August fishing is dog days you are not from ND. For years I've been telling those who hang up the rods early they are missing some of the best ND has to offer. Understand I'm from MN where dog days were just that. Tuff fishing. Don't ask me what the difference is but most ND waters are not afflicted with the shortened season. Granted it's not August yet but when it hits us this Saturday I plan to be on the water catching fish. Don't let the summer slip by, take a couple of vacation days added to a weekend and get to Devils Lake.

I spent the night at Woodlands Resort where I got reacquainted with Kyle who owns and operates the resort. Woodlands is a first class operation with everything you can possibly need for a fishing vacation. Camping, cabins, camp store and the Cove, Woodlands own restaurant. As you can see by the wall of fish pictures , fishing here is first class as well.

With morning radio taken care of Ron and I motored out of Woodlands into a cool gray morning headed for the Golden Hi-way. I don't fish the famous road often for some reason but I'm making it a point to pull some cranks there today. We got around Grahams Island and hit a bit more wind than I like so we just slipped into 11 to 12 feet and made a pull a few miles short of the Golden destination. Nobody home, so off for the road. One more detour at Howards as wind was blowing into shore and it just looked too good to pass up. 20 minutes in the 10 foot depth and several, �I can't believe they're not here's� later, we finally hit the road.

The road is not good to me and I'm thinking to myself this ain't gonna happen. It didn't, so we moved off the road top to the west just a bit and pulled a hump a couple of other boats were on. First Fish, northern, followed by a small walleye on a Reef Runner Rip Shad. Low clouds and low pressure have me thinking I need to make a change so out came the cold front lures. Two RS4's which turned out to be our best morning lures . They got us our first limit of small walleyes. Once 5 were in the box Ron and I had a council and came up with a stimulus plan. MOVE.

Devils Lake simply has too much to offer for one day on the water. Geez you could spend the entire summer here and not get to 10% of the lake. Knowing that, I still try, so off to Pelican for a look around. We arrive to sunshine and very light winds. Cranks go down into 15 feet with Bomber 24a's at 45 feet back and Rip Shads, Shad Raps, Salmo's and several others following. It was a two lure show all afternoon as the Firetiger Bombers were the only lures to catch fish. I consider Bombers in the same class as the RS4's, cold front equipment.

We have a slow start with rain to the SW and rain to the NE. For some reason we are under the clear patch. That does change however and the afternoon is spent climbing in and out of rain gear interrupted by the occasional fish, a very welcome interruption. Ron released our best fish of the day and with 9 in the live well you always ask yourself if that was a good call. Turns out it was as a Bomber put last fish in the box for us.

We have plenty of day left and I get the wild idea to see if I can put the hooks to a monster northern. Earlier this season I went out with Boyd, a local northern expert and got the low down on 40 inch plus trophy fish. I knew when I climbed into his boat it would cost me and sure enough I now own several dollar an inch titanium leaders matched with 10 bucks a crack spinners . They sure look pretty in the water. I was feeling pretty good about the investment until Ron had to bring up the �Does your wife know you got all this stuff?� question. I'm used to vertical jigging a ¼ ounce leadhead so tossing a 1 ¼ ounce monster spinner and dragging it through a jungle of weeds is like winching a log up a mountain slope. Needless to say when I got off the water I gave a Boyd a call to see if I qualify for remedial training.

Last week I mentioned in the fishing tip it is always better to spend an extra two hours in the truck in order to get to good fishing rather than stop two hours short for mediocre fishing. Fact is there is no place in ND, heck MN, IA, or WI for that matter that is too far to drive for what Woodlands Resort and Devils Lake has to offer. August, you will not be disappointed.

To view other reports, pictues and Google Earth GPS locations please go to: www.ndlive.com

And the beat goes on! Walleye fishing on Devils Lake continues to be very good despite some pretty tough conditions this past week. The wind has made our lives interesting. It seems to blow 30 plus miles an hour or not enough to make a ripple. We have had some pretty hard core groups that wanted to go fishing anyway and we went to the calmest water we could find and guess what we still have been able to scratch out a nice limit of walleyes.

So, how do you like to catch fish? This is the question we are asking our customers every morning. The neat story on Devils Lake right now is that there are so many different methods and right now they all seem to be successful. From jigging rock piles, live bait rigging, and slip bobbering on calm days to trolling crank baits in 8 to 12 feet of water to trolling with lead core in 18 to 25 feet of water, and pitching crank baits around weed beds in the shallows. Some days its fun to try a little bit of everything and put on a crash course in walleye fishing tactics. We have heard a lot of nice comments from customers about how they appreciated fishing so many different methods and how much they learned over the course of a two or three day fishing trip. So there is something for everyone that is for sure.

We haven't been catching a lot of northern pike lately. Every once and a while we stumble into a couple of them but we haven't really been targeting them either. The white bass have taken over the shallows. Pitching crank baits on wind swept shorelines or along the highway rip rap is just about a guarantee for successful white bass fishing.

This has been by far one of our busiest and best summers in the the history of Mitchell's Guide Service and it is by no means over with. We still have 10 days of July left and August is right around the corner. The walleye fishing will still be as good then as it is now so, if you are still thinking about a trip to Devils Lake it is not too late there is still plenty of prime time walleye fishing left and we will do our best to get your party scheduled in.

Fishing on Devils Lake is still very good, although some of the methods and presentations have started to change into the typical mid summer patterns. We are finding more walleyes in the 8 to 12 foot range this past week and we have been spending a lot of time trolling bottom bouncers with either spinners or Lindy rigs tipped with night crawlers. We are also still catching a lot of walleyes slip bobbering with leeches but have been concentrating more on the flooded timber as of late. Ptiching crank baits is still happenning but the weeds have really grown in the shallow water, infact in a lot of places the weeds in 6 to 7 feet of water the weeds are now too thick. Again, our methods have changed a little. We are now keeping our boat in that 10 foot range and pitching crank baits that dive deeper. The Rapala Shad Rap number 7's and the jointed Shad Raps number 5's are excellent choices. Of course we are still doing this along the windswept weedbeds.

The numbers of walleyes we are catching are just incredible! We are catching a ton of them in that 14 to 15 inch range which are the perfect eating size fish but we also pop an occasional 20 plus incher that makes the braggen board on any bait shop's wall.

The northern pike fishing has slowed quite a bit. We have a hunch that the 76 degree water temperatures have pushed them into deeper and cooler water. The white bass fishing is still a slam dunk. Pitching crank baits in shallow water is still the ticket as long as we can find areas that are weed free.

We have been trolling some crank baits as well, mainly on flooded roads and along the highway rip rap and have had some success but we need the wind and the walleye chop to make it happen.

Mitchell's Guide Service is enjoying one of our best summers on Devils Lake. We are busy every day discovering new patterns and finding new fish. Some of our new guides have brought us some new tactics and strategies and we are all having a lot of fun teaching our customers and helping them catch a ton of fish. Our schedule seems to fill as we go so if you are planning a trip please don't hesitate to give us a call. We will do our best to find a time that works and as always we would love to take your party fishing!

Another banner week of fishing! The smaller walleyes have definitely made us feel their presence this week. We are definitely having to sort through a lot of 13 to 14 inchers but every so often we are rewarded with a nice 17 to 23 inch walleye. With the calm conditions, we have spent most of our time slip bobbering along weed beds in 6 to 10 feet of water. Of course a little wind, chop, or even ripples from a breeze dramatically improve the action. The fish are definitely more schooled than they have been so far this summer. Add all this up and it makes for a lot of fun. The bait vendors are grinning from ear to ear as most of us are going through a pound of leeches in a single day.

The extended spring has made our shallow water fishing remain very strong. It is hard to believe we are catching the numbers of fish that we are this shallow especially considering that July 1st is tomorrow. We have also had some success trolling live bait rigs tipped with either a leech or a crawler in 8 to 12 feet of water. Some of us have tried trolling crankbaits but none of us have had much success yet, perhaps do to the calm conditions.

The white bass fishing is incredible. Infact, they have become a major nuisance when trying to catch walleyes casting crank baits. The northern pike fishing still remains very strong as well. We are still catching most of them by either casting along the weedbeds or trolling crank baits along them as well. We did pick up some nice northern pike trolling crank baits on the flooded roadbeds.

We have lost touch with shore fishing because none of us are fishing from shore anymore. We do hear reports still of a lot of fishing being caught from shore during the early morning hours and in the evenings especially right before dark.

We still have a lot of summer left and we want to include you in on some of the best summer fishing you will find anywhere. We do have some room available and as these fish start heading for deeper water the trolling crank bait season is right around the corner. Last year we had some of our best days of the season trolling Salmo Hornets in 10 to 20 feet of water. This is a definite "must" for those who want to real in a lot of fish in a day's time.

The bite is on! What an incredible week of fishing! The fishing on Devils Lake so far this season is steadily turning into one of the best seasons we have ever seen. This statement says a lot because we have seen some dandy seasons. The walleye fishing is solid for both numbers and size. Not many lakes around the country where you are throwing back 14 to 15 inch walleyes.

This past week we are still enjoying a shallow water walleye bite. On the days we have some wind or some what of a walleye chop we are pitching crank baits on wind swept shorelines on either weed line edges or around flooded timber. We have found that stained water or blooming algae is best. We are still casting number 5 shad raps, countdowns, and salmo hornets in the 1 to 6 foot range and for spots that are deeper along weed lines we have had great success pitching Rapala jointed number 4's and 5's. 3/8 oz Mimic Minnows are very tough to beat as well. The plastics seem to still work best in dead calm conditions.

The slip bobber bite is still booming as well. Some of our guides are complaining about going through a pound of leeches in a single day, so I know things are going well. We have still been very successful slip bobbering along shorelines and we have also been doing very well in the flooded timber in 8 to 10 feet of water. The fish seem to be more schooled up this week as we have a hard time keeping 4 bobbers in the water at times and then we get a well deserved 15 minute lull and then they are back again. So they do seem to come and go.

The northern pike fishing and white bass fishing is also very good. We do seem to catch as many as we want when we are targeting walleyes. If you target either species specifically you can have some pretty phenomenal action.

Fishing from shore is also very good along the highways that border Devils Lake. Early morning hours and evening hours are by far the best.

It is fun to write reports when all you have to do is talk about good news. Mitchell's Guide Service is very busy these days and we are all enjoying guiding our customers on some of the best open water fishing in the country. If you are at all considering a trip to Devils Lake this summer, please give us a call and we will do our best to help you experience it.

This past week has been a week of change for those fishing on Devils Lake. (1) Summer is finally here! The temperature has been mostly in the 70 degree range and we did hit 80 degrees for a day or two and it has given us some warmer water to deal with. The surface temperatures are now mostly in the 60 degree range with some shallow water bay temps hitting as high as 68 degrees. (2) We have experienced a major bug hatch. The may flies or sand flies have hatched and if the wind is not blowing they can be a major nuisance. Not to mention it provides an extra food source for the fish. (3) The wind quit blowing for about four days. This made fishing very challenging and forced us to find new fish in deeper water and also forced us to spend most of our time either slip bobbering or lindy rigging with leaches and vertical jigging on top of structure. (4) Because of the calm conditions the shallow water became extremely clear. This seems to me a bad deal for fishing shallow water especially for casting crank baits. (5) The weed beds are growing daily. All the ingredients - clear water and warmer water temps have been just right for healthy weed growth in the shallow water. (6) The past 2 days the wind began to blow and it clouded up the shallow water and made for excellent fishing casting crank baits.

The life of a fishing guide. Imagine how fun it is to try and continue to catch fish with all these changes going on in 1 week's time. We did struggle some what during the calm conditions early in the week but we were able to still limit out most of our customers but it was extremely slow and a long time would pass between bites. From the middle to the end of the week the fishing drastically improved especially when the wind started to blow. We are still catching fish on slip bobbers with red hooks and leeches along shorelines but we did move out deeper to the 10 to 13 foot range. We are also still catching a lot of fish pitching crank baits and mimic minnows on windy shorelines. All in all it turned out to be a pretty good week of fishing despite all the biological changes that occurred. Again the team work executed by the Mitchell's Guide Service Team of guides pulled us through some tough fishing conditions.

We are very proud to announce that Merle Nelson of Mitchell's Guide Service won the Spirit Lake Casino Cup over the weekend. This was a two day tournament with over 100 teams rounding out the competition. Each Team could way 5 walleyes per day. Merle brought in a two day limit of 10 walleye weighing over 57 pounds! Way to go Merle! Don't spend all that money in one place!

There are three things in life that are most enjoyable to watch. The flames of a camp fire at night, a zamboni cleaning the ice between periods of a hockey game, and a bobber sinking below the surface of the water. This past week Mitchell's Guide Service has watched a lot of bobbers sink. This past weekend, Devils Lake was hit with a major cold front and so far our temperatures have had a hard time reaching 50 degrees ever since. This did have a major impact on our fishing for a couple of days.

All the spectacular fishing we enjoyed pitching crank baits in our last fishing report came to a screeching halt. After casting our arms off pitching crank baits we did find success pitching Northland Tackle's Mimic Minnows with a slower retrieve. The action of the paddle tail swimming through the shallows was too inviting for a lot of nice walleyes to resist no matter how big of cold front we were dealing with.

The slip bobber with leaches in any where from 2 feet to 10 feet of water has also been producing a lot of nice walleyes for us recently. We have learned some valuable lessons this past week. Instead of focusing on one particular depth and continually moving trying to find new spots, we began to experiment with the different depths at the current spots we had been successful at in the past. This paid off big time! Once we found the magic depth we found ourselves tripping over one another scrambling for the net. The action was hot and heavy. Once we found the depth where active walleyes were feeding we would go from having one or two in the live well to ten or eleven in just a matter of 10 to 15 minutes. Then it would get quiet again and we would have to go back to moving the stopper not and continually trying new depths until we found them again.

Major cold fronts such as the one we have just experienced this past week, often make fishing very difficult especially walleye fishing. But this is where the team work approach of Mitchell's Guide Service really shined. The constant communication amongst the guide staff and each guide trying something new or different until discovering a pattern or method that worked, and sharing it with one another is what made us successful this past week. The white bass fishing from boat and shore remained incredible and so did the northern pike fishing.

The forecast does look better coming up. It is supposed to reach 80 degrees by this weekend. These warm temperatures and sunshine will again warm up the shallows and should ignite the bite all over the lake.

Call in sick, lie to the wife, or bring her along! Do what ever it takes to get to Devils Lake and fish with Mitchell's Guide Service right now. What an incredible week of fishing! Walleyes, Northern Pike, White Bass take your pick, it's all happining on Devils Lake right now. Some of our guides are religiously slip bobbering the shallows and some of our other guides are religiously pitching crank baits. Both methods have been extremely successful this past week. The common denominator for success is shallow water back bays and follow the windy shorelines.

Slip bobbering with leaches placed 6 inches to 1 foot off the bottom in 5 to 8 feet of water along windward shorelines has been trick for bobber fishing. As far as casting crank baits, we are still pitching #5 Shad Raps and Countdowns and the No. 5 Salmo Hornets and #8F. Some of the hot colors have been bleak, fire tiger, perch, Chrome and blue with orange belly, bleeding hot olive, and hot mustard and fire minnow. Plastics have been working as well but the guys haven't needed to use them this week the way the fish have been biting so aggressively.

The water temperatures are on the rise as well. The main parts of the lake are mostly 52 to 54 degrees with the back bays in that 58 to 60 degree range. This is why we are spending so much time in the back bays because the water is sometimes as much as 6 degrees warmer.

Bruce Bonzer of Mitchell's Guide Service guided In-Fisherman Television with host Doug Stange as they shot a white bass segment. They really pounded them too. The white bass have not yet spawned but Bruce tells us they sure are schooled up and feeding heavily. Sounds like a lot of fun!

If you have ever wanted to fish Devils Lake now is the time to take advantage of this shallow water bite. You would be challenged to find another lake on the continent that is producing like Devils Lake is right now for both numbers and size. The Mitchell's Guide Service Team of Guides is ready to show you what it's all about. Gather up you family, friends, co-workers, who ever you can find, you won't be disappointed. We would love to have you!

Fishing on Devils Lake with Mitchell's Guide Service is red hot! This past week things have drastically improved despite some tough weather conditions. Last Monday and Tuesday we had to cancel due to high winds and rain but things began to improve on Wednesday. Pitching crank baits in shallow water on windy shorelines has really been a lot of fun and the fish we are catching have been unbelievable. Things are slow in the mornings but once the sun has heated up the shallow water, the afternoons have been very good. Some of our guides have been doing well slip bobbering the shallows as well but patience levels will be tested at times.

Some of lures we are using and have had the greatest success on so far have been the Salmo Perch No. 8F, the no. 5 shadraps and Countdowns, and we have caught a lot of beautiful walleyes on Mimic Minnows made by Northland Tackle. Yes, you read it right, plastics! The action and flutter of the paddle tails on these baits are unreal. They are heavy enough to cast a country mile and when reeled in at a slow and steady retrieve, hang on!

The water temperatures in the mornings are for the most part above 50 degrees and in the afternoons we have found spots to be as high as 58 degrees. Flooded back bays have warmer water than the shallows on the big lake so don't be afraid to explore a little. There are so many new areas to learn due to all the flooding, everyday is almost a Lewis and Clark expedition.

It is not too late to book a trip with Mitchell's Guide Service. Things have really cranked up for us now and we have an extremely busy schedule ahead of us but we do have some room on certain dates that we can take your party fishing with us. Take advantage of this shallow water bite while it lasts, it doesn't get much more fun than feeling that explosion of a 20 inch walleye hitting a crank bait. We are a team of guides that work together and are in constant communication through out the day sharing fishing information all to benefit you! So you can experience the hottest action Devils Lake has to offer. We would love to have you.

Is summer ever going to get here? We get hints of it every so often but this is getting ridiculous. Fishing on Devils Lake remains very good despite recent cold fronts. This past week it has been all about the water temperature. The mornings have been very difficult to catch fish as the water temps seem to hang around that 47 to 48 degree temp. But by noon, providing the sun is out, water temperature seem to break the 50 degree mark and then look out. It is amazing how one or two degrees can turn a bad day into a great day.

Earlier in the week we were catching most of our fish on slip bobbers with leeches and minnows on the shorelines and shallow on the edges of flooded trees. But over the weekend the crank bait bite really turned on. Pitching no. 5 shad raps and countdowns on windward shorelines boated some dandy walleyes and northern pike as well. We haven't found any big schools yet, we are mainly catching one here and one there. But working shorelines along flooded cattails and rocks proved to be successful. Jigging on the edged of current by some of the bridges on the main lake has also been effective as well. We have also heard many reports of shore fisherman still doing well on Mauvis Coulee but Channel A seems to have slowed up a bit.

Most of our fishing this week has been from the boats. With the water levels on Devils Lake higher than ever, it is a whole new lake to learn and explore. There does seem to be quite a few floating logs and trees out there so if you are venturing out on your own we want to warn you to keep on the look out for them.

If you are planning a summer vacation to fish on Devils Lake this summer, we would like to invite you to fish with Mitchell's Guide Service. We are one of Devils Lake's largest and longest running guide services and are by far the most experienced. We all run 18 to 21 foot boats that are not only safe but are a pleasure to fish out of. We provide all the equipment, bait, and gas and we know how to catch fish and entertain clients. You will learn seasonal fish movements and the different methods we use to find and catch fish on Devils Lake. Every guide on our staff loves to fish and has a passion for teaching others how to catch fish. We would love the opportunity to take your party fishing. No group is too big or small.

Mitchell's Guide Service is in full swing as some of the very first customers of the season showed up this past week and some beautiful walleyes were caught from shore. The overall fishing was slow due to some pretty unseasonable cold temperatures. In fact, last Saturday we stared at bobbers through snow flakes most of the day.

Because of these cold temperatures and the cold water temperatures we are still spending most of our time fishing the currents. Channel A and the Mauvis Coulee are still producing most of the best fishing and some of the bridges on the main lake are producing some nice fish as well. Some fish have spawned, some fish are spanning, and some fish have yet to spawn. We did fish from the boats on Friday and the water temperature was only 44 degrees most places. So it is easy to see why the spawn has been slowed up a bit. Sunday and today were beautiful with temperatures reaching the high 60's and the forecast looks pretty decent as well. This will eventually warm the shallow water up and eventually coax these fish into more of a shallow shoreline bite.

We are still catching most of our fish by slip bobbering and pitching jigs from shore and a slow jigging presentation from the boats. Casting lindy rigs with a slow retrieve is productive as well. Most fish are coming on leeches and minnows and some spots it is hard to beat a twister tails on jigs with no live bait at all. Each spot seems to have their own unique methods and presentations depending on how strong the current is and how snaggy the bottom is.

We are very excited to see warm temperatures in the forecast. It will be great to get back in the boats and start exploring these newly flooded areas that the rising waters of Devils Lake have recently created. We will do what ever it takes to catch fish and this past week, shore fishing was not only more effective but with the cold temperatures it is pretty nice to be able to slip into the vehicle once and a while to warm yourself up again.

In the last ten days, the ice on Devils Lake has nearly disappeared. There is still some ice floating around on the main lake and parts of east bay but we are very near ice out at this time. There is still a tremendous amount of water coming into Devils Lake via Channel A and the Mauvis Coulee and this past week the all time high water elevation in recorded history for Devils Lake was broken and it continues to be break a new record every day. There are numerous roads that are closed, culverts washed out, brides that are flooded, and even the gates on channel A washed out a couple of days ago.

The fishing continues to be very good especially from shore along the Mauvis Coulee and Channel A. We have had numerous reports of the walleye success being very good but the pike have slowed up a bit. Some say that the northerns are busy spawning now and not very interested in eating. The key to success for most anglers fishing from shore has been mobility. In other words, trying spots here and there along the channels and coulees and keep moving until you start to catch fish. Persistence is the key to success, in other words don't give up. Pitching jigs with twister tails or with a live minnow, with a very slow retrieve seems to be the best presentation. Slip bobbers out of the current have been working very good as well. We would like to remind all anglers to release those big females and that it is illegal to keep a fish that is hooked behind the gill plate as this is considered a snagged fish.

The forecast looks very good coming up and as I write this report the sun is shinning, the birds are singing and you really get the feeling spring has sprung. Our seasonal campground residents have been busy working on their campers, raking lawn, and preparing their favorite summer retreat for another busy summer. All of our guides are getting there boats ready, spooling new line on their reels, and getting rigged up. Our first customers of the open water season check in at Woodland this coming week and Mitchell's Guide Service will be in full swing. We do still have plenty of room in May but if you are planning a June trip, the dates are filling fast, so you might want to make your reservations as soon as possible.

Welcome to the first fishing report for the 2009 open water season. Devils Lake she is a changing! With nearly 13 inches of rain from last fall and very heavy snow fall this past winter, Devils Lake is on the rise. We are expected to shatter the all time high water mark set 3 to 4 years ago and this would mean an additional rise of 3 to 4 feet of elevation. This would be the highest recorded elevation Devils Lake has ever seen.

What does all this mean? All we can do is remember the high water years of the 1990s and all the spectacular fishing that accompanied it. With all the currents flowing into many different parts of Devils Lake the northern pike and walleye fishing should be nothing short of spectacular. These newly flooded areas not only produce excellent spawning opportunities for all the species of fish but the flooded grasses provide insects and bloodworms that Devils Lake fish crave. There will be new back bays to discover and explore and these areas often produce some incredible fishing.

As for current conditions on Devils Lake, most of the lake is still ice covered except where the heavy currents are coming into the lake. Both Channel A coming into the north end of six mile bay and the Mauvis Coulee flowing into Pelican Lake are wide open and have some serious current. These two areas and highway bridges are producing the most shore fishing opportunities and the northern pike fishing and walleye fishing has been fairly decent so far, but will continue to improve as the temperature rises. We would like to remind all fishermen to be careful along these high current areas and remember to be prudent and release those 4 to 8 pound fish. These fish are in these areas for a reason to spawn and produce more fish fish for us to enjoy in the future.

With spring here and the summer right around the corner, the reservations for Woodland Resort and Mitchell's Guide Service are in full swing. Now is the perfect time to plan that summer vacation and make plans to explore these new waters on Devils Lake. We experienced a great winter of walleye fishing and the past 3 open water seasons on Devils Lake have been incredible. You will not find better fishing than Devils Lake will offer this summer and we are very excited to be your headquarters for what should be an outstanding season. Whether you are looking for lodging, a guide, a rental boat, pontoon, campsite or just a scoop of minnows, we have have everything you will need right here at Woodland Resort, Devils Lake's only on the water full service resort.

Channel A is open and running like the Colorado river! It just opened and pike are being caught. Lots of other coulees and creeks open and moving lots of water. Pike should be crazy soon with Walleye right behind them. More info to follow.

Spring is here and ice anglers are enjoying the tail end of the season. Warmer temps have made access much better. Getting around the lake has improved considerably. We have just began the thaw, so ice conditions are still excellent. Access points are collecting water, but remain safe. Warmer forecast for the next 3 days will degrade access points, but we should remain vehicle friendly for the next week. Conditions can change rapidly, so always use extreme caution this time of the year.

Fishing has been better. Anglers are reporting fair catches in East bay, Creel bay at Military point, and the North end of Sixmile bay. Keep an eye on the Sixmile bay area. This can be a very good location at this time of the year. Lake Irvine is producing excellent pike fishing and good walleye fishing.

Saved by the bell! After a pretty darn slow week of fishing on Devils Lake, I was not looking forward to writing this fishing report. But today...well today was just awesome! We had numerous groups experience some pretty good walleye fishing and northern pike as well. Not everybody limited out but some did and the ones that didn't came pretty close to it. They caught some absolutely beautiful walleyes and some trophy's were released as well.

The perch action has been pretty disappointing ever since the last storm. Why? We have no idea, the weather has been absolutely beautiful with bright sun and as stable as can be. We mark a lot of fish in that 38 to 45 foot depths but getting them to bite has been a huge challenge.

The ice conditions are still very good and we still have plenty of snow covering it but the trails and accesses are definitely taking a beating. We are using extensions on our augers now and probably will continue to use them until all the snow is gone.

The weather forecast sounds a bit interesting, as we are supposed to get up to 50 degrees by the weekend and some rain next Sunday into Monday so, that may create some new challenges for our accesses on the lake. Stay tuned.

Our last scheduled clients are on March 29th and we have decided to call that our last day for guiding for the Perch Patrol for this season. We have had quite a run as we are approaching 100 consecutive days of guiding clients. It is a tough sell to get our guides to climb back on those ATV's after going through such a busy season. If you are still thinking about a last minute trip we don't have a lot of room but there is a few scattered openings between March 22 - 29th.

It May Be Devils Lake but Really It's Closer to Heaven's Pond!
Wednesday 02-18-2009 11:19am CT

It started as just another Fan Outdoors remote broadcast but turned out to be an indelible memory I can’t wait to make again! The location was to be Devils Lake, North Dakota. I had heard about the lake and of course the Perch Patrol and have actually talked on the phone to Zippy Dahl with fishing reports in past years but had absolutely no idea how unique that experience and the whole Devils Lake area would be in person. Earlier we talked with Sue Johnsrud, Devils Lake Tourism Director setting up the trip details & a guide for a day on the lake. She also asked if we’d like a guide for day 2. Thinking that I’m not a stranger to fishing and with a day being led to fish we’d be fine on our own days 2 & 3. Well, now in hindsight I couldn’t have been more WRONG!

But let’s back up a bit and pick it up as we drove into town for the first time. It was a welcome sight after miles of flatland fields and icy roads left from the rains a couple days before. The local Wall Mart was the visual key to finding the Tourism office. Here we learned a lot about this small town, its’ past, some future activities and about the history attached to the fall and rise of Devils Lake itself. The lake, which was practically dry at one point started out as about 43,000 acres and now 140,000 large and predicted to rise another 5 feet this year. The town and some surrounding areas are protected by a 20’+ dike holding the waters back from the town. Other homes, farms and lands weren’t so lucky. They are now lake bottom ornaments, well fish structure I guess. Wow!

Next stop Woodland Resort to meet Kyle & Karen Blanchfield, the owners. Three foot blower cut snow banks lined the road with single digit temps engulfing us from truck to office door. Welcoming warm smiles from Kyle & Karen, some tackle I’d never seen along with the usual stuff, pictures of lucky anglers holding huge walleyes, pike and giant perch were part of a first impression. We’d made it! Kyle said we’d be fishing with “Zippy” and that he’d be off the lake in a bit. I wondered about the name, kinda funny. He must be just a little high strung guy. We set up the radio stuff and Karen was struggling with a Hallmark computer virus. Steve, my friend and fishing buddy jumped right in to help since he’s an IT guy in real life. Soon the door opened, some anglers had come off the lake. “Limits of walleyes for all” they announced along with a few perch! A really big Kent Hrbek type of guy wearing a big smile in red cold weather bibs followed. Kyle introduced me to Zippy Dahl. A little guy? WRONG again I thought and smiled to myself! The Thursday Fan Outdoors broadcast included John Campbell, President of the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce, Kyle and Zippy. It was just really fun. We laughed and again I learned a lot. (Hear it again at Fan on Demand)

After closing the bar that night with Kyle & Zippy morning came fast. With a great breakfast in the resort restaurant Zippy announced it was “time to head out” at 7. Jeff, with 4 anglers also was to be his wing man that day. A “wing man?” Well soon I’d see in person the importance of a wing man and Saturday I’d be looking for my own.

A short drive later we got to the lake and headed out. It was like a moonscape. Bright snow white surface drifts with highs and lows but rough, like driving across a plowing. A ¾ ton red Chevy Crew Cab with 2 Clam houses, 1 in back and 1 on a rack, rocking and rolling, pitching and jerking with Zippy at the wheel in total command of it all. He said he’d be aiming for the low spots. Wondering again what the… Suddenly we dropped about 2 feet down, into slush and stuck tight. Enter the “Wing Man!” Jeff worked his way around front hooked on a tow strap and backed away. We popped out like a cork. Now I understood the caked ice on the front of Jason Mitchells’ Snow Bear. Jason’s also part of Zippy’s Perch Patrol team. Turns out the low spots are usually solid with the highs hiding water pockets filled by the recent warm weather melt now past and below zero again.

Truck stopped and we were at our first spot. Zippy grabbed his auger and drilled 4 holes. Two each. Electronics, minnow buckets & rods handed out along with some instruction on the electronics, heater fired up and flap zippered shut. We were fishin’! It didn’t take long for me to watch that red line come onto the flasher, come up to my bait and BANG—I missed him! Cursing, back down went the spoon ‘n minnow head. It wasn’t long for another to come by—got him. Bout 2 pounds and in the bucket. Number one of my 5 fish limit. Zippy spent time in the Chevy drivers seat. GPS mounted under the rear view mirror and flasher on the dash to the left of the wheel. Door open, truck idling he fished alongside the truck. Moving and looking for fish constantly. About 40 minutes later he said “time to move!” One of about 15 times that day. Being on the ice every day these guys have got a pretty good idea where and when to pack up.

Just before the sun set below the horizon Zippy, still looking for fish hollered “Billy they’re here!” Two holes punched with Steve & I making one last move to Zip. He said “pound it on the bottom a couple times & bring it up!” Sure enough bang—fish! Zippy too but this one was a trophy. We guessed 11+ pounds. A couple pics later and back into the water squeezing through that 8” hole. A fitting ending to an absolutely wonderful day!

The next day Steve & I headed out on our own. I promptly got stuck but with the help of Aaron McQuoid, another area guide we got free. Another fun day but no fish! So my recommendation to you—fish with Zippy Dahl, his buddy Jeff, Jason Michell or Aaron McQuoid. They keep you on fish and block the “wood ticks” too but that’s another story. With no exception Woodland Resort is 1st Class along with Kyle & Karen and everyone else. The food is fabulous and the town of Devils Lake absolutely charming!

So if you haven’t been to Devils Lake, ND don’t wait another day! It’s fabulous and I can’t wait for a return trip! Rumor has it they’ve got some pretty good waterfowling there too.

At least that’s how I see it! See for yourself

Capt’n

Tis the season to be stuck in a rut...... fishing here in our part of the lake has been challenging this past week. Creel bay and parts of the big lake that we cover has been pretty slow. Anglers are catching some decent walleye and some perch, but fishing in our area has been overall tough. Some places folks are reporting lots of fish on the camera and locators, but not many cooperative fish. The best bite has been in the eastern part of the lake. East bay and Black tiger bay have been really good. Nice walleye and some of the best perch of the year. The good news is last week we had a major warm up and about a 1/2 inch of rain. This shrunk the snow considerably and getting around the ice has improved to the point where anglers can get off the trails and hunt for fish. Cold temps refroze most slush area and trails. We now have about 28 to 30" of good ice.

The clients with the Perch Patrol guide service have enjoyed some amazing walleye and perch fishing.

Typically from here to ice out can be some of the best fishing of the winter season. My guess is we will see a better bite soon. Keep an eye on later February and March. With a little luck we should have a great late ice season.

Welcome tournament anglers to the annual Devils Lake Volunteer Firemen's Ice Fishing Tournament! Tournament date is this Saturday January 31st. All tickets are sold and weather is looking good. Fishing last week was slower and we struggled with our fish houses. Guides and some of our do-it-yourself anglers did well on walleye. The fish gods helped us out on Sunday with one of our best days of the season in our house rentals, and yesterday was also good. Nice walleye and some of the best perch we have seen to date. Looks like we may have turned the corner to better fishing! Our best locations are in Creel bay in deeper water. Rocky Point, Military Point, deep water off the Dome house, and Camp Grafton shoreline produced well over the last few days. My guess with thousands of anglers coming to Devils Lake this weekend we will see more locations fire up with folks working more water. Trails are being plowed and maintained in our bay by our trucks, and the Chamber is working hard with trail bosses to keep good roads in other parts of the lake. Please check with the Chamber at their website (www.devilslakend.com) for trail updates or call us for the latest in trail and fishing info. We still have some excellent dates open this winter. Give us a call at 701-662-5996 and we will assist you in planning your next fishing outing on Devils Lake. Also, It's never too early to plan for this summer!

Winter fishing is in full swing and we've been really busy with ice fishing guests. We had a pretty good week with good catches from last weekend to late week. Walleye and pike fishing was good in our houses. Our guided anglers enjoyed some excellent walleye and pike fishing with the Perch Patrol guide crew. Finding some nice perch in deep water and even some huge white bass in deep Creel bay. We hit a speed bump over the weekend with slower fishing. Anglers were marking lots of fish, but the bite was really tough. Ice conditions continue to improve with 20 to 22 inches of ice. The biggest challenge is snow depths. We are plowing quite a few miles of trails on Creel bay and the Devils Lake Chamber has started the lake access system. Contractors are now plowing the Towers area, Casino area, and 3 locations on East Bay. 4X4 trucks are able to get around in places, but off trail driving is not easy . Please contact us at 701-662-5996 or the DL Chamber at 701-662-4903 or go to their website at www.devilslakend.com for up-to-date ice road info. Slush, or water under the snow, is a problem in a few locations, but not widespread and not a major issue. We have invested in new truck that will allow us to move fish houses anywhere we need to be. This along with our big plow truck and pick up plow trucks will keep us mobile and able to serve our customers. Give is a call if we can help you with a winter fishing trip today at 701-662-5996.

Happy new year to all, here's to a great 2009 with lots of tight lines! Anglers are taking to the ice and finally covering some ice. Walleye anglers are reporting lots of fish, some are too small to keep, and lots are nice eaters with an occasional bragger. Perch fishing is slower with some anglers reporting a few here and a few there. Lots of folks reporting seeing them on the cameras and lot of marks on the fish locators. Pike fishing remains good and spear fishing has been fair to good. A major problem is the relentless changes in weather. We now have over 30" of snow and it seems like we get a new blast every other day. Snow depths vary on the ice and most anglers are getting around to most places yet. We are now plowing and have good roads on Creel bay. Ice conditions are good with most of the places we are drilling having at least 15" of ice. Fishing will improve with a little stable weather. Good luck to all!!

Ice is growing and the fish are biting! Recent cold temps have blessed us with up to 14" of good ice on Creel bay in front of the resort. We now have fish houses on Beer can island, Walford's bay, and in front of the country club. Our anglers caught some beautiful walleye on our walleye houses and the pike anglers are slamming pike in our Pike houses. Spear fishing has been great and water clairity has improved. Not much for perch reports yet, but with recent storms and cold temps anglers have yet to be real mobile. We should be in excellent shape for the holidays. As ice grows we will continue to place our larger fish houses. Bait shop is well stocked and ready to go. Good dates are still open for winter, so give us a call and we will help you plan your next fishing trip.

BRRR!!! She's cold outside! We are making lots of ice and the even better news is the first Alberta Clipper that swept through our area came and went and forgot to dump much snow. The lake currently has patches of snow and ice so this is perfect ice making conditions.

There is not a lot of anglers that have been out with the obvious snow storm that happened over this past weekend but the fishing before this storm produced some very encouraging results. Lots of good reports on all species of fish being caught.

The best perch fishing has been in 24 to 36 feet of water on the old shorelines just outside the trees. There is also some good reports of perch in shallow water in the flooded timber. Minnow heads and maggots tipped on a gold Genz worm or the small forage minnow spoons, and halis are still working very good as well.

Walleye fishing has been very good especially on some flooded points, humps and sunken islands. Rapala Rap Shads, Rattle spoons, and the old Swedish Vingala tipped with a minnow head have been very successful.

Northern Pike have been biting on anything from hot dogs to hearing to frozen smelt. Some of the best bike fishing has been happening on shallow water back bays, shorelines along weed beds, and shallow areas with flooded brush piles.

Winter is here and it's time to celebrate! Our first clients arrive right after Christmas and we have a busy season ahead of us. We still have plenty of room to book your group and we certainly want to invite you to come and fish with us. We'd love to have you! (701) 351-3474

Cold temps are helping us build ice! Devils Lake now has 6 to 10" of good ice and growing. The main lake froze just a few days ago, so be careful near the main bay. Not many anglers testing the waters yet. Good pike traffic over the weekend on Wolford's bay south of the resort. Good pike are being caught and we now have our spear houses on the ice and cut in. Forecast looks good with cold temps, so ice conditions will continue to improve. The Devils Lake area has received some snow, but windy conditions have blown most of the snow off the ice. Still good dates open for lodging and ice fishing packages. Give us a call and we will help you plan your next fishing trip.

Sounds like we have most of the lake now frozen over. Creel was 1/2 open, but now is totally covered. Main bay is also now frozen. Few brave souls are trying Pelican lake and the Minnewaukan Flats. Limited reports so far, but it sounds like anglers are getting walleyes and Northerns. Woodland Resort and the Perch Patrol Guide Service will be heading the St. Paul Ice Fishing Show next week. Show dates are December 5, 6, and 7. If you are in the Cities stop in and say hi. We will be in booth 553 near the Ice Team square. Hope to see you there.

Just wrapped up the guided fall waterfowl season. Special thank you to all of our fall guests that choose Woodland Resort for their fall get away. Overall the season was above average with good bird numbers for most of our guests. Late October and the first 10 days of November was the best with some huge days in the field.

We are now gearing up for Ice Fishing season. Devils Lake is still ice free, but expect total ice over in the next 10 to 15 days. We have completed a new 6 man fish house and are working on getting the rest of the fleet in tip-top shape. Woodland now has 20 fish house for your next ice fishing trip. We are the largest fish house rental company on the lake and look forward to drilling holes soon. Perch Patrol Guide Service is also gearing up for the season. We are now taking reservations for Perch Express packages and Perch Patrol guide day trips.

Fishing trips make great Christmas presents and we can send you custom built gift certificates for the angler on your list. Get your ice gear ready!

Well September is here and fall is near. Or is it here already? It sure feels like it. We have had our share of wind these days. We have had some interesting conditions blow our way. We have had several two to three day spells of 30 plus mph wind days and although we were still able to get out and fish, we were pretty confined to where we could go. But we were still able to preserver and catch our limits of walleyes.

The bite has pretty much remained the same. Still either trolling crank baits or pulling spinners and bottom bouncers in 10 to 25 feet of water. We have also had some success jigging with leeches as well.

We are still catching good numbers of walleyes and the size that we keep are anywhere from 14 to 23 inches.

Now that summer is over, this doesn't mean the awesome fishing we have enjoyed all summer is over by any means. Fall fishing on Devils Lake is usually pretty awesome. While the fish remain fairly deep for now they will eventually go shallow again and we should be back to pitching crank baits again. There are usually several patterns that happen in the fall as the water cools back down. Again this is why fishing with Mitchell's Guide Service can really pay off. It takes a team of guides with good communication and the willingness to share information that becomes really important when it comes to finding these fish and discovering their patterns.

We have lots of room to accommodate your group this fall and we would love to take you and your party fishing!

Thursday - August 14th

Devils Lake fish demand #5 Salmos

How would you like to have a perfect yard ending in a sandy beach complete with lake view and boat slip. Kyle has made Woodland Resort a class act from start to finish. After a hard day on the water you can relax in the (fish cleaning station)? Ya, you heard me right. Air conditioned, clean and perfectly set up for the sportsman. Levi, my son upon leaving the cleaning station on our first day remarked, “Dad, it smells better in there than it does out here.” I think it smells better in the Cove, Woodlands restaurant, again a class act either inside or outside on the deck.

What has a paved flat top in 11-13 feet with rip rap ditches on each side, dropping steeply off into 25 feet? Answer- No adventure to DL is complete without a trip to the “Golden Highway”, that magic road perfectly built for walleye structure. It’s been walleye heaven and underwater since '95. As good as it is, today was not our day for fishing the road.

Every lake has a personality that is identified by likes and dislikes. Devils Lake fish demand #5 Salmos. I also use Reef Runner Rip Shads here almost as effectively as in Sakakawea. The other important trait is wind. Zippy, top dog guide on DL emphasized wind, always fish the wind.

Wind is NW at 10 and the next move put us in 20 feet with leadcore on the south side of Grahams Island. One keeper and several little guys kept us busy until the wind died for the second day in a row. I decided to move back to yesterday’s location in hopes of more wind. Not! In fact it was even calmer if that’s possible. With the sun baking down and zero wind I notice the line of clouds I often see with these conditions. It’s like a front stretching from horizon to horizon holding back the weather.

So, how do you fish flat calm lakes? It starts with attitude. I mentally do not buy into the “fish don’t bite when it’s calm” theory. If you can get that one down the rest is easy because it is just fishing like any other day. Often I do what is counter-intuitive and put on the speed (3mph). I also move up in the water column. My best suspended bites are on flat calm days! Expect to work harder, but expect to be rewarded for the effort.

If there is a pattern here today it is the outside contours where subtle humps hold walleyes. In fact I gave up pulling the straight contours and focused on the short outside turns even though it means lots of turn arounds with 100 plus feet of leadcore.

We fished in 19-20 until things quieted down and then slid out to 23 and later into 25. That’s when it happened. The phone rang. It’s time for the afternoon radio report just as we are reeling in what we hope is not another big northern. I call times like this controlled chaos. Tangled in mic and booster wires while holding the cell phone, I’m trying to talk sense all the while Levi is losing line in yet another northern screaming run. More frantic confusion, (controlled chaos) as the net fastens itself to the rod holder in what appears to be the Perfect Knot. Don’t you love it when it comes your way? There is just no stopping it, no matter the circumstances. For sure over 5 and in the net, Levi’s biggest walleye of the day.

Fish are easy to mark in the deeper water and we did have to sort through the fish to get good keepers. What a price to pay, sorting through fish I mean. Don’t plan a weekend here as it will leave you way short on adventure, a week minimum. This is a kid’s dream come true. Northern, White Bass, Walleye, and Perch, we caught fish nonstop, all day long. Even with the sun baking down and no breeze I had a hard time calling it quits. Expect to work harder, but expect to be rewarded for the effort.

ND Live Wet & Wild
Greg Schoneck
1515 7th ST NW
Minot ND 58703
701-720-0447
www.ndlive.com

To view pictures and listen to audio reports go to: www.ndlive.com

Devils Lake Fishing Report

120 miles to Paradise

This is as good as it gets, living in Minot I mean. Here I am sandwiched between two world class walleye fisheries. Which way do I go?Â West to Sakakawea or East to Devils Lake. This week itâ€�s east as we head out to explore Devils Lake from first class Woodland Resort .

Fist on the agenda is info. You know- the how, when, where stuff, just give me something to get started. If youâ€�re new to fishing Devils Lake let me suggest the fast track to a masters degree on Fishing DL. Steve ( Zippy ) can show you more in a day than can be learned in a summer on your own. My suggestion is always hire a guide on day one of any fishing adventure. You get an education either by paying for it or by experience. I donâ€�t have enough vacation to do it the old fashioned way. Zippy can be booked by calling Woodlands.Â 701-662-5996

With a little over the counter advice from the bait shop we headed out from Woodlands and motored just west of the mouth of 6 mile bay to a mostly sunken island named Doc Hagens. 15 feet looked as good as any so down goes Rip Shads and Jointed 5â€�s on fireline. Just as fast up came first fish of the day brought to you courtesy of Levi. Fish wereÂ easy to mark so we stayed with the program and picked up Northern and 10 more walleyes ranging from 12-14 inches. By now we have released somewhere in the range of 15 walleyes and you can see why . I cant remember the last time I drove over so many fish. The strategy here was to work through the small guys and hope for the best which Levi had no problem with.

With no wind at all conditions are a bit on the tuff side but every time we made the outside corner around this tree we had another fish. If you get here and the tree stump is gone donâ€�t worry you have the right GPS location, itâ€�s just some of these are not attached and they move on sort of like the fish.

Just maybe the bigger fish are deeper. A switch to leadcore at 115 back in 21-23 feet of water certainly helped fill the livewell. It seemed the outside corner as seen on the Navionics map was the subtle secret of the day. In fact as I was taking this shot of the GPS we got our first triple play. Two back for more growing and one for us. Not aÂ bad average!

We stayed with the leadcore for the rest of the afternoon and managed to get a couple of limits of dandy keepers. Rip Shads and RS-4 turned out to be the best cranks even though we tried several others. The word around the lake today was â€�Should have been here yesterday, limited by 10:30.â€ Well, canâ€�t do yesterday, but - God willing, I will do tomorrow. See ya on the water.

ND Live Wet & Wild
Greg Schoneck
1515 7th ST NW
Minot ND 58703
701-720-0447
www.ndlive.com

Do want the good news first or the great news first. We'll give you the "Great" news first. The Great news is that the walleye fishing on Devils Lake absolutely couldn't get any better. We are literally having 70 to 100 fish days on walleyes. Granted we throw back a lot of little ones but we are catching some dandy walleyes as well. Infact limits of them. The only way to get a break and not catch a fish on Devils Lake right now is bait your hook while hiding behind a tree!

Trolling crank baits, pulling spinners with bottom bouncers, pulling lindy rigs, and slip bobbering are all very effective methods right now in anywhere from 10 to 25 feet of water. Windy shorelines are still best but when it is flat calm head for some structure. Flooded points, reefs, humps, and flooded roads are all producing some nice walleyes at times.

Now for the "Good" news...the northern pike are also in these depths. There have been some big northerns cought trolling crank baits. Big enough where we have to put the boat in neutral and reel the other lines in to avoid the potential of a tangled mess.

Summer is still in full swing and the fishing could not get much better. It is not too late to take advantage of some of this awesome fishing, you won't regret it for 1minute. We would love to take you and your party fishing and help you experience a fishing trip of a lifetime on Devils Lake.

It's not too late for some late summer getaways. Woodland Resort has some nice short stay options in our cabins, lodge units, and motel rooms through August into September. Fishing is outstanding, some of the best we have seen this season. Lodging options still available for Labor day. Give us a call at 701-662-5996 for help booking your trip.

The fishing remains "Hot" on Devils Lake! We are still catching an overabundant amount of small walleyes but we do pop the occasional nice one. It is just a matter of sorting through a lot of 10 to 13 inchers until we get our limits of the nice 14 to 20 inchers. These walleyes we are catching are scattered in that 10 to 25 feet of water. Our best presentations lately have been trolling crank baits (namely Salmos) along wind blown shorelines. For the deeper depths of 18 to 25 feet we have been using lead core line to get these No. 5 crank baits down to these depths.

Other methods of fishing these depths would be either pulling spinners with night crawlers or leaches behind bottom bouncers. The slip bobber timber bite is still proving successful as well. Again the fish are deeper in the timber as well. The outside trees along shorelines seem to produce more that the shallow trees. We are finding most of our success in the 10 to 16 foot range. Again we have to weed through a lot of small walleyes to get our nice fish.

The northern fishing still remains hot as well. Pitching crank baits along weed beds or in between the patches of weeds seems to be most successful. We do catch the occasional nice northerns trolling as well just not as many as if we target them in the shallows.

We haven't had any huge catches of white bass to speak of in the last 10 days but I am sure they are still out there and still hungry as ever. We do hit occasional schools of them trolling crank baits but we are generally trying to avoid them to catch more walleyes.

We are enjoying one of best open water fishing seasons ever and it is definitely not too late to come and enjoy the hot bite on Devils Lake. We still have plenty of room to take you and your party fishing and as always we would love to have you!

Walleye Fishing on Devils Lake is unconscious right now. We are experiencing days of 60 to 80 walleyes per day. The problem is keeping the small walleyes off our lines. You can't beat the action but we find ourselves catching and releasing a lot of 12 to 14 inchers before we catch a keeper. We have been doing a lot of trolling crank baits this past week in anywhere from 10 to 25 feet of water.

The slip bobber bite in the flooded timber is still going strong as well but the same seems to be happening there too. A lot of small fish with the occasional nice one. It is common for a guide to go through a pound of leeches in a single day.

The shallow water pitching crank bait bite still exists but the weeds have really grown the past two weeks and it gets frustrating always cleaning the weeds off your hooks. The pike fishing remains strong and we are getting some nice northern pike while trolling crank baits as well.

Sorry no pictures this time. I think all the guides have dropped their cameras in the lake by now. No, I'm kidding, it is just hard to take pictures of 16 to 18 inch fish when everyone has been used to taking pictures of 20 plus inchers most of the year.

The month of July is half over and we have had a great summer of fishing so far, but it is by no means over with. We still have plenty of room to take your group fishing and as always we would love to have you. Don't miss out some of the hottest action of the summer!

* Plenty of midweek openings for the rest of July. If you are looking for a last minute get-away give us a call at 701-662-5996 and we will assist in getting you on the water catching fish.

We are terribly sorry for the delayed report, we have had some web site issues that needed to be resolved. Walleye fishing has been fairly consistent despite the changing weather patterns this week. We have had about every kind of weather this past week from cold and rainy to flat calm to severe thunderstorms to finally warm and sunny. Yes folks summer has finally hit the Lake Region and we couldn't be happier. Water temperatures have heated up and so has the fishing.

The windy days we have had great success pitching crank baits on windy shorelines - same as last weeks report. The calm days we have enjoyed some pretty incredible slip bobber fishing. With the stormy weather the walleyes seemed to go a little deeper on us and we made the adjustment. We had great success slip bobbering structure namely humps and ridges anywhere from 8 to 14 feet deep.

Pike fishing remains hotter than ever. We are still catching most of them by pitching crank baits in shallow water. We had a few days where the water was real clear and you could see the northerns following your crank bait for 30 feet. Pretty cool to see the action of your lure and swimming behind ready to chomp is a 3 to 4 foot long brown log!

White bass fishing is also very good. Again pitching crank baits on windy shorelines and rocky shorelines especially along the highway rip rap is still very productive.

The crank bait bite is on!!! This past week numerous limits of walleye were caught each and every day. June is here and the Mitchell's Guide Service Staff is in full swing. With 6 to 8 guides hitting the waters of Devils Lake each day this past week, there is a lot of fish being both located and caught in numerous places. Most all of the guides have had most success pitching crank baits, namely the Rapala no. 5 shadraps and countdowns, and the no. 4 and 5 Salmo Hornets. The hot colors literally change hour by hour but some of the best colors have been "Hot Steele", chrome and blue, bleeding hot olive, viking purple, Dalmatian, black and silver, fire tiger, Tennessee Shad, etc. We are pitching windblown shorelines in 1to 5 feet of water and we seem to do the best if the water is murky to cloudy in clarity.

The Pike fishing is also as good as can be! The good news is we are catching the northern pike in the same locations we are catching the walleyes and the occasional White Bass isn't out of the question either. These northerns have been ranging in size from 4 to 6 pounds with several reaching the 8 to 10 pound range.

Each and every day the mornings usually start on the slow side and many of us are scrambling from spot to spot but come 10:30 or 11:00 o'clock - hang on! The action picks up considerable and most of our walleyes have been caught in the afternoon. It just takes a little sun to heat up that shallow water a degree or two and the fish really turn it on. Sticking to the plan - It is easy to get tired of casting and want to try a different method, but the ones who have been sticking with it have had it pay big dividends.

It is not too late to take advantage of some of the best shallow water fishing of the year on Devils Lake with Mitchell's Guide Service. We are in full swing right now guiding customers every day but we still have room for you and your buddies. We would love to have you!

To make reservations with Mitchell's please call 701-662-6560, or Woodland at 701-662-5996. Don't forget about our lodging-guided fishing packages available at Woodland with Mitchell's guide service. Check out the "Summer Fishing Packages" button on the left side of this page. (Kyle )

This past week fishing has picked up considerably. Northern pike fishing is out of this world and can be caught in numerous places pitching crank baits. Walleye fishing is still on the slow side but most of our guides and clients have been bringing in limits or close to it but it seems to take all day. The walleyes have been very scattered. As for a pattern -- it's kind of all over the board. We are catching some pitching cranks in the shallows, we are catching some slip bobbering the timber, and lately we have been catching some lindy rigging in 28 to 36 feet of water. The white bass fishing is phenominal right now. We have run into schools of them and once they are located it is literally a catch every cast.

With the warmer weather this past week our water temps have risen dramatically. It is very common to find that 50 to 54 degree water temperature which should start to improve our pitching crank bait bite and our shallow water slip bobber bite as well.

The Mitchell Guide Service Team of Guides have been literally all over the lake this past week and are locating and discovering new fishing opportunities every day. This team-work approach of sharing information has been a key to our success especially when the going gets tough. The fishing on Devils Lake has been getting better every day and now is the perfect time to plan your summer fishing excursion on Devils Lake with Mitchell's Guide Service. We would love to have you!

Wind, Wind, Wind, Wind...... Needless to say fishing has been a struggle with high wind conditions and generally crummy weather. Anglers are doing ok when able to get out. Fish shallow water (10 feet or less) with crankbaits in open shorelines or slip bobbers in shallow flooded timber.

Getting some reports of good white bass fishing at various locations and area bridges. This should really heat up this week if conditions allow. Pike fishing from shore and shallow water boat fishing has been really good.

The sun is shinning! Finally nice warm weather. Just what the doctor ordered! The past 2 weeks crummy weather has made fishing miserable and lack of heat slowed the post spawn recovery. Recently, we have seen some nice fish caught. Beautiful walleye and huge pike are being taken in shallow water with crank baits and slip bobbers. The ticket is to stay shallow and fish late. Best success will be in 5' of water or less and fish the second half of the day. Water warms up later and fishing improves dramatically. Generally the calm side warms up first.

Forecast shows a good 5 days of upper 60' to mid 70's. This will jumpstart the fishing, so be ready. If your boat is still in the shed shore fishing at the mauvais coulee on hwy 19 has been outstanding. remember boat anglers. Stay shallow!

* We still have cabins open for the weeks of June 28-July 5, July 5-12, July 19-25, and a good variety of openings in August. Other week day openings for motel and lodge units also open this summer. Give us a call at 701-662-5996 to reserve your dates today!

Rough weather made fishing difficult to say the least. High winds and cold temps chased off most boat anglers and kept many shore anglers home. The die-hard anglers that did get out had some reports of nice walleye and pike fishing. Congratulations to Travis Mettler, Concrete, ND, with his new lake record walleye he cough on April 28th at Channel A. This monster weighed in at 13lbs, 3oz. GOOD JOB TRAVIS!

Overall my guess is some walleye are in the spawn, some are done, and some still are in the process. Fishing for walleye will be slower until we warm up. Look for good fishing soon in very shallow water. Get your shallow water crank baits ready and your casting arm warmed up!

If you are planning on getting the boat on the water this week I would suggest north Sixmile bay and Pelican lake. These are traditional spring hotspots.

THE LAKE IS OPEN! Recent high winds and decent temps have broke up the ice and we can finally say GAME ON! We are hard at work getting the resort ready for summer and hope to have the docks in soon.

Fishing at area bridges has been good for pike and some walleye. Recent rain and cool temps are keeping some anglers home. Good fishing is still expected for walleye and pike in the next week or two. Spring shore fishing is one of the best times of the year for big fish. Enjoy!

Get your fishing gear ready, it's shore fishing time! Good reports of Pike and some walleye coming in from the bridges and area coulees. Looks like things are just getting started and should improve daily.

Main lake and all bays are still frozen, so it will be a while before boats will be getting wet. I would guess we are looking at a week to 10 days to be ice free. Hopefully earlier.

It's not too late to plan a summer vacation to Woodland. We still have some great open dates yet this summer. At this time we still have cabins open for the weeks of July 5-12, July 19-25, and a good variety in August. Don't forget that we have motel rooms, and lodge units that can be open for a last minute get-away. Woodland Resort also has a great campground with open dates for summer. Give us a call at 701-662-5996.

Calendar says Spring, weather says winter! We are stuck in the middle zone where we are still iced up with crummy ice and only the bridges are open for long poles. Generally by now shore fishing would be really getting started. Many locations are still holding ice and with a very small run-off don't expect much current at the coulees and upper lakes.

Warmer weather in the forecast should kick start us back into spring. Stay tuned....

Spring is in the air! Nice temps have finally arrived and with it a chance to be mobile and enjoy some late season ice fishing. Ice conditions are still very good with over 30� of ice in most places. Mobility is a challenge with heavy snow on the ice. Warmer temps should shrink the snow enough to help travel on the ice. To maximize mobility we are recommending snowmobiles or 4 wheelers. We are still maintaining plowed trails on Creel bay.

Fishing is improving for both perch and walleye. Angers are reporting fair perch action on Six Mile bay and on the main lake near the casino. Walleye are being caught in the timber at various locations. Pike fishing is outstanding on lake Irving near the old bridges.

March can be some of the best fishing of the ice season. If we can keep good stable weather fishing should only improve. All permanent fish houses are required to be removed by midnight March 15 th . Good luck!

Game on! Ice fishing is now in full gear. Lots of ice anglers in Creel bay the last couple of days. Beer can island produced a nice 8.76 lb. walleye yesterday along with other good walleye. Deeper water around the island anglers are finding some nice to smaller walleye and fair perch. North of the resort near Peterson's point anglers are catching nice perch and some huge white bass. 2 anglers weighed a handful of 3 pound plus white bass yesterday. Wolford's bay is still providing some good pike action. Already this morning some of our guests have near limits of good pike and one in the 13lb range.

Ice conditions have improved. Most to the areas we are fishing and have rental houses at has 12" or better of good ice. Wolford's bay has 12 to 15" of ice. Please use extreme caution. Some fishermen are still reporting as little as 8" in places.

Ice fishing is slowly getting underway on Devils Lake. Warmer temps and the snow covering the ice are slowing ice growth. We do have a good ice base of 8 to 11 inches on Creel bay. We are working at getting more fish houses on the ice. We now have 2 spear houses and 6 angling house on the lake. Wolford's bay is producing good pike numbers and good quality fish in the spear houses and by tip-up fishing. North Creel bay produced better perch fishing yesterday with some of the Perch Patrol guides reporting limits of fair to nice perch.

Beer can island has slowed some for walleye. Anglers on Beer can are reporting smaller walleye and some perch. Or biggest challenge now is lack of fishermen and angling reports. This is a busy time of the year for many people. Our schedule is very busy after Christmas, so we should see more activity and better reports. A little more ice will help by allowing anglers to drive vehicles and cover more ice.

We will be closed on December 24, and 25 for the Christmas holidays. Everyone at Woodland Resort wishes you happy holidays and a good fishing New Year!

Ice is getting thicker! As of today we are seeing around 6 1/2 to 7" of ice on Creel Bay and Walford Bay, and growing. New snow of up to 6" could slow down the growth of ice, but forecasts of -10* for lows in the next couple of days should push the ice thicker. We have 2 spear houses out with good visibility to 6 feet of water. We also have one angling house on Beer Can Island. The only fishing report we have is good walleyes on Beer Can. Time to get the gear ready!

The main lake and most of the larger bays are still open. West bay and East bay are frozen. Good forecast should freeze the rest of the lake by the end of the week.

Devils Lake Fishing Report Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report The walleye bite has remained good throughout the week. The traditional midsummer patterns are kicked into high gear. Most fish seem to be coming by either trolling leadcore, slip bobbering or using bottom bouncers and spinners. Good lures have been Salmo Hornets, Jointed Shad Raps, Wally Divers and Salmo Jointed Friskys. Good colors seem to be white, perch and chartrues. Bait seems to be leeches but some anglers are catching fish with crawlers. Good areas have been the Gap, Dead Cow Bay, south end of Black Tiger Bay, Howard Farm, Golden Highway, Haleys Hump, Cactus Point, Five Crows, Camp Grafton Shoreline, Fort Totten Point and Patience Point. Depthes seem to range between 9 and 22 feet. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Friday, July 20, 2007 at 13:36:26 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains steady with most of the traditional summer patterns working. Slip bobbers, trolling crankbaits, bottom bouncers and spinners, Lindy Rigs seem to be producing the most fish. Productive depths seem to range from 9 to 22 feet but most days, we are catching most of our fish between 10 and 13 feet. Good colors have been chartreuse, white, perch patterns and gold. Leeches and crawlers have been working. Best lures have been Salmo Hornets, Jointed Shad Raps and Wally Divers. Also, most of the fish are coming off of breaks or the sides of structure. We are not finding as many fish on top. Might be coincidence but what has been working for us. Good areas have been most of the humps and points on the Minnewaukan Flats, Howard Farm, Winchester Island, Grahams Island, Hwy 281, The Yri Farm, Golden Highway, South end of Black Tiger, Haybale Bay, Stromme Addition. Both pike and whitebass have been getting caught shallow along windblown shorelines along rip rap or weedbeds. Good Luck, Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Monday, July 16, 2007 at 16:57:40 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing success has improved through this past week. Many patterns are producing fish right now. Anglers are still catching fish pitching crankbaits into shallow weedbeds. Anglers are also catching a lot of fish pulling bottom bouncers and spinners or slip bobbering in 7 to 12 feet of water. The trolling bite has really taken off as of late with anglers trolling cranks anywhere from 8 to 22 feet of water. Hot cranks have been Salmo Hornets and Jointed Shad Raps. The best bait seems to be leeches or crawlers. Good colors have been anything with gold or chartruese. Good areas have been the Stromme Addition, the Gap, Golden Highway, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, Hwy 281, the Lagoon, Cactus Point, Knutson Bay, Foughty's Point and Haybale Bay. Pike are getting caught in most of the bays along weedbeds with most lures. White bass are still coming really shallow in some of the bays like Penny and Skadsens Bay. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Thursday, July 05, 2007 at 09:05:24 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has been pretty solid with many different patterns happening right now. Early and late in the day or when there is wind, anglers are catching fish pitching crankbaits into windblown shorelines. Bottom bouncers with spinners and leechs or slip bobbers with leeches have been working well especially when the lake goes flat. The trolling bite is also starting to take off as well in six to twelve feet of water. Good lures have been Hornets, Shad Raps, Jointed Shad Raps and Wally Divers. Good colors have been perch, fire tiger, chartruese but silver has been hot when the water has gotten really clear. Good areas have been Penny Bay, the Gap, Oswalds, Mauvais Coulee, Pelican Lake, Blue Bill Point, the Golden Highway, the north side of Grahams Island and the Howard Farm. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Thursday, June 21, 2007 at 18:37:44 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has been pretty steady this past week with the exception of a few times when the lake was real flat and the sand flies hatched. Many fish have been showing up on the Golden Highway, north shore of the Minnewauken Flats, the Gap, north shore of Grahams Island, Howard Farm, Knutsons, Penny Bay, Stromme Addition and Doc Hagens. Almost everything is working right now. Anglers are catching a lot of fish casting cranks against the shore whenever there is wind. Good cranks have been Salmo Hornets, Shad Raps and Countdowns. Chartrues or perch seem to be really good colors right now. Bottom bouncers and spinners and slip bobbers with leeches have also been working well in deeper water. We have been finding fish in several depths and types of locations and everything seems to be working well. Pike and white bass are getting caught in almost all of the bays in extremely shallow water with crankbaits. Good luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Thursday, June 14, 2007 at 07:02:39 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has slowly improved but the weather continues to be tough. Water is still extremely clear by Devils Lake standards with the best fishing often right at or before dark. Anglers are still finding most fish shallow. Pitching jigs, cranks and dragging lindy rigs have been catching fish. Good areas have been Patience Point, Holly Bay, Pelican Lake, Knutsons Bay, Penny Bay, Skadsens Bay and Dog Bay. Pike fishing has been really crazy in just about any bay for anglers casting just about any lure. White bass are also coming on strong along rip rap areas, the north end of Channel A and most of the shallow bays. Anglers are casting small crankbaits or jigs to catch white bass. Hopefully the weather will straighten out soon. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-5996.
mitchell
- Thursday, May 31, 2007 at 10:08:09 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Fishing has picked up this past week for everything. Good catches of perch have come from East Devils Lake by Jeruseulam, the Towers, in front of the Casino all the way to the corner of Hwy 57 and Camp Grafton and Military Point. Anglers are having to move around to find them. Best presentation still seems to be a small minnow with a plain hook next to the bottom. Anglers are also catching fish with Halis and other small spoons with a dropper. Perch are coming deep with most of the fish getting caught between 35 and 45 feet of water. Walleye bite remains strong with the bigger fish coming out of less than ten feet of water along shorelines during low light conditions. More numerous smaller fish seem to be on top of the deeper rock piles. Good areas have been Haybale Bay, Camp Grafton Shoreline, Old Mill, Cactus Point, Concrete Bay and Swansons Point. Rattle Spoons tipped with a minnow head seem to be working the best. The pike bite has been torrid with Churches Ferry producing action for smaller 2 to 6 pound fish while the Main Lake has been producing big fish up to 20 pounds near Old Mill, Doc Hagens, Cactus Point and Bud Bay. Good luck to all anglers and participants of the Volunteer Firemens Fishing Derby. We still have a few Sleeper Houses open for this upcoming weekend. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Perch Patrol, 701-351-3474. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at 14:19:16 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Ice conditions are excellent and travel around the lake is fairly good however the west end (Minnewaukan Flats) has more snow. Stay away from the pressure ridges and bridges however. Fishing has continued to pick up throughout the week. Some really good perch catches have come from the Towers area, Swansons Point, the Camp Grafton Shoreline between Military Point and the Hwy 57 and Black Tiger Bay. The perch seem to be running a range of depthes with some fish still getting caught in less than twenty feet but most of the fish seem to be holding between 33 and 38 feet. From what we have seen ,the fish seem to be preferring minnows but there are periods in the day where they open up on spoons, halis, genz worms etc. A dead rod with a plain minnow has been the most productive. Walleye fishing has been good but different from past years in the sense that deep rocks, sunken humps haven't been as good as shoreline and points. fish have been coming between 9 and 22 feet of water in the mornings and evenings. Good areas have been the mouth of Six Mile, Cactus Point, Acorn Ridge, Swansons Point, Concrete Bay and the Towers. Either deadsticking a minnow or a small jig with just a minnow head has been the top producer for me this past week but a rattle spoon has worked best for getting the fish to come in. Many times I have had to switch however. Pike continue to bite well in Six Mile Bay, Creel Bay, Old Mill and Churches Ferry. Most of the fish are getting caught on Tip Ups with frozen herring in less than ten feet of water along shorelines. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-1890. Perch Patrol, 701-351-3474.
mitchell
- Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 11:10:47 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Fishing success has been up and down. One day they bite real well, the next day being tough. Some perch are being caught off Military Point, Cactus Point, Swansons Point, Towers and in front of the Dome House. Anglers are finding perch anywhere from 18 to 36 feet. Anglers have been using small spoons like Frostees or Halis with either wax worms or minnow heads. Anglers have been finding walleyes off Cactus Point, Swansons Point, Concrete Bay, North End of Six Mile Bay, Stromme Addition and Wolfords Bay. Anglers are finding walleye in both timber and over rocks. Mornings and evening being best with most of the action occuring between 14 to 37 feet. Anglers have been using spoons like Rattlers, Buck Shots and Swedish Pimples or Kastmasters tipped with a minnow head. Pike continue to pite on the north end of Six Mile Bay and Churches Ferry. Anglers are generally fishing shallow along the shore with tip ups and herring. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-1890, Perch Patrol, 701-351-3474.
mitchell
- Thursday, January 18, 2007 at 11:08:10 (CST)

Perch Patrol/ Woodland Resort Fishing Report More and more anglers are driving on the ice. We have been finding anywhere from 10 to 16 inches. There is little snow on the ice so getting around has been extremely easy. Walleye fishing has been fairly good so far in the mornings and evenings. Depths have ranged between 12 and 24 feet. Good areas have been Doc Hagens, Rocky Point, Military Point, Stromme Addition, Cactus Point, Old Mill and Bud Bay. Anglers have been using Chubby Darters, Jigging Raps, Frostee Jigging Spoons and Lindy Rattlers tipped with a minnow head. There have been a few really good perch catches this past week on Rocky Point, along the old shoreline on the west side of Creel Bay, the Towers and out in front of the Dome House. Anglers have been finding perch in 22 to 34 feet of water. Small jigs like Genz Worms, Fat Boys and Halis have been working well. Pike fishing has slowed some in Wolfords Bay but there are still fishing getting caught in the North End of Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay and Irvine. Most of the pike are coming in less than ten feet on herring or smelt below tip ups. Good luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-1890. Perch Patrol Guide Service, 701-351-3474.
mitchell
- Friday, December 29, 2006 at 13:55:32 (CST)

Ice continues to grow and angers are out testing the bite. Anglers are reporting 12-14 inches of good ice, with even thicker ice in back bays. Some brave souls are driving vehicles but please use caution and test ice before driving. Pike spearing and angling has been very good with some pike going as large as 18 lbs. Most spear fisherman are reporting good water clarity. Walleye fishing in Creel bay at Rocky point, Beer can Island, and in front of the Retreat center has been good. Some decent perch are showing up, but not in large numbers.

Overall fishing activity at this point has been small. We should have better reports as more folks get out and test other areas of the lake.

We now have 3 spear houses and 4 angling houses on the ice and ready to rent. Give us a call to book your day on the ice.

Early ice can be some of the best fishing of the season so get out and have fun!

PS: Just started building our new 12X24 super sized fish house. This fortress will accommodate 10 anglers with lots of room to spare! Photos and rates will be posted soon.

Just getting ice! Most of Creel bay is now froze. Sixmile bay, West bay, Pelican Lake, and most of East bay are iced over. Forcast looks good for cold weather this week, so we should be 100% ice covered in the next day or two. Get ready!

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Fishing success for walleye has dropped way off this past week and become much more hit and miss. The pattern is there is no pattern. Some fish are coming shallow, some are coming deep. Finding a spot where you can pull more than a half dozen fish has become more difficult. We have seen the best luck trolling cranks on lead core or pitching windblown shorelines and covering ground. The weather has also been lousy but hopefully, the weather will straighten out as we have some good fall fishing ahead of us. Some areas where we have been finding some fish include: Five Crows, Cactus Point, Golden Highway, north shore of Grahams Island, Doc Hagens and Foughtys Point. Some pike are getting caught by anglers pitching the weedbeds and white bass are showing up shallow in the back bays and around the bridges. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 07:16:33 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report The Walleye bite remains fair to good most days but finding the larger fish has become tougher. Most of the fish coming in have ranged between 13 to 19 inches, nice size for eating. As a general rule of thumb, most of the action seems to taking place between 4 and 13 feet. Anglers have been mostly trolling or using bottom bouncers and spinners or Lindy Rigs with crawlers. For trolling, we have noticed a switch to the bigger baits running right behind the boat, #6 Hornets, #7 Jointed Shad Raps, #6 Salmo Bullheads and Little Rippers have been working well. Good areas have been the Golden Highway, Howard Farm, Knutsons Bay, Acorn Ridge, Bud Bay, North Side of Grahams Island, Mauvais Flats and the Bridges have also picked up a little at 57, 20 and 19. Pike have been getting caught by anglers trolling crankbaits, especially in some of the back bays where there are still green weeds. White bass are also showing up shallow and a few perch have been getting caught this summer accidently by walleye anglers. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Saturday, September 09, 2006 at 08:09:49 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye bite remains good but the bite hasn't been quite as torrid as a month ago. Lots of 14 to 18 inch fish being caught with a variety of presentations. Anglers are finding fish in all depthes from 7 to 30 feet of water. Anglers are still trolling Hornets and Jointed Shad Raps, slip bobbering timber with crawlers and leeches and or bottom bouncers and spinners or lindy rigs with either crawlers or leeches. Good areas have been Doc Hagens, Golden Highway, the Camp Grafton Shoreline, Cactus Point, Five Crows, Bud Bay and Acorn Ridge. Good luck and enjoy the rest of summer. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Thursday, August 17, 2006 at 09:09:08 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report The Walleye Bite continues to remain strong. So much for the mid summer doldrums. Anglers are experiencing great fishing on the big lake despite the heat. Anglers are trolling Hornets and Jointed Shad Raps in the 10 to 14 foot range and some nice fish are also getting some nice fish deeper (20 to 25 feet) pulling bigger baits like Reef Runners and Bullheads. Anglers are also catching fish Lindy Rigging deeper rock piles, points and other structure or pulling bouncers and spinners. Both leeches and crawlers have been working well. Good areas have been Bud Bay, Golden Hwy., Mission Bay, Stromme Addition, Cactus Point, Fort Totten Point, Bird Is., the Gap, Haybale Bay and in front of East Bay Campground. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Monday, July 31, 2006 at 18:31:01 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Most anglers are still reporting a strong walleye bite. The trolling bite has really kicked into high gear with Hornets being the hot bait. Some fish are also getting caught on Jointed Shad Raps and Wally Divers. Anglers are trolling in 8 to 12 feet of water. Bottom bouncers and spinners hooked with either a leech or crawler have been working well also. Anglers are still slip bobbering in the timber and catching fish as well. There have been days where crawlers have been working better than leeches and vice versa. Good areas have been the Golden Highway, Gap, Monkeys Ridge, Holly Bay, the Towers, Stromme Addition, Rip Rap along hwy 20 and 57, Haybale Bay and Skadsens Bay. Good colors seem to be anything with white, gold or chartruese. Pike have been getting caught all over the lake, especially by anglers trolling or casting crankbaits with more pike getting caught in the Flats and Pelican Lake. White bass have been biting up shallow by casting crankbaits along rip rap or weed beds in East Bay and East Devils Lake. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Friday, July 21, 2006 at 07:19:05 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing continues to to be good to excellent for 14 to 19 inch fish but larger fish have become more difficult to find. Anglers are catching a lot of fish by trolling right now. Anglers are trolling Hornets, Shad Raps and Wally Divers down flooded road beds and along rip rap. Slip bobbering in the trees has also been effective as is bottom bouncers and spinners along weed edges. Most of the fish are being caught in 7 to 14 feet. Good areas have been Holly Bay, Golden Highway, Howard Farm, Monkeys Ridge, New Mill Bay, Bud Bay, Hwy 20, Stromme Addition and Haybale Bay. Pike have been getting caught all over the lake and are showing up in the weed beds and on the road beds. White Bass still seem to be shallow and anglers are catching white bass close to shore with small crankbaits or spinners. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Friday, July 07, 2006 at 16:06:32 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains hot. Anglers are catching a lot of fish pulling roadbeds and rip rap areas with Salmo Hornets and Wally Divers. Slip bobbers in the trees with leeches and or bottom bouncers and spinners have also been working well. Depthes seem to be between 4 and 20 feet of water depending on the spot. Good areas have been Old Mill Bay, Cactus Point, Bud Bay, Howard Farm, Patience Point, Golden Highway, Monkeys Ridge and the Stromme Addition. Pike and white bass have been getting caught shallow with crankbaits along wind blown shorelines and are mixed in with walleyes in some spots. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Wednesday, June 28, 2006 at 12:37:19 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Fishing success has been up and down with strong winds dropping water temps and making getting around difficult. There are some fish still shallow that anglers are catching by casting Hornets and Shad Raps but most of the fish seem to be getting caught between 7 and 24 feet of water. Slip bobbering in the trees has been working well and the trolling bite has really taken off with anglers trolling Hornets and Shad Raps. Anglers are also using bottom bouncers and spinners. Leeches have been the bait most anglers have been using. Good areas have been the Golden Highway, Howard Farm, Monkeys Ridge, Stromme Addition, Foughties Point, Penny Bay, New Mill Bay, Cactus Point, Fort Totten Point. Pike and white bass have been biting in most of the bays by anglers casting crankbaits into shallow water. Good luck fishing. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Wednesday, June 14, 2006 at 11:53:51 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains hot. Almost all presentations are working right now all over the lake. Anglers are still catching fish pitching Hornets, 8F Perch, Countdowns and Shad Raps up shallow around weeds. Anglers are also trolling Hornets and Shad Raps in 7 to 12 feet of water. Anglers are also slip bobbering the timber in 6 to 12 feet or using bottom bouncers and spinners if the bottom is clean enough. The water has cleared up in some places and the fish have slid a little deeper some days with little wind. Good areas have been the Howard Farm, Gap, Monkeys Ridge, New Mill, Knudsons, Mission Bay, Penny Bay, Haybale Bay, Skadsens Bay and the south end of Black Tiger Bay. White Bass have been showing up in almost all of the bays around weeds and are usually right up next to shore. Anglers are catching bass pitching cranks. Pike are showing up all over and are getting caught in almost all of the bays where ever the weeds are coming up. The further west you go, the more pike you seem to find. Good Luck fishing. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Thursday, June 08, 2006 at 08:12:52 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has been fantastic. Several tactics and areas are producing a lot of fish. Anglers are pitching wind blow shorelines with Hornets, Shad Raps, Countdowns and Salmo Perch. Anglers are also sliding out into 6 to 10 feet of water and catching fish with slip bobbers and leeches or dragging Lindy Rigs. Other anglers are also starting to troll in 7 to 10 feet of water with Hornets and Shad Raps. Good areas have been north end of Six Mile, New Mill, Knudsons, Penny, Pelican, Minnewaukan Flats and Skadsens. White bass are showing up shallow in almost all of the bays. Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay and Penny Bay have been producing bass to anglers pitching crankbaits shallow. Pike have been biting well in Pelican Lake and the Flats with crankbaits anywhere there are weeds. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Mitchell's Guide Service, 701-662-6560.
mitchell
- Tuesday, May 30, 2006 at 17:26:54 (CDT)

Woodland Resort & Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Strong winds have made fishing some parts of the lake challenging some days but the walleye bite remains steady. Leeches on slip bobbers or Lindy Rigs have been productive most of the day, especially mornings with many fish getting caugth in 4 to 8 feet of water or around the bridges. After the water warms up in the afternoon or early evening, crankbaits have been working well. Good cranks have been #5 Shad Raps, Countdowns, #4 Hornets and #8F Salmo Perch or jigs with Powerbait. Good areas have been Pelican Lake, Six Mile Bay, Mission Bay and the Minnewaukan Flats. Pike are getting caught all over the lake, especially in Pelican throwing cranks. White bass are starting to school up along the rip rap all over the lake and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Good Luck Woodland Resort 701-662-5996, Mitchell's Guide Service 701-662-6650
mitchell
- Sunday, May 21, 2006 at 09:34:16 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has really picked up this past weekend with many fish getting caught. Some fish are getting caught on crankbaits like #5 Shad Raps, #5 Countdowns, Salmo 8F Perch and #4 Hornets or jigs with Powerbait pitched shallow especially in the afternoon and early evening. Most of the day, especially in the morning, fish have been coming by live baiting with Lindy Rigs or Slip bobbers in 4 to 8 feet of water. Good areas have been Pelican Lake, Mission Bay, north end of Six Mile Bay, north end of Creel Bay, back side of Grahams Island, north shore of Minnewauken Flats and Howard Bay. Pike and white bass have been biting well for anglers pitching crank baits. Good luck and enjoy the good fishing.
mitchell
- Tuesday, May 09, 2006 at 07:59:26 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Compared to some past springs where there was little run off entering the lake, this spring has been better with many fish getting caught, both walleye and pike. Most of the pike have already spawned and much of the walleye spawn is over or happening right now. Success is hinged on working around the spawn in the sense that anglers can go further north and find fish that have spawned out sooner and catch males and find fish that are in different stages of spawning or recovering. The males are much more forgiving. Good areas have been the Mauvais Coulee area all the way up north of Maza, Channel A and there are lots of running ditches north of Dry Lake that anglers are catching both pike and walleye. Boat anglers are catching some fish around the bridges on Hwy 19 and in Mission Bay but shore fisherman are still catching the most fish. Now is the time to go out and get your family out fishing especially if you don't have access to a boat. An early spring with warm temperatures could really turn the fish on in early May. May is usually always good but May of 2000 was phenominal because the weather held for so long and we also had a good year class that year. Lets hope the weather holds steady for good fishing and good reproduction. Good luck.
mitchell
- Monday, April 24, 2006 at 15:02:05 (CDT)

Ice conditions are deteriorating fast. We quit driving on the lake this weekend and most anglers are now using ATV's or walking. Bridges and current areas are starting to open up pretty good. Walleye fishing has been steady. The mouth of Knutsons, Cactus Point, Doc Hagens, Grahams Island, Mauvais Coulee and the North End of Six Mile have been producing fish. Mornings and evenings have been best. Anglers have been using Chubby Darters, Jigging Raps, Rattlers, Frostee Jigging Spoons or a plain jig tipped with a minnow. Anglers are finding walleye from 24 to 7 feet of water. Pike have been hot. The north end of Six Mile, Bud, Wolfords, Pelican Lake and Irvin have been good for pike with most of the fish coming shallow with tip ups and herring. Many fish are also getting caught by jigging Chubby Darters or plastics. Perch and a few crappie have been caught in the north end of Six Mile. Most of the panfish seem to be holding in more than 20 feet of water. Small spoons or a small minnow hooked plain below a float seem to be working as well as anything. Good Luck.
mitchell
- Tuesday, April 04, 2006 at 11:15:13 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Ice conditions remain good and slush and water conditions/ accesses are getting better with the cold weather. Anglers are still accessing the ice with vehicles and there is a lot ice. Walleye fishing has been up and down with some good catches coming out of Mission Bay, North End of Six Mile Bay, Doc Hagens, Knutsons Bay, Fort Totten, Mauvais Coulee. Mornings and evenings have been best with the best bite happening in 7 to 14 feet of water. Anglers have been using Chubby Darters, Jigging Raps, Lindy Rattlers and other spoons tipped with a minnow head. Perch remain slow with a few fish getting caught in the North End of Six Mile Bay and Mauvais Coulee and there are a lot of fish stacked out from the Casino and Swansons Point in 40 to 44 feet of water. The fish in Six Mile and Mauvais aren't as numerous but have been running shallower and biting better while the fish out deep on the Main Lake are stacked on top of each other and are really tough to get to bite. Pike continue to bite well at Churches Ferry and the North End of Six Mile. Anglers are using tip ups along the shorelines with frozen smelt or herring. Good Luck
mitchell
- Thursday, March 16, 2006 at 17:44:35 (CST)

Ice conditions remain good but heavy snow is hampering mobility on the ice. Plow trucks have plowed in the north end of Six Mile, Creel Bay down to Rocky Point and west to the Towers and south to Cactus Point. We have also done some plowing on Lake Irvin north of Churches Ferry. Many anglers are getting their permanent houses off the lake. Walleye fishing has been up and down. Some good catches have come off the Cactus Point, Bird Island and Fort Totten Area and there have been a few fish coming out of Mission Bay. Anglers are still finding most of the fish deep, 25 to 35 feet and mid morning or mid evening have been best. Perch fishing remains slow with a few fish getting caught incidently by walleye anglers around the Fort Totten Area. A few perch and a few crappie are getting caught in the north end of Six Mile Bay. Pike fishing remains strong in the north end of Six Mile and Churches Ferry. Anglers are fishing shallow with tip ups right along shore.
mitchell
- Friday, March 03, 2006 at 16:06:44 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye fishing seems to have dropped off over this past weekend and overall, we have seen the toughest bite we have had all year. The tough fishing seemed to have coincided with the cold snap. We are finding most of the fish that we are finding in 20 to 25 feet of water with mornings and evenings being the best. Some fish are also coming shallower at times. During the day, some walleye are being caught as deep as 40 feet. A dead rod with crappie minnow or a small jigging spoon with pinched off minnow seems to be working best. For the most part, we can pull them in by jigging and catch them on the dead rod. No place has been really good from what we have seen but some fish are coming out of Budweiser, Doc Hagens, Six Mile in front of the trailers, Old Mill, Cactus, Fort Totten, Rocky, Military, Foughtys Point, Stromme Addition and the north end of Six Mile. I would imagine that the fishing should snap back once the weather settles down. Perch have also gotten tough the past week. We are marking fish deep but the fish that bite seem to be a bit shallower, about thirty feet. The towers area still seems to be where most of the perch are getting caught but a few perch are traveling with the walleye as well. Pike fishing even actually seemed to slow down for a day or two right before the weekend but the pike are bouncing back and biting now. Irvine and the north end of Six Mile have been the best and anglers are still finding fish shallow, less than six feet. Anglers are using tip ups with smelt or herring. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Perch Patrol Guide Service, 701-351-3474. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Wednesday, February 08, 2006 at 14:59:27 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye fishing has picked up this week. Anglers are still finding some fish shallow in less than 12 feet in the mornings and evenings but most of the fish seem just a bit deeper, all the way down to 24 feet during the prime morning and evening hours. Anglers are using Jigging Raps, Chubby Darters, Rattler Spoons, Frostee Jigging Spoons, Buckshots and Kastmasters tipped with a minnow head. Jigging has been working the best. Good areas have been Budweiser, Doc Hagens, Old Mill, Cactus Point, Fort Totten, Foughtys Point, Stromme Addition, The Gap, Monkeys Ridge and the flooded timber around Grahams Island. Perch have still been slow with most of the fish coming while targeting walleyes in shallower water. Some perch are being found in front of Bud Bay, the Mouth of Six Mile and The south end of East Devils Lake. Pike have been good with Irvine, Morrison, Wolfords, North End of Creel Bay and Six Mile Bay producing. Fish are still coming shallow next to shore in less than 6 feet. Tip ups with herring or smelt have been working best. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996, Perch Patrol Guide Service, 701-351-3474, Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-3474.
mitchell
- Sunday, January 29, 2006 at 09:50:38 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye fishing seems to have slowed down over the weekend. Anglers are finding fish a bit deeper with mornings and evenings producing most of the fish. Depthes seem to range from 14 to 24 feet. Better areas have been Doc Hagens, Bud Bay, the Towers, Old Mill, Fort Totten, Hwy 20 Bridge, Mission Bay and Cactus Point. Small spoons with minnows or minnow heads seem to be working best. Jigging Frostee Spoons, Kastmasters, Jigging Raps and Lindy Rattlers have all been catching fish. Good colors have been Chartruese and Glow. Perch fishing remains slow with a few fish coming from Old Mill, the Towers, East Devils Lake and Doc Hagens. The walleye fishermen have been catching as many perch as anybody in less than twenty feet of water during the morning and evening. Pike fishing remains good in Six Mile, Wolfords, Irvine and Morrison. Tip ups with herring or smelt in shallow water have been catching pike. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Perch Patrol Guide Service, 701-351-3474. Mitchell's Sleeper House Rentals, 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Monday, January 23, 2006 at 18:34:28 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye fishing has been good over the weekend with the best bite being in the evening and morning in 8 to 12 feet of water in the flooded timber or 14 to 24 feet on rock piles, humps and points. Good areas have been Fort Totten, Cactus Point, Old Mill, Bud Bay, Hwy 20 Bridge, Rocky Point, Military Point and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Anglers have been using Chubby Darters, Jigging Raps, Lindy Rattlers, Buckshots tipped with minnow heads. Pike fishing remains good in Lake Irvine, Morrison and Sweetwater Lakes and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Anglers are using tipups with herring or smelt. Perch remain slow with a few fish coming around the towers and getting caught incidently by anglers targeting walleye. Ice Team Trap Attack was held out of Woodland Resort on Sunday and many walleye were brought to the scale. The contestants were only allowed to fish Creel Bay. 54 teams competed with top 15 teams qualifying for National Championship. Posted are the top 15 teams. 1st Kevin Schick, Steve Webb 15.82 lbs 2nd Monte Kerzman, Ron Manson 15.30 lbs 3rd Dennis Kassube, Chris Kassube 15.13 lbs 4th Pete Venturi, Glen Delorme JR. 13.54 lbs 5th Nicole Linkfield, Jeremy Ballard 12.05 lbs 6th Phil Davis, Scott Phipps 11.62 lbs 7th Scott Neubert, David Nuebert 11.56 lbs 8th Jason Mitchell, Tory Holen 11.50 lbs 9th Mark Slotto, Merle Rainsberry 10.85 lbs 10th Mike Zimmerman, Keith Kuebelbeck 10.29 lbs 11th Robert Cunningham, Roy Cox 10.20 lbs 12th Thomas Hodous, James Rusten 9.06 lbs 13th Ray Legatt, Joe Honer 8.74 lbs 14th Brenton Hell, Matt Hell 7.48 lbs 15th Jake Baker, Grete Baker 7.44 lbs `
mitchell
- Monday, January 16, 2006 at 11:52:33 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye fishing seems to have slowed down this past weekend. Anglers are finding fish in the mornings and evenings in 12 to 24 feet of water. Good areas have been Fort Totten, Highway 20, the Gravel Pit in Mission Bay, Bud Bay, Doc Hagens, the Dome House, Cactus Point, Old Mill, Foughtys Point and Swansons Point. Good lures have been Rattler Spoons, Buckshots, Jigging Raps, Chubby Darters and Frostee Jigging Spoons. Pike fishing has been good at Churches Ferry, Morrison, Sweetwater, Six Mile Bay and Wolfords Bay. Tip ups with herring or smelt in shallow water have been working best. Perch fishing has been slow. A few fish have been getting caught around the Towers. Walleye anglers have been catching a few perch up shallow mixed in with walleyes. Good Luck
mitchell
- Thursday, January 12, 2006 at 13:11:44 (CST)

Ice Team Trap Attack Coming to Devils Lake $25,000.00 Purse/ NAIFC Qualifier More Info can be found at www.iceteam.com Lake: Devils Lake ∙ Devils Lake, ND Launch Site: Woodland Resort Species: Walleye Headquarters: Woodland Resort 1012 Woodland Drive Devils Lake, North Dakota 58301 (701) 662-5996 www.woodlandresort.com Lodging: Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Office Highway 2 East ∙ PO Box 879 Devils Lake, ND 58301 1-800-233-8048 www.devilslakend.com
mitchell
- Friday, January 06, 2006 at 07:30:15 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains steady with many fish getting caught around the mouth of Creel Bay, the Towers, Fort Totten, Doc Hagens, North End of Six Mile, Bud Bay and Zeibachs. Anglers are finding fish on rocks deeper during the day (18 - 24 feet) and 8 to 14 feet in the evening on top of the points and sand flasts. The edges of flooded timber have been producing fish as well. Anglers have been using Chubby Darters, Frostee Jigging Spoons, Buckshots, Lindy Rattlers, Kastmasters and other spoons tipped with a minnow head. Glow and gold colors have been working well. Perch remains slow with a few perch getting caught out from the Towers, Dome House, mouth of Creel and Six Mile. Fish seemed scattered depthwise and aren't schooled up from what we have seen. Pike fishing remains good in Creel Bay, Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay, Morrison, Sweetwater and Churches Ferry. Water clarity has been poor for spearing. Most fish getting caught shallow with tip ups and herring or smelt. Good Luck
mitchell
- Thursday, January 05, 2006 at 07:07:27 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Ice conditions remain between 9 and 13 inches. A few people are driving but we do not recommend driving just yet. Most anglers are walking or using ATV's after this latest warm snap. Anglers are reporting some good walleye fishing, excellent Northern Pike fishing and slow perch fishing. Walleyes are being caught in the morning and evening anywhere from 24 to 8 feet of water. Good areas include Mission Bay, Fort Totten, Rocky Point, Wolfords Bay, Stromme Addition and Zeibachs Pass. Good lures have been Chubby Darters, Rattler Spoons, Frostee Spoons tipped with minnow heads. Good colors have been perch, yellow, gold and white. Pike fishing remains good in Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay, Morrison and Sweetwater Lakes. Pike are coming shallow with most of the fish getting caught on tip ups. Visibility remains reduced because of cloudy water and pike spearing has not been as productive yet. Perch have been quiet. Anglers are just starting to fish some of the big water. There have been a few good reports from East Devils Lake and there have been some perch getting caught in Creel Bay in front of the Retreat Center. Good Luck Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Perch Patrol Guide Service, 701-351-3474. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses, 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Monday, December 26, 2005 at 13:05:50 (CST)

Most of the lake seems to have nearly a foot of ice but not many folks are driving vehicles yet. Anglers are still encouraged to walk or use ATV's. Perch fishing has been slow with a few fish getting caught off Rocky and Military Point and out from the Towers. Walleye and pike fishing is reported as fair to good. Walleyes have been biting in front of the Dome House, Rocky Point, Wolfords Bay, Swansons Point and Haybale Bay. Most of the walleye are getting caught in the morning and evening in less than 20 feet of water. Anglers are using Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Lindy Rattlers, Walleye Flyers and Chubby Darters. Pike fishing has been good in Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay, Morrison Lake and Sweetwater Lake. Pike Spearers have reported better water clarity and good success. Good Luck.
mitchell
- Sunday, December 18, 2005 at 16:58:25 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Devils Lake has ice. Creel Bay currently has a solid six inches, some of the back bays have up to nine inches. Anglers are just getting out, Woodland Resort has one light permanent house on a walleye spot and there are spear houses out as well. Anglers have had some good success with angling and spearing of pike. Sweetwater and Morrison Lake has more ice and anglers have been catching pike up north for a couple of weeks. Should be some walleye and perch reports coming in soon. Good Luck. Woodland Resort, 701-662-5996. Perch Patrol Guide Service, 701-351-3474.
mitchell
- Tuesday, December 06, 2005 at 11:56:06 (CST)

Fall fishing for walleye has been good. The water is cooling down and we are finding many fish in less than ten feet of water. Anglers are dragging jigs and Lindy Rigs, slip bobbering or trolling crankbaits like #5 Salmo Hornets, Wally Divers, and #7 Shad Raps. Good areas have been the Fort Totten Area, north end of Six Mile, Golden Highway, Patience Point, Hwy 20 Bridge, Hwy 57 Bridge, Haybale Bay, Knutsons Bay and the north end of Creel Bay. Leeches are out for the year but crawlers have been working well. Pike are getting caught, especially by anglers using crankbaits on the western half of the lake. White bass and perch have been quiet. Good Luck
mitchell
- Friday, September 23, 2005 at 07:21:19 (CDT)

Walleye fishing remains steady but strong winds have hampered getting out. A variety of tactics and depths are still producing. Trolling has been accounting for a lot of fish especially in the wind. Anglers are finding many fish along the old shoreline in 22 feet but there are many fish showing up shallow as well. Anglers are finding fish scattered between 3 and 30 feet of water right now. Trolling with lead core or bottom bouncers and spinners seems most productive right now but anglers are still catching fish slipbobbering the timber as well. Best crankbaits have been Hornets with a few fish coming on Jointed ShadRaps and Wally Demons. Best bait has been leeches if you can find them. Minnows and crawlers have been working as well. Best areas seem to be the Golden Highway, North Side of Grahams Island, Minnewaukan Lagoon, Flooded Roads in Pelican Lake, Cactus Point, Five Crows, Stromme Addititon and the Highway 20 Bridge. Pike have been incidental with most of the fish coming from the Minnewaukan Flats and Pelican Lake. White Bass and perch have been quiet. Good Luck.
mitchell
- Friday, September 02, 2005 at 11:30:54 (CDT)

Walleye fishing has slowed a bit from how good it was but anglers are still catching fish. Anglers are finding fish in a variety of depths with many fish seeming to move back shallower. Trolling with Leadcore or bottom bouncers seems to be the most productive. Behind bottome bouncers, anglers are using spinners with leeches or crawlers. Behind lead core, anglers are using Salmo Hornets or Jointed Shad Raps and Wally Divers. Good areas have been Cactus Point, Old Mill, Five Crows, Rocky Point, Golden Highway, Patience Point, Mission Bay, Stromme Addittion and in front of East Bay Campground. Rocks have been very productive, depths range from 7 to 27 feet of water. Pike have been incidental all over the lake and are getting caught by anglers trolling crankbaits. White bass have been scattered but East Devils Lake seem to be the place for bass. A few perch are coming in from the mouth of Creel Bay. Good Luck
mitchell
- Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at 07:17:11 (CDT)

Walleye fishing remains good. A variety of tactics are producing fish. Fish are being caught in the timber by anglers using slip bobbers and the deeper rock piles have been holding fish for anglers using Lindy Rigs or Bottom Bouncers with leeches. Anglers have also been trolling the old shorelines and riprap areas with crankbaits. The fish still seem to have a preference for the smaller cranks, notable the #4 and #5 Jointed Shad Raps and the #4 and #5 Salmo Hornets. Good areas have been the Stromme Addition, Birklands Point, Foughtys Point, Golden Highway, Cactus Point, Five Crows and Mission Bay. Pike have been incidental and have been caught by anglers trolling or casting the weeds, whitebass seem to be spread out and perch have been slow. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Monday, August 08, 2005 at 20:38:42 (CDT)

Overall, walleye fishing has been very good. several anglers have been catching fish slip bobbering with leeches in the flooded timber and Lindy Rigging the deeper rock piles. Trolling crankbaits has been very productive with most of the fish still coming on small cranks behind leadcore or behind downriggers. Hornets have been outproducing everything but a few fish are coming on Jointed Shad Raps and Wally Divers. Good areas include the riprap of Hwy 20 and 57, Birkland Point, Stromme Addition, Swansons Point, Cactus Point, Doc Hagens, Patience Point, Golden Highway, Haleys Hump. Pike have been incidental with some pike getting caught on the Golden Highway and the riprap areas. Perch have been quiet. Good Luck
mitchell
- Saturday, July 23, 2005 at 14:57:20 (CDT)

Walleye fishing remains good until the storms hit and than the fishing has been slow for a day or two. As a rule, most of the fish seem to be sliding deeper. Anglers are catching many fish in the flooded timber using slipbobbers in 6 to 14 feet of water. The lead core trolling bite has also really taken off with many fish getting caught this past week trolling the old shoreline in about 20 feet of water. The most productive lures behind the lead core have been the Salmo Hornets, #5 Shad Raps and #4 Jointed Shad Raps in Perch, Gold, Fire Tiger and Silver patterns. Black has also worked well on cloudy days. Good areas have been Foughty's Point, Stromme Addition, Cactus Point, Dome House, Golden Highway, Mauvais Coulee and Doc Hagens. White bass have been good in the north end of Creel Bay and Skadsens Bay, Pike have been getting caught incidently by walleye anglers all over the lake. Perch have been slow.
mitchell
- Saturday, July 02, 2005 at 07:05:30 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains good. Anglers are finding many fish up shallow on sandy shorelines around weeds. Anglers are casting crankbaits like Salmo Hornets, Shad Raps, Countdowns and Power Bait and catching lots of fish with this pattern when there is wind. When the lake goes flat, anglers have been Lindy Rigging or Slip Bobber Fishing along weed edges and flooded timber in 5 to 12 feet of water. Good areas have been Pelican Lake, Knutsons Bay, north shore of Minnewauken Flats, Penny Bay, Dead Cow Bay, Browns Slough and Haybale Bay. Pike have been showing up where ever there are walleye and or weeds and will bite on just about anything. White bass have been biting on the north shore of Creel Bay and Penny Bay. Good Luck.
Mitchell
- Sunday, June 19, 2005 at 07:00:25 (CDT)

Around storm fronts, walleye fishing remains pretty good. Weeds and shallow water has been the hot pattern. Anglers are pitching Hornets, Shad Raps, Countdowns and Veg E Jigs tipped with a leech into a few feet of water. Anglers are finding most of the fish in grass or cabbage. Pelican Lake, Mauvais Coulee, Howard Farm, New Mill, Knutsons Bay, Mission Bay, Penny Bay and No Fish Bay have all been productive. White Bass have been biting in shallow water over in East Bay and the north end of Six Mile Bay, Pike have been showing up with the walleye in all parts of the lake.
mitchell
- Thursday, June 09, 2005 at 18:31:18 (CDT)

Walleye fishing has been red hot. The most popular patterns have been pitching crankbaits into shallow water where there are weeds and slip bobbering in timber areas in 4 to 12 feet of water. Good crankbaits have been Salmo 8 F Perch, #5 Shad Raps, #5 Jointed Shad Raps, #5 Countdowns, Salmo Hornets. Chartruese, Perch and Firetiger seem to be hot on the west half of the lake, while blue silver and white seem to be good over east. Good areas have been Knutson Bay, Doc Hagens, Skadsen Bay, South End of Black Tiger, Haybale, Penny, Pelican and Mauvais Coulee. White bass have been showing up in all of the bays right next to shore, Pike are all over where ever there are weeds growning. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Saturday, June 04, 2005 at 07:47:08 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing continues to pick up dramatically. Anglers are catching alot of nice fish up shallow pitching crankbaits and some fish are coming on slip bobbers. The bridges at Six Mile, 57 and Highway 20 are also producing fish. Best bays for pitching cranks have been the north shore of the Flats, No Fish Bay, Holly Bay, Pelican Lake, New Mill Bay, Knutsons Bay, North End of Six Mile, and Penny Bay. Most of the fish have been coming on #5 Hornets, #5 Shad Raps, #5 Shallow Running Shad Raps, #5 Countdowns and the best big fish bait has been the Salmo 8F Perch in Hot Perch or Fire Tiger colors. Perch, gold and chartreuse colors have been best. Live bait fishermen have been catching most of their fish on leeches. White Bass are starting to show up in Six Mile Bay, Penny Bay, Skadsens Bay, Pelican Lake and the pike are also biting well in the same areas in shallow water by anglers throwing crankbaits. Good Luck
mitchell
- Monday, May 23, 2005 at 08:44:01 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye and pike fishing is slowly starting to improve between the rain and fronts that keep coming through, with some decent catches coming out of extremely shallow water. Also a few white bass showing up in shallow water. Anglers have been casting crankbaits up into a few feet of water. Shad Raps, Countdowns and Rattling Rogues have all been working with the Salmo 8F Perch being the hottest. Good areas have been Pelican Lake, and the North Shore of the Minnewauken Flats along with the North end of Six Mile Bay. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Monday, May 09, 2005 at 15:36:13 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Strong winds and cold temps have seemed to have ruined what bite there was last weekend and week. Haven't seen anybody out since the weekend and was out yesterday but we got tired of fighting the wind and quit without a bite. Guessing that there won't be much happening until the weather straitens out. A majority of the walleyes seem to be spawned out or awefully close. With the weather and the spawn, I don't see the fishing getting good until at least the weekend.
mitchell
- Wednesday, April 27, 2005 at 17:47:26 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report The lake is now almost completely ice free. Docks should be going in soon. There is a lot of floating logs and debris in the water so watch out if you are running in a boat. Walleye and pike fishing have both been good with the most popular spot being Channel A, Six Mile Bridge, Mauvais Coulee and the Brinsmade Bridge. The majority of fish are being caught from shore. Jigs with twister tails are probably working better than anything. Please remember selective harvest and use common sense when keeping larger than average fish.
mitchell
- Tuesday, April 19, 2005 at 14:18:15 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing remains slow with a few fish coming out of the east side of Black Tiger, the Mouth of Creel and in front of the Dome House. Most of the fish seem to be coming deep and the best bait has been a plain hook and small minnow or small spoon like a Frosty and a minnow head. Walleye fishing has picked up pretty consitently. The north end of Six Mile, Wolfords Point, Budweiser Bay, Cactus Point, Fort Totten Point and Mauvais Coulee have all been good in the morning and evening. Fish are getting caught in 15 to 25 feet on the strutures spots on the main lake and shallower, 5 to 12 feet back in the bays. Good baits have been Flyers or Rattlers tipped with a minnow or Chubby Darters. Pike fishing remains hot at Churches Ferry and some bigger pike have come out of Old Mill, Budweiser Bay and Six Mile Bay. Anglers are using tip ups and herring. Ice conditions remain excellent with anglers getting around in vehicles very easy, stay away from the bridges and culverts where there is moving water. Good Luck
mitchell
- Friday, March 18, 2005 at 06:59:43 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing remains slow with a few fish getting caught in the middle of Creel and Black Tiger Bay. Overall, most of the fish are getting caught deep. Small Frostee Spoons or Genz Worms in glow colors seem to be working best. Walleye fishing has been hit and miss with a few fish getting caught around the bridges, Mission Bay, Doc Hagens, North Side of Grahams Island, Mauvais Coulee and the Stromme Addition. Anglers are using small spoons or flyers tipped with a minnow head. Pike fishing remains hot at Churches Ferry, Six Mile and Pelican Lake. Anglers are using herring below tipups. Ice conditions across the lake remain very good and driving is very easy with the exception of current areas like bridges and culverts.
mitchell
- Friday, March 11, 2005 at 13:21:28 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Guide Service Fishing Report Perch fishing remains very slow overall. Some fish are coming south of the Country Club on Creel Bay, the Mouth of Creel Bay, Rocky Point, Military Point, Cactus Point, West of the Towers, Skadsens Bay and in front of the Casino. Most of the fish seem to be deep, 35 foot plus and the bite has been tough. Small Fatboys under hanger rigs, Halis and Frostys with either spikes, waxworms or minnow head have been working. Walleye fishing has been up and down. The 57 bridge, Grade in Mission Bay, the Golden Highway, Swansons Point, Wolfords Point, the rock pile in front of the Dome House and the north side of Grahams Island has produced a few fish over the weekend. Anglers have been using Chubby Darters, Rattlers, Kastmasters or Flyers tipped with a minnow. Pike fishing remains hot at Lake Irvine, Silver Lake, the north end of Six Mile and Sweetwater. Tip ups with herring or smelt have been working as good as anything. Good Luck. Woodland Resort: 701-662-5996, Perch Patrol: 701-351-3474, Mitchell's Sleeper Houses: 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Tuesday, March 01, 2005 at 16:27:17 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing remains slow overall but a few real good catches have come off the end of Rocky Point, the Towers and Swansons Point in the past few days. Small Frosty Spoons with a treble hook or Kastmasters with a perch eye or minnow head have been working well. Anglers are having the best luck holding the lure about two feet off the bottom and making the fish come up. Walleye fishing has been up and down. Some good catches have come off Cactus Point, Fort Totten Point, north side of Grahams Island and the Grade in Mission Bay. Anglers have been doing well some evenings with Chubby Darters but if the fish wont take the aggressive lure, try a Flyer with a whole minnow or plain hook and minnow. Pike fishing has been fair but it has slowed down from what it was. The Blood Hole in Pelican Lake has been kicking out some real nice pike. Just be sure to drive around the island when driving up to the Blood Hole because there is bad ice on the flooded road that goes out to Konzack's Island. Silver Lake has also been good for pike. Churches Ferry has become hit and miss. Anglers are catching pike on herring or smelt below tipups. Good Luck. Woodland Resort: 701-662-5996. Perch Patrol: 701-351-3474. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses: 701-351-1890.
mitchell
- Wednesday, February 16, 2005 at 11:34:57 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Fishing for everything seemed to drop off Friday afternoon and has been slow compared to some of the good fishing some anglers found last week. Perch have been caught on Military Point and Camp Grafton Shoreline in 35 to 47 feet and west of the Towers in 35 to 38 feet. East Devils Lake near the Kirks refuge has also been producing some fish in 25 feet of water in the flooded brush. Fat Boys, Halis and Frosty Spoons with the treble hook have been working well in Glow colors. Minnow heads and perch eyes seem to be working better than spikes or grubs. Pike fishing has been fair but has slowed down from what it was at Lake Irvine and a few pike are coming out of Bud Bay and Old Mill Bay. Walleye fishing has been fair on Cactus Point, Fort Totten Point, North of Grahams Island and the East Shore of Mission Bay. Mitchell's Sleeper Houses reported a lull over the weekend but the bite has improved in the mornings and evenings with a few fish coming in the middle of the night.
Mitchell
- Tuesday, February 08, 2005 at 19:28:30 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing remains slow with a few decent catches coming west of the Towers in front of Old Mill and the Dome House. Walleye fishing has been fairly good in the mornings and evenings. Some big fish have been coming out from the point in front of Jeromes Cabin in Budweiser Bay. Walleyes are also getting caught on the east side of Grahams Island, Lost Jig, East shore of Mission Bay and the 57 bridge. Chubby Darters have been hot for the bigger fish. Small Rattlers and Lindy Flyers have been catching walleye as well. Pike fishing remains good on Irvine with anglers using herring or smelt below tip ups.
mitchell
- Saturday, January 29, 2005 at 17:33:01 (CST)

Weather has slowly improved and so has the fishing. Pike remain hot at Churches Ferry, Wolfords Bay, Old Mill and Budweiser Bay. Most pike getting caught on tip ups with smelt or herring. Walleye fishing has been good some mornings and evenings on Rocky Point, Military Point, the 5th Tower, Yellow Trailer, Golden Highway and the flooded Black Tiger Bay Road. Anglers are finding walleye in 15 to 30 feet of water. Chubby Darters have been the hot walleye bait this past week. Perch fishing remains very slow but a few really good catches have come out of the mouth of Creel Bay and out in front of the Towers this past week. The bite remains tough for perch overall and minnows, minnow heads or perch eyes seem to be producing the best.
mitchell
- Thursday, January 20, 2005 at 17:36:08 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Walleye and pike fishing remains fair to good. Walleyes have been biting in front of the Dome House, the Seventh tower, Yellow Trailer, Fort Totten, Doc Hagens, the bridges and Swanson Point. Anglers are having luck in 16 to 24 feet in the evenings and mornings. Good lures have been Chubby Darters, Rocker Minnows, Rattler Spoons and Jigging Raps. Pike have been going in Lake Irvine, Six Mile and Mauvais Coulee. Perch have been slow with a few fish coming out in front of the towers and dome house. Good Luck
mitchell
- Monday, January 10, 2005 at 18:22:47 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Ice thickness continues to improve. Some people are starting to drive out and people are finding 9 to 14 inches of ice throughout much of the lake. Fishing overall has been very tough. The Perch bite has been extremely tough with very few good reports. Walleye fishing has been fair around the bridges, the Dome House, Swansons Point and the Stromme Addition. Pike fishing has been good in Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay and north of Churches Ferry. Good Luck
mitchell
- Tuesday, December 28, 2004 at 18:29:11 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Cold weather has been building ice on Devils Lake. We have 10 to 12 inches of ice on much of the lake. Pike fishing and spearing has been hot on Wolfords Bat, Six Mile Bay and north of Churches Ferry. Some walleyes are getting caught in Mission Bay by the gravel pit, Rocky Point and Acorn Ridge. Perch have been quiet but Creel Bay has started producing some perch in front of the Retreat Center, Country Club and Beer Can Island. Woodland Resort has both spear houses and permanent houses out on Creel Bay and Wolfords Bay. Good Luck
mitchell
- Thursday, December 23, 2004 at 18:01:18 (CST)

Ice thickness is behind schedule but anglers are just starting to venture out. Most of the anglers have been targeting pike and some walleyes in some of the sheltered bays. The wind has broke open parts of the Main Lake and East Bay. Anglers have been walking out on the Minnewaukan Flats, East Bay near Haybale Bay, Black Tiger Bay and Acorn Ridge and catching some walleye. Pike fishing has been good on Pelican Lake and Morrison Lake. Perch have been quiet but anglers have been pretty cautious as to how far to go out. Ice thickness vary from 2 to 5 inches. There is safe ice back in Wolfords bay for walking and Woodland Resort does have a spearing house already out. Visibility has been 2 to 3 feet which is much murkier than normal because of the high winds just before freeze up. Good Luck and be cautious.
mitchell
- Tuesday, December 14, 2004 at 17:12:42 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has slowed down from what it was earlier this summer. Fish at this point seem real scattered depth wise. Lots of small fish getting caught but larger fish have been tougher to come by. Productive areas have been Cactus Point, Old Mill, Money Point, Yellow Trailer, Towers, Hwy 20, Hwy 20 Bridge, Golden Highway. Live bait seems to be working best with jigs, bottom bouncers or live bait rigs tipped with crawlers, leeches or minnows. Some larger fish have been caught trolling Hornets or Wally Divers with Lead Core at very slow trolling speeds. An average depth might be between 15 to 20 feet. Pike have been incedental while white bass and perch have been slow. Good Luck.
mitchell
- Friday, October 01, 2004 at 14:45:41 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has slowed down this past week with lots of small fish being caught but the larger fish have been tougher to find. All depths are producing fish with fish getting caught on Lost Jig, Five Crows, Stromme Addition, Hwy 20 Bridge, Rocky Point, Six Mile Point, Doc Hagens and Mauvais Coulee. Leeches and crawlers on Live Bait and bottom bouncer rigs have been working but most of the fish have been running small. Pike have been incidental, especially over on the Minnewauken Flats. Some white bass getting caught at Hwy 20 bridge, Six Mile Bay and Mission Bay along the rip rap. Perch have been quiet. Good Luck.
Mitchell
- Sunday, September 05, 2004 at 18:40:22 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has picked back up over the past few days. Anglers are finding fish at the 57 and 20 Bridges, Haybale Bay, Stromme Addition, Birklands Point, Five Crows, Cactus Point, Gravel Pits in Mission Bay, Golden Highway, Zeibachs Pass and Patience Point. Anglers are using either bottom bouncers and Lindy Rigs with both crawlers and leeches. Anglers trolling have been reporting some nicer fish with Hornets and Jointed Shad Raps working well. Pike have been incidental with the walleyes and perch have been very quiet. White bass have been quiet as well. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Friday, August 27, 2004 at 17:43:10 (CDT)

Mitchell's Guide Service/ Woodland Resort Fishing Report Walleye fishing has slowed down over the past few days with strong winds making fishing difficult. Wind has really pushed the weeds out into the lake making trolling difficult. Some fish have come from the Stromme Addition, Highway 20, 57, Matterns Ridge, Five Crows, Six Mile Point, Birkland Point, Golden Highway and Mauvais Coulee. Live Bait rigging, bottom bouncers and spinners or jigs have been working the best with most of the fish running less than 20 inches. The wind has been so strong that boat control has been difficult so heavy bottom bouncers are what have been working best for us. The trolling bite should resume as soon as the weeds quit blowing in. Pike have been found in the same areas as walleye and perch have been slow. Good Luck
mitchell
- Monday, August 23, 2004 at 20:32:23 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing seemed to have slowed down the past week for a few days when the weather hit but has been on the rebound ever since. Most of the fish have been running less than 18 inches with a few big fish mixed in. Most of the fish seem to be getting caught in 17 to 25 feet of water. Trolling Hornets and Shad Raps on Lead Core or using live bait rigs have been working good. Good areas continue to be the Stromme Addition, Foughty's Point, Highway 20, Cactus Point, North Side of Grahams Island and the Golden Hwy and 101 Ranch including Mauvais Coulee. Pike have been incidental especially west of Zeibachs Pass. White bass and perch have been quite. Good Luck.
mitchell
- Saturday, August 14, 2004 at 12:45:49 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has gotten sporadic over the past week. Still lots of fish getting caught with a majority of fish seeming on the small side but anglers can find smaller eating size fish rather easily. We have found some nicer fish trolling 10 to 22 feet of water where ever we can find a hard rock bottom. Weed beds are also producing some nice fish. Good areas have been Stromme Addition, Bud Bay, Five Crows, Cactus Point, Bird Island, Haybale Bay and the sunken Black Tiger Bay Road. Trolling seems to be the most productive for numbers and size because an angler can cover so much more ground. Anglers have been doing well pulling Hornets, Shad Raps and Wally Divers behind lead core. Pike have been coming incidently by walleye anglers and white bass are showing up in Skadsens Bay, 57 Bridge, Foughty's Point and Penny Bay. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Saturday, July 31, 2004 at 07:36:10 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains good. Anglers are catching fish using several different methods. Pitching crankbaits in the weed beds, live bait rigging and jigging rock piles, slip bobber fishing in flooded timber and trolling the old shorelines and flooded roads has all been very productive. Lots of eating size fish getting caught very easily along with some larger fish mixed in. Good areas have been Foughty's Point, Birklands Point, Stromme Addition, the North Side of Grahams Island, Golden Highway, Hwy 281 and Hwy 19 corner and Fort Totten. Pike have been caught mixed in with walleyes, especially in the Minnewauken Flats. White bass fishing has been good in Skadsens Bay and Mission Bay by casting crankbaits up into shallow weeds. Good Luck.
Mitchell
- Saturday, July 17, 2004 at 16:21:15 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains good overall. Fishing seems to be better on the overcast days with wind. The trolling bite has really taken off this past week with many fish getting caught by long line trolling Super Deep Bullheads and Bomber Long A's over 22 feet. Lead Core with Hornets, Wally Divers and Shadraps has also been working well. Lindy Rigs with leeches or crawlers has also been working well on the rock piles. Good areas have been Stromme Addititon, Birklands Point, Foughty's Point, Cactus Point, Howard Farm, Doc Hagens and Mauvais Coulee. Pike have mostly been incidental for the anglers trolling crankbaits for walleye. Some white bass coming out of Mission Bay and Hwy 281. Good Luck.
Mitchell
- Saturday, July 10, 2004 at 07:17:17 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Report Walleye fishing has been good overall. Many different patterns are emerging right now. Walleyes seem to be scattered depth wise right now. The deeper rock piles in East Bay have been good along with the sharper breaking shorelines along Foughty's Point, Stromme Addition, Birklands Point and Haybale Bay. Anglers are finding fish trolling in 8 to 20 feet of water, or using live bait rigs and jigs with leeches and crawlers on the rock piles. Anglers are also finding walleyes in Mission Bay, Six Mile Bay, Knutsons Bay, Fort Totten, Howard Farm, Gap and Winchester Island either slip bobbering in the timber, trolling crank baits or livebaiting the break line. Many pike are coming from the same areas as the walleye using the same tactics. White bass fishing has been fair in the north end of Six Mile Bay and the Storm Sewer area of East Bay.
mitchell
- Wednesday, June 30, 2004 at 21:50:38 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains red hot. The summer bite is on. Anglers are catching many fish pitching hornets and shadraps up shallow on wind blown shorelines. Anglers are also catching some fish in the timber using slip bobbers and leeches and anglers are also finding fish trolling in 10 to 12 feet of water. Good areas have been Penny Bay, Six Mile Bay, Bud Bay, Skadsens Bay, South End of Black Tiger, Wolfords Bay and Old Mill Bay. Many of the fish are coming off a sand bottom less than six feet of water. Weeds and reeds have been good. Many pike have been getting caught incidently by walleye anglers using the same tactics. White Bass are showing up in the north end of Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay and the Storm Sewer area. Good Luck.
Mitchell
- Monday, June 14, 2004 at 17:44:29 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing seems to have really picked up this past week all over the lake. Good areas have been the north end of Six Mile Bay, Minnewaukan Flats, Bud Bay, Fort Totten and Penny Bay. Most of the fish are coming shallow less than five feet by anglers pitching Hornets, Shad Raps and Countdowns. Slip Bobbers are also working well especially when the lake goes flat. Some anglers are finding fish deeper during the middle of the day and using slip bobbers in the timber in 6 to 10 feet of water. Pike Fishing remains good in all of the spots listed for walleyes, using crankbaits. White Bass have been picking up in the north end of Six Mile and Creel Bay. The White Bass have been going well at the pump house on the north end of Creel.
Mitchell
- Saturday, June 05, 2004 at 18:29:57 (CDT)

Woodland Resort/ Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Weather conditions have remained on the cool side with most of the fish coming a little deeper than normal. Some walleyes are being caught slip bobbering the flooded timber in 5 to 12 feet of water or livebait rigging or jigging sand or rock bars in 6 to 12 feet of water. The real shallow crankbait bite has gotten hit and miss for us but we are getting a few fish real shallow each day. Good areas have been the 57 bridge, Golden Highway, Gap, Haleys Hump, Stromme Addition and Birklands Point. Pike fishing remains good for angler trolling or pitching crankbaits in less than 8 feet of water. White bass have been slow. Good Luck.
Mitchell
- Saturday, May 29, 2004 at 10:08:20 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has slowly picked up over the past week with most of the fish coming in the afternoon and early evening. Anglers are finding fish shallow less than 6 feet casting jigs and leeches, minnows or small cranks like Salmo Hornets, Shad Raps, Countdowns or Husky Jerks. Stop and go retreives seem to be working better. The best shoreline spots seem to either have a gravel/ sand bottom or cut bank. The water has been clear in some areas and the best fishing has been where the water has been stained. Good areas have been Minnewauken Flats, Pelican Lake, Skadsens Bay, Penny Bay, Six Mile Bay and the south end of Black Tiger Bay. Pike fishing has remained excellent with pike coming in the same areas as walleye using the same tactics. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Thursday, May 20, 2004 at 15:02:01 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Weather has curtailed fishing in the Devils Lake Basin. Strong winds, rain, snow, sleet and freezing temperatures have dropped the water temperature by almost ten degrees in many parts of the lake. Weather has kept us off the water the past few days but we are guessing the weather will probably push both walleye and pike a little deeper. Try vertical jigging or trolling some of the channel areas in Pelican Lake or Mauvais Coulee until the weather straightens out. Good Luck and pray for some sunshine.
Mitchell
- Thursday, May 13, 2004 at 13:07:52 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing seems to have really picked up over the weekend. Most of the fish are coming shallow (less than five feet) Afternoons have been better with water temperature playing a key. Good areas have been Pelican Lake, North End of Six Mile, Bay Boy Bay, No Fish Bay, Howards Bay and the North Shore of the Flats. Good lures have been #5 Shad Raps, #4 Jointed Shad Raps, #5 Countdowns, #4 Salmo Hornets or jigs tipped with a leech. Pike have been very reckless with the size of pike increasing as the females come off the spawn. A few white bass have been caught in Pelican and Six Mile. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Monday, May 10, 2004 at 14:00:44 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing has slowed down over the weekend with the usual spots still producing fish (Channel A, Mauvais Coulee System) but the better seems to be right before dark. Anglers are either using jigs and twisters or crankbaits in current areas. Pike fishing has been improving as the pike seem to be recovering from the spawn. Anglers are catching many pike in the same areas as the walleye using the same tactics. White bass are still quiet. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Monday, May 03, 2004 at 20:15:11 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Walleye fishing remains good. Anglers are catching fish in Channel A and Mauvais Coulee along Hwy 281 from shore. Boat anglers are doing well in north end of Six Mile Bay and Pelican Lake. Jigs and minnow or jigs and twister tails seem to be working the best. Pike fishing has been fair. Anglers are finding pike in the same areas as walleye. White Bass fishing has been slow, still a week or so away. Note: Woodland Resort had two cancellations in June with a cabin available for June 5th thru the 12th and the 12th thru to the 19th. These cabins won't stay open long so call right away.
Mitchell
- Wednesday, April 28, 2004 at 11:04:19 (CDT)

Devils Lake is just about completely ice free. The pike fishing has actually slowed down in the Mauvais Coulee System and Channel A but the fish are so thick in some areas that quite a few pike are getting snagged. Walleye fishing has been picking up this past week with fish getting caught in Channel A, north end of Six Mile Bay, Pelican Lake and Mauvais Coulee. Anglers are using jigs and twister tails or jigs and minnow. White bass are still a few weeks away from really running. Safe to say spring is here.
Mitchell
- Tuesday, April 20, 2004 at 09:34:32 (CDT)

Woodland Resort / Mitchell's Guide Service Fishing Report Ice conditions have deteriorated to the point that ice fishing even for anglers on foot is coming to an end. As of right now, open water opportunities exist at the Hwy 57 bridge, Hwy 20 bridge, Woods Rutten Road, Mauvais Coulee, the culverts and bridges on Hwy 281, Channel A and Churches Ferry. The best fishing I have seen so far has been at Channel A and the culvert north of Hwy 19 on Hwy 281. Mostly pike getting caught so far with anglers using jigs and twistertails, cranks, spoons and smelt. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Monday, April 05, 2004 at 15:54:13 (CDT)

Ice condititions deteriorated after last weekends rain. The shorelines are getting pretty soft and atv travel is no longer advised. Anglers still have plenty of ice to walk on however. Fishing has been hit and miss overall with some anglers doing really well while other anglers striking out. Some perch are getting caught just south of Eastbay Campground, Black Tiger Bay and the mouth of Creel Bay. Anglers are finding perch in 32 to 14 feet of water and the best bait as of late seems to be minnows. Walleyes have been biting at times in Mission Bay, Mattern's Ridge, Doc Hagens, North End of Six Mile Bay, Mauvais Coulee and Zeibachs Pass. Most of the walleyes are coming in the morning or evening on Buckshots, Jigging Raps or Dead Rods. Pike are still getting caught in the North End of Six Mile Bay and Mauvais Coulee. The ice is getting bad at Churches Ferry. Anglers are finding pike shallow using tipups. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at 10:18:08 (CST)

Fishing for everything seems to be improving but very few anglers are out ice fishing. Access is still confined to foot, snowmobile or some atv. Some anglers are doing well on perch in Black Tiger Bay and Skadsens Bay. Anglers are finding perch in 22 to 32 feet of water using Halis, Genz Worms and Forage Minnows with wax worms or spikes. Walleye fishing has been fair at Acorn Ridge, Mission Bay, north end of Six Mile, Mauvais Coulee, and Zeibachs Pass. Most of the fish are coming in the morning or evening by anglers using jigging spoons, Chubby Darters and Jigging Raps. Pike fishing has been good at Churches Ferry, Mauvais Coulee and Six Mile Bay. Anglers are using smelt below tip ups in less than six feet of water. Good Luck
mitchell
- Wednesday, March 17, 2004 at 15:47:44 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Strong winds and warm temps have ate away alot of snow over the past few days. Access is starting to improve for anglers on snowmobile. Anglers are finding perch in Skadsens Bay, the Towers and the south end of Black Tiger Bay. Anglers are using Halis, Hanger Rigs, Droppers with spikes, waxworms or perch eyes in 24 to 34 feet of water. Walleye fishing has improved in Mission Bay, Haybale Bay, Stromme Addition and the south end of Black Tiger. Most of the fish are coming near submerged timber right before dark. Pike fishing has been hit and miss at Churches Ferry and fair at Six Mile Bay. Anglers are finding fish shallow using smelt or herring below tipups. Good Luck
mitchell
- Wednesday, March 10, 2004 at 10:56:29 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report As of right now, access is limited but anglers walking out or using snowmobiles are catching a few fish. Anglers are finding perch in Black Tiger, Skadsens Bay and the Towers in 28 to 36 feet of water. Anglers are also using snowmbobiles to get to the Blood Hole, Mauvais Coulee to catch pike and a few walleyes. Be careful around the current areas.
mitchell
- Sunday, March 07, 2004 at 18:50:05 (CST)

Access is very limited right now at this point. There is alot of water and slush on the ice combined with heavy snow. Even snowmobiles are bogging down. The Perch Patrol had to cancel the rest of the season because of lake conditions. Not much to report on. We will keep you posted if conditions improve.
mitchell
- Sunday, March 07, 2004 at 08:07:32 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Access has been opened back up in some parts of the lake. There is quite a bit of water and snow on the lake but anglers can get on the lake behing Pop's Bar, Creel Bay from Woodland Resort, Mission Bay across from the Casino, Churches Ferry and Haybale Bay. Right now, anglers are probably better off driving off to the side of the old trails as they are drifted up with snow and slush. Perch fishing has been slow the past day and a half with few anglers able to get out. We will have a better handle on what is going on after a few days. Walleye fishing has been confined to Rocky Point, Mission Bay and Haybale Bay. A few fish are getting caught towards evening in 12 to 24 feet of water. Pike fishing remains hot at Churches Ferry for anglers using herring or smelt below tipups. Good Luck
mitchell
- Tuesday, March 02, 2004 at 21:46:31 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Reports Recent snow combined with an excess of water, snow and slush on the lake has pretty much halted fishing in the Devils Lake area today. We will let you know as soon as we can get any kind of trails back out on the lake or if conditions improve.
mitchell
- Tuesday, March 02, 2004 at 10:58:28 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing has slowed down this past week with access getting difficult in some parts of the lake because of water on the ice. Some good perch catches have come out of Black Tiger Bay and the Towers. Anglers are fishing in 32 to 45 feet of water. The ticket seems to be a tiny jig like a Fat Boy or Marmooska tipped with either waxworms or spikes. Anglers are holding the jig perfectly still and catching fish. Walleye fishing has been sporadic. Anglers are catching a few fish at the 57 Bridge but there is alot of traffic their. Some fish are coming off the Hwy 20 bridge, the rail road bed in Mission Bay, Doc Hagens, the Dome House and Rocky Point. Anglers are catching most of the fish towards evening with Chubby Darters, Jigging Raps and small spoons tipped with a minnow. Pike fishing has been red hot at Churches Ferry. Anglers are also catching pike in Six Mile Bay. Tip ups with frozin smelt or herring have been working well in less than five feet of water.
mitchell
- Monday, March 01, 2004 at 08:35:40 (CST)

Accessing the lake has become much easier with the warm weather. The snow is packing down somewhat and their are many trails. PLEASE DO NOT DRILL HOLES ON THE TRAILS! This causes the trail to flood and we end up wasting money plowing new trails around the old flooded trails. Perch fishing has been fair with some nice catches coming in each day. Some perch are getting caught in front of the Dome House, Towers, Black Tiger Bay and Haybale Bay. Anglers are finding perch in 32 to 44 feet of water. Genz Worms, Halis and Hanger Rigs have been working well. Anglers are catching perch with spikes, waxworms and small minnows. Walleye fishing remains fair in Mission Bay with a few fish coming from Doc Hagens, Wolfords Bay and Military Point. Most of the fish are getting caught towards dark in 16 to 30 feet of water using small spoons, Chubby Darters and Jigging Raps tipped with a minnow head. Pike fishing has picked up again at Churches Ferry while the bigger pike seem to be getting caught on the main lake in Six Mile Bay and Wolfords Bay. Anglers are using tip ups with frozen smelt or herring for the pike. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Monday, February 23, 2004 at 07:22:04 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing has been slow this past week but seems to be picking up with a few decent catches coming in. There are many perch in the south end of Black Tiger Bay, mouth of Creel Bay, the Towers, Dome House and East Bay north of the Highway 20 Bridge. Anglers are catching perch in 30 to 38 feet of water and the bite has been light with many anglers using dropper rigs or hanger rigs. Walleye fishing has been fair in Mission Bay and a few fish continue to be caught around the 57 bridge. Anglers are catching fish around evening in 16 to 26 feet of water using small spoons tipped with a minnow head. Pike fishing has been quiet with a few pike getting caught in Six Mile Bay, Wolfords Bay and Bud Bay. Angler are using tip ups in 8 to 20 feet of water with smelt or herring. The lake currently has many miles of plowed trails so anglers can access the lake. Getting off the plowed trails may be difficult because of heavy snow unless you use a snowmobile. Good Luck
mitchell
- Tuesday, February 17, 2004 at 07:08:37 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing has slowed down dramatically over the weekend. There have been a few fair catches coming out of Skadsens Bay, the middle of Black Tiger Bay, the Towers, Dome House and the Camp Grafton Shoreline. The perch seem to be shifting deeper. Anglers are finding fish in 34 to 44 feet of water. Halies, dropper rigs, hanger rigs, Forage Minnows and Genz Worms tipped with spikes or waxworms. Walleye fishing has been fair near the Hwy 57 Bridge, Rocky Point, Dome House and Military Point. Anglers are catching fish towards evening in 16 to 30 feet of water. Jigging Raps, Chubby Darters, Sonars and spoons tipped with a minnow head have been working well. Pike fishing has slowed down at Churches Ferry but a few pike have been caught in Wolfords Bay, the Dome House and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Angler are finding pike in 12 to 22 feet of water using tip ups and smelt or herring for bait. Good Luck
Mitchell
- Tuesday, February 10, 2004 at 17:41:17 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Perch fishing has picked up over the past few days. Anglers are finding perch in 30 to 36 feet of water in the south end of Black Tiger Bay, Camp Grafton Shoreline, Skadsens Bay and out from the Towers. Anglers are using Kastmasters, Halies and Forage minnows with either a perch eye or sikes for bait. The perch have seemed to be a bit on the aggressive side and anglers are catching more fish by lifting the fish up from the bottom and moving the lure a little more than normal. Walleye fishing has been picking up as well. Anglers are catching walleye at the Hwy 57 Bridge, Mission Bay, Cactus Point and Rocky Point. Anglers are using Chubby Darters, Jigging Raps, Nils Masters, Buckshot Rattle Spoons and Kastmasters tipped with a minnow head. The bight seems to be best near evening in depths that range from 16 to 30 feet of water. Pike fishing seems to be slowing down at Churches Ferry but anglers are still finding fish. Anglers are also catching pike in Wolfords Bay and Six Mile Bay. Anglers are using tip ups with frozen smelt or herring. Good Luck Fishing
Mitchell
- Thursday, February 05, 2004 at 07:31:08 (CST)

Woodland Resort/ Perch Patrol Fishing Report Plows were able to get out on the lake and bust the trails back open. Right now, we have over 25 miles of open trails on the Lake. We have a trail going through Creel Bay from Woodland Resort to the Spirit Lake Casino with a trail branching off and going towards Bird Island. We also have a branch that goes from Rocky Point to the Towers area. East Bay has trails that run from Acorn Ridge to the Stromme Addition and a trail out from Hay Bale Bay. Black Tiger Bay has a Trail as well. Anglers are just starting to get out fishing again. There are a few reports of anglers picking up perch around the Towers Area, Rocky Point and the Dome House. Anglers are finding perch in anywhere from 32 to 36 feet of water. Anglers are using flourescent or glow in the dark Halis, Forage Minnows, Genz Worms and Hanger Rigs tipped with spikes, wax worms and minnow heads. A few walleyes have been coming off Rocky Point in deep water during the day and up on top of the bar towards evening. Anglers are using Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and Swedish Pimples tipped with a minnow head. Pike fishing remains good up at Churches Ferry and anglers are using smelt or herring below tip ups. Good Luck Fishing.
Mitchell
- Friday, January 30, 2004 at 07:41:56 (CST)

Frigid temperatures and heavy snow has almost stopped ice fishing. Access is limited to snowmobile at this point. The community of Devils Lake has committed whatever funds necessary to blow the trails back open and keep them open until spring. Plow Trucks will be working nonstop to get the lake accessable by the weekend. Travel away from the established trails will probably be limited even with four wheel drive. Woodland Resort has managed to keep a trail out to Rocky Point and Military Point. The Perch Patrol purchased a Bombardier with tracks and snow plow in an attempt to remain mobile enough to fish any part of the lake. We had about a day and a half of really good perch fishing in Skadsens Bay, Black Tiger Bay and the Highway 57 / Camp Grafton corner before the storm hit. Since the storm, fishing has been limited with few reports coming in. Woodland Resorts Rental houses have been picking us some perch and walleyes on Rocky Point. A few perch have been coming out of Black Tiger Bay, Ruttens Point and Skadsens but anglers have been stuck more than fishing. Pike fishing remains good near the bridge at Churches Ferry and a few walleyes are coming off Rocky Point. More reports will be coming soon when the trails get blown open.
Mitchell
- Wednesday, January 28, 2004 at 09:40:27 (CST)

Perch fishing this past week has been slow. There have been some perch taken near the Towers, Dome House, Military Point, Black Tiger Bay and Skadsens Bay. Anglers are finding perch in 32 to 36 feet of water. Halis, Genz Worms, hanger rigs and Forage Minnows tipped with a small minnow head, spikes or waxworms have seemed to work the best with many days where the minnow has been working better. Walleye fishing has been fair. Anglers are catching a few fish in the late afternoon and early evening on Buck Shot Ratttle Spoons, Jigging Raps, Sonars and Nils Masters tipped with a minnow. Productive areas have been Rocky Point, Doc Hagens, Mission Bay and the flooded timber in the Minnewauken Flats. Northern Pike fishing has been fair in Six Mile Bay and the Minnewauken Flats and has been getting really good at Churches Ferry. Anglers are finding Pike in 8 to 20 feet of water in Six Mile and over at the Flats while anglers are catching pike at Churches Ferry in a couple feet of water. Hard snow on the lake and slush pockets have made travel off the plowed trails difficult. Bring a shovel and a cell phone if you plan on leaving the established trails. Good Luck
mitchell
- Thursday, January 22, 2004 at 17:31:35 (CST)

Perch fishing has been sporadic. Some good reports are starting to come in from the Towers area, Dome House, Yellow Trailer and Swansons Point on the Main Lake. Black Tiger Bay, Dead Cow Bay, Skadsens Bay and Haybale Bay have been producing fish as well. Anglers have been fishing in 30 to 36 feet of water using Halis, Forage Minnows and Genz Worms tipped with spikes or waxworms. Walleye fishing has been fair with some fish coming out of Dead Cow Bay, Doc Hagens, Rocky Point, Cactus Point, Mission Bay and Highway 57 Bridge. Anglers are catching most fish towards dark with Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Nils Masters, Rocker Minnows and Jigging Raps tipped with a minnow head. Pike fishing remains good in Morrison, Sweetwater and Six Mile Bay using tip ups with frozen smelt or herring. Good Luck!
Mitchell
- Thursday, January 15, 2004 at 14:16:52 (CST)

Woodland Resort / Perch Patrol Fishing Report Frigid temperatures this past week has slowed fishing down for everything. Ice conditions and thickness continues to improve but drifting on the lake could make travel more difficult. The Lake Access will be plowing trails tomarrow. Perch fishing has been sporadic with some fish getting caught in the south end of Black Tiger, Skadsens Bay, the Towers, Stromme Addition, Haybale Bay and Foughty's Point. Anglers are finding fish in 19 to 34 feet of water. Minnows and perch eyes seem to be working better than anything the past few days. Walleyes have been hit and miss. There has been an evening bite occuring in Dead Cow Bay, Haybale Bay, the north end of Six Mile Bay, Mission Bay and Rocky Point. Anglers have been finding walleyes in 12 to 24 feet of water. Pike spearing has slowed down. Anglers are still catching pike in Six Mile Bay, Morrison Lake and Sweetwater Lake using smelt below tip ups. Trap Attack being held on Creel Bay this weekend, headquartered out of Woodland Resort. Opening still available for two man teams. Go to www.iceteam.com to sign up!
Mitchell
- Tuesday, January 06, 2004 at 17:57:48 (CST)

Ice thickness still vary across the lake. Some people are driving vehicles but there is still thin ice in places so prioritize safety. Perch fishing has gotten tougher over the past week but nice catches are still coming in. Anglers are having to move around a little more. Creel Bay, Skadsens Bay, Black Tiger, Matterns Ridge, Stromme Addition and Haybale Bay have been producing perch in the 15 to 30 foot range. Halis, Forage Minnows, Kastmasters and Genz Worms continue to work well tipped with spikes. Walleye fishing has been quiet with most of the fish being caught while fishing for perch towards evening. Six Mile Bay, Mission Bay and Haybale Bay have been producing some fish. Pike fishing and spearing remains good. Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay, Morrison and Sweetwater remain top choices with anglers using mostly frozen smelt or herring for bait. Good Luck and be safe.
Jason Mitchell
- Sunday, December 28, 2003 at 12:50:38 (CST)

Ice thickness still varies across the lake. Thickness vary between 8 inches to a little over a foot. Some thin spots are still being found under snow in some areas. Perch fishing remains pretty good through the week. Anglers are finding perch anywhere from 12 to 32 feet of water. East Bay seems the most consistent right now with Skadsens, Stromme Addition, Matterns Ridge and Black Tiger Bay being some spots where anglers have been finding fish. Halis, Forage Minnows, Kastmasters and Genz Worms tipped with spikes, waxworms or small minnows have been working. Walleye fishing seems mostly incidental with a few walleyes getting caught while targeting perch, especially around sunset.Six Mile Bay, Mission Bay have been producing some fish. Pike fishing and spearing remain good. Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay, Morrison and Sweetwater bay have been good.
Jason Mitchell <www.fishdevilslake@hotmail.com>
Devils Lake, ND USA - Tuesday, December 23, 2003 at 09:48:26 (CST)

As of right now, Ice thickness really varies across the lake. Some back bays have up to 11 inches while some areas only have 4 inches. Anglers are just venturing out on foot for the most part or have limited access with ATV's. Perch fishing has been good in the south end of Black Tiger Bay, Highway 57, and the Stromme Addition. Anglers have been fishing in 16 to 24 feet of water. Halis, Forage Minnows, Genz Worms and Fatboys tipped with spikes or waxworms have been working well. Some walleyes are also coming out of the same areas as perch with the walleyes getting caught closer to the timber and towards dusk. Pike angling and spearing has been hot. Morrison, Wolfords and Six Mile Bay have been good. We have a couple of spearing houses out already that are doing really well. Don't forget, Woodland Resort is proud to be hosting the Trap Attack in early January. Should be a great tournament. Good Luck on the ice!

Ice anglers are starting to get anxious. As of date, most of the lake is iced over but anglers are just starting to venture out on foot in some of the back bays. The only reports we have so far are from Morrison Lake and the Minnewauken Flats where anglers are doing quite well on Northern Pike using smelt with tipups. Good Luck and lets pray for some cold temps to build ice.

Fishing for everything has been tough the past few days. Beautiful weather but not many fish being caught. Some walleyes are still coming off the Golden Highway, Mission Bay, Six Mile Bay Bridge, Rocky Point and Cactus Point but there is really no depth pattern since the lake turned over. Some pike and white bass getting caught by anglers pitching cranks up in shallow water.

Wind and cold temperatures have kept most anglers on land this past week. When the weather has let up, the walleye fishing has been good and seems to keep getting better. Most of the fish seem to be in the mid depth range, 9 to 14 feet of water. Good areas have been the Golden Highway, Zeibachs Pass, Highway 20 bridge, Highway 57 bridge. Anglers are still trolling crankbaits to catch many of the bigger fish but a jig and minnow has been working well for catching numbers of fish. Some nice pike getting caught around the bridges and on the flats by anglers trolling crankbaits. White bass have been quiet and the perch seem to be slowing down. Good Luck this fall whether you cast or blast.

Walleye fishing remains streaky with several fronts moving through the area. Anglers are having a difficult time finding large fish. Some of the better areas have been the Golden Highway, Lagoon, Woods Rutten Road, Cactus Point and the rock piles in Six Mile Bay. Anglers seem to be catching the larger fish by pulling crankbaits. Night crawlers and minnows have also been taking fish in 6 to 14 feet of water. Perch fishing remains good to poor depending on wind. When anglers have been able to avoid the wind and keep their presentation vertical, they have been catching fish. Creel Bay seems to be one of the hot areas right now. Wax worms and night crawlers have been the best bait in 14 to 32 feet of water. Pike are showing up with most of the pike getting caught incidentally by walleye anglers pulling crankbaits.

Walleye fishing seems sporadic with anglers encountering some strong winds making fishing difficult. Between cold fronts, anglers have been finding fish. The fish seem to be moving shallower, 18 to 8 feet of water. Areas that have a rock bottom seem to be producing the most consistent action. Cactus Point, Bird Island, Lost Jig, 3/4 Mile Reef, flooded road beds have been good. Anglers have been trolling crankbaits, jigging or using bottom bouncers and spinners. Pike fishing has been fair with many pike getting caught incidently by anglers trolling for walleyes. Perch fishing keeps picking up with Creel Bay seeming to be one of the best areas. Anglers are finding perch in 12 to 34 feet of water.

Walleye fishing has gotten sporadic this past week. Anglers are still catching many fish by trolling with the bigger baits producing the bigger fish. Bomber Long As, Reef Runners, Salmo Perch, and Shad Raps have been working well. Anglers are also doing well with bottom bouncers and spinners. The most consistent pattern seems to be the old shore line in 17 to 24 feet of water. Many of the fish are being found on rocks or gravel right now. Good areas have been the Stromme Addition, 3/4 Mile Reef, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, Oswalds Flats, Foughtys Point, Mission Bay, Cactus Point and Bird Island. Pike fishing has been good with many of the pike getting caught incidently by walleye anglers in deeper water. Perch fishing seems to be improving with fish getting caught in 15 to 30 feet of water in Creel Bay and Black Tiger Bay. White Bass remain slow.

Walleye fishing remains good overall with the trolling bite still producing the most consistant action. Anglers have been running #4 Salmo Hornets, #5 Shad Raps, Wally Divers and other small baits behind lead core line. Larger cranks like Bomber Long A's, Reef Runners, Salmo Perch and Bull Heads and Thundersticks long lined on Fire Line are also starting to produce fish. Trollers are finding fish on Foughtys Point, Birkland Point, Matterns Ridge, Stromme Addition, Gap, Howard Farm and the North Shore of the Flats. Anglers are also catching fish slip bobbering in the timber and using bottom bouncers and spinners on the edge of the flooded timber. Timber areas like Monkeys Ridge, the Gap, Howard Farm and Mauvais Coulee has been producing walleye. Anglers have been using crawlers and leeches. Pike fishing remains good with most of the fish caught by anglers trolling for walleyes. White bass are getting caught by anglers pitching the shallows around rocks but the action has been inconsistent. Perch fishing has been quiet with some fish getting caught in Black Tiger Bay and Creel Bay.

Walleye fishing has been as good and seems to keep getting better. Lots of 13 to 20 inch fish getting caught with a few bigger fish mixed in. Anglers have been enjoying really good success trolling in 17 to 24 feet of water. Good areas for trolling have been the Gap, Patience Point, Howard Farm, Highway 19, Stromme Addition, Foughtys Point, Matterns Ridge and Birkland Point. Anglers are running #4 Salmo Hornets, #5 Shad Raps and Wally Divers on lead core line or long lining Bomber Long A's, Reef Runners, Thunder Sticks and Salmo Bull Heads. Good colors have been white, white / red, chrome, firetiger, perch and blue. Live bait anglers have been catching fish in the timber around the Gap, Monkeys Ridge, Patience Point and Foughtys Point using slip bobbers. Fish are also starting to show up on the deep rocks with anglers finding fish on Cactus Point, Lost Jig and Fort Totten Point. Pike fishing remains good with many fish getting caught by anglers trolling crankbaits, especially on the Minnewauken Flats and Pelican Lake areas. White bass and perch fishing remains slow with some perch being caught in Creel Bay and Black Tiger Bay on the edges of the flooded timer in 17 to 24 feet of water.

Wind and rain has kept some walleyes up in the shallow water but most of the fish seem to be anywhere from 10 to 24 feet of water. The trolling bite seems to continue to gain momentum. Anglers are having good luck pulling small lures like #4 Hornets, #5 Shad Raps, #4 Jointed Shad Raps behind lead core. Anglers are also finding fish in the submerged timber and are either jigging or using slip bobbers with crawlers or leeches. Good areas have been the Gap, Winchester Island, west side of Grahams Island, Patience Point, Haleys Hump, Cactus Point, Fort Totten Point, Foughtys Point, the Stromme Additition and Black Tiger Bay. Pike fishing remains good with many pike getting caught incidently bay anglers trolling for walleyes. Perch and white bass fishing remains slow.

Walleye fishing remains fair overall with the traditional summer patterns emerging. Successful anglers have been finding fish anywhere from 7 to 25 feet of water. The trolling bite is starting to take off with small lures getting pulled behind lead core seeming to work the best. Hot lures have been # 4 Salmo Hornets, #4 Jointed Shad Raps, #5 Shad Raps. Anglers are also finding fish in the flooded timber using slip bobbers with leeches or crawlers. Productive areas remains the Minnewaukan Flats and East Bay. Pike fishing remains good with anglers catching many pike incidently while fishing for walleye. Perch and white bass fishing has been reported as slow.

FISHING SEMINARS EVERY SUNDAY Starting this Sunday, free fishing seminars every Sunday at 8:00 PM in the resort�s bait shop. This quick seminar, presented by Jason Mitchell, will assist anglers with the latest techniques and locations to catch fish. If you are in the area stop in and learn the latest in angling on Devils Lake.

Looking for a week getaway? Just open is week stay in a full cabin, on the water for July 26 to August 2. Call us at 701-662-5996 to make reservations.

Walleye fishing remains fair to good with intermediate fronts slowing down the bite. The weed beds are still holding many fish with anglers pitching Salmo Hornets, #5 Shad Raps, Jointed #4 Shad Raps, #7 Countdowns, Rattle Traps and jigs tipped with Power Bait into shallow water. Anglers are also finding fish in the flooded timber and are using slip bobbers or jigs tipped with either leeches or crawlers in 7 to 12 feet of water. The trolling bite has gotten more consistent as of late with small baits pulled behind lead core getting the best results. Salmo Hornets, Shad Raps and Wally Divers have been working well. Good areas have been the Minnewauken Flats, Old Mill Bay, Mission Bay, Black Tiger Bay, Skadsens Bay and Pelican Lake. Pike fishing remains good and anglers are finding pike in the same areas as walleye using the same tactics. White bass fishing has been sporadic with some fish coming shallow in the north end of Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay, Black Tiger Bay and Skadsens Bay. Perch fishing has been slow.

Walleye fishing has improved with the stable weather. Anglers are still finding fish in shallow water by pitching crankbaits. Rattle Traps, #5 and #4 jointed Shad Raps, # 5 Shad Raps, #7 Countdowns, Wally Divers and jigs tipped with Power Bait have been working well. Anglers are also finding fish slip bobbering in the timber with leeches and crawlers. Good areas have been the north end of Six Mile Bay, Bud Bay, Old Mill Bay, Knutson Bay, Mauvais Coulee, Grahams Island, Patience Point and East Bay. Pike are still showing up as well with many fish getting caught on crankbaits. Anglers are finding pike all over the lake. A few white bass are showing up in Six Mile Bay, Mission Bay and the north end of Creel Bay.

Walleye fishing remains good with fish coming from a variety of tactics. Anglers are still picking up nice fish on wind blown shorelines or in the weeds pitching crankbaits like #5 Shad Raps, Countdowns and Rattle Traps. Leeches and slip bobbers have also been working well in the flooded timber. Good areas have been East Bay, Bud Bay, Old Mill Bay, Knutsons Bay, Mauvais Coulee and Grahams Island. Pike fishing remains good with most of the pike being caught by anglers pitching crankbaits up into shallow water. There are also been a few white bass being caught with the same tactics.

Walleye fishing has remained good with a variety of patterns emerging. Anglers are doing very well using slip bobbers and leeches in the flooded timber on the Minnewauken Flats, Wolfords Bay and Six Mile Bay. Anglers are also still catching fish pitching crankbaits in shallow water in Six Mile Bay, Wolford Bay, Old Mill Bay, Knutsons Bay, Bud Bay, Minnewauken Flats and Pelican Lake. Anglers are throwing #5 Shad Raps, #7 Countdowns into 3 to 6 feet of water. Pike Fishing has remained excellent with many fish being caught all over the lake. Anglers are casting crankbaits up into shallow water. White Bass are showing up in the north end of Creel Bay and Six Mile Bay.

Walleye fishing has improved this past week with fish getting caught all over the lake. Anglers are still finding some of the nicer fish pitching crankbaits into shallow water. Windswept shorelines in the Minnewauken Flats, Knutsons Bay, Bud Bay, Wolfords Bay and Six Mile Bay have been producing nice fish. Anglers are also picking up walleye slip bobbering in the flooded timber and 57 Bridge has been good for smaller fish. Pike fishing remains excellent with most of the pike coming out of shallow water by anglers pitching crankbaits. White Bass are starting to bite more consistently in Six Mile Bay and the north end of Creel Bay.

Pike fishing in the shallow water continues to be incredible with many fish being caught by anglers pitching crankbaits. Walleye fishing has been sporadic with nice fish coming out of the shallow water by anglers pitching crankbaits and jigs. Some walleyes are also being caught deeper in the flooded timber with jigs or slip bobbers with leeches. Productive areas for both walleyes and pike have been Pelican Lake, Minnewauken Flats, Mission Bay, Bud Bay and Old Mill Bay. White bass are starting to show up in Channel A and some of the back bays in shallow water.

Walleye fishing continues to improve with some nice fish being caught from the Minnewauken Flats, north end of Six Mile Bay, Pelican Lake and some of the other shallow back bays. Anglers are catching most of the fish pitching crankbaits or jigs up into shallow water. Pike fishing has been incredible as of late. Anglers are finding pike in the same areas as the walleye with crankbaits catching quite a few fish. White Bass are starting to show up in Six Mile Bay. Good Luck and enjoy the summer.

Wind and rain has slowed down fishing in the Devils Lake area. Some pike and a few walleyes continue to get caught. Anglers are pitching crankbaits or jigs with power bait up in the shallows. Productive areas include the north shore of the Flats, Bad Boy Bay, Howard Bay and Pelican Lake. A few of our cabins recently became available for the 14th through the 21st of June and the 21st thru the 28th of June due to a cancellation.

Fishing activity has been picking up in the shallows. Northern pike are very aggressive right now with a few walleyes mixed in. Anglers are pitching jigs and powerbait, bent lip Shad Raps, Husky Jerks, Countdowns and Rattling Rogues up into a couple feet of water. Productive areas have been Pelican Lake, the North Shore of the Minnewauken Flats and Bad Boy Bay. Fishing success should continue to improve as the weather straitens out.

Ice is completely gone. Walleye success has dropped off this past week. Anglers are finding some walleyes up in Channel A, the Pump House and the Woods Rutten Road. Anglers are using primarily jigs and minnows. Pike fishing seems to be picking up after a little lull. Mauvais Coulee, Highway 281 and Channel A have been good areas for pike. We have our docks in and are ready for summer.

Spring is finally here. We are predicting ice out by this weekend. Pike are biting really well up in the coulees and channel A. Walleyes are just starting to show up. Anglers are using jigs and twister tails, jigs and minnows, crankbaits and spoons. Most of the fishing is being done from shore or small boats but big boats should be able to get around by the weekend.

Fresh snow and strong winds has put a stop to most of the fishing in the Devils Lake basin. Still plenty of ice available for foot traffic or ATV but nobody out fishing the past few days.

Ice conditions continue to deteriorate. Anglers have been traveling by ATV's and foot. Fishing has been good for both walleyes and pike but hit and miss of perch.

Anglers are finding both walleyes and pike in the Mauvauis Coulee System on the west end of the lake. Productive depths have been 4 to 12 feet of water. Some walleyes are also being caught in Mission Bay and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Anglers are using smelt below tip ups for pike and jigging buckshot rattle spoons or jigging raps for walleyes.

Perch fishing seems hit and miss with many of the bigger fish coming out of shallower water (10 - 20 feet) in the back of Creel Bay, Black Tiger Bay and Skadsens Bay. Anglers have been using Kastmasters, Halis or a plain hook and minnow for perch.

Ice conditions are deteriorating. No vehicle travel is advised on the ice. Anglers are either using ATV's or walking out. Overall, fishing has been fair.

Perch fishing has been fair in Black Tiger Bay, Skadsens Bay and Creel Bay. Anglers are starting to report good luck in shallower water, 13 to 20 feet of water. A plain hook and minnow or small spoon tipped with spikes has been good for perch.

Walleye action remains fair on East Bay in front of Acorn Ridge, the Stromme Addition, and Mauvaise Coulee. Anglers are catching Walleyes in 7 to 20 feet of water using Buckshot Rattle Spoons and Jigging Raps tipped with minnows.

Pike fishing remains good at Churches Ferry, Mauvais Coulee and Six Mile Bay. Anglers are catching pike in shallow water with smelt below tipups.

Ice is going fast with little vehicle traffic expected after this weekend. Perch Fishing seems to be showing some improvement with some good catches coming in. The Towers, Black Tiger Bay, Swansons Point, Skadsens Bay and Hay Bale Bay have been producing perch for anglers. Anglers are still finding perch deep, 33 to 45 feet of water and using Halies, Genz Worms and hanger rigs tipped with waxworms or spikes.

Walleye fishing seems to be turning on with Mauvais Coulee, Mission Bay and the High Way 20 and 57 bridges producing fish. Anglers are fishing in the evening with Spoons tipped with minnows.

Pike fishing has been good with Churches Ferry and Minnewauken Flats being best.

Perch Fishing success has dropped off the last day and a half. Anglers are still marking fish on the Vexilars and catching small fish but over all, the perch fishing has gotten tough. Anglers have been finding some perch in Black Tiger Bay, the Towers, and the Camp Grafton / Military Point Shoreline. Anglers are finding perch deep in 33 to 47 feet of water. Hanger rigs combined with a small horizontal jig like a Ratso, Rat Finke, or Fat Boy tipped with spikes or waxworm or a dead rod rigged with a small minnow has been catching perch.

Walleye fishing remains sporadic with the Mission Bay area and Mauvais Coulee seeming the most consistant. Anglers are finding walleyes in 6 to 22 feet of water in the early morning and evening hours. Jigging Raps, Buckshot Rattle Spoons or Rocker Minnows tipped with a minnow head or a dead rod rigged with a plain minnow has been working for some anglers.

Pike fishing remains hot with Pelican Lake and Churches Ferry offering the most action. Anglers are finding pike in very shallow water and using smelt or herring below tipups.

Perch fishing seems to be picking up. Good catches are starting to come out of the middle of Black Tiger Bay in 33 feet of water. Military Point and the Camp Grafton shoreline in 33 to 47 feet of water have also produced good catches. The Towers and Dome House have also been producing perch. Hanger rigs tipped with a small Ratso, Rat Finke or Fat Boy tipped with spikes or a perch eye seem to be producing best but Halis, Forage Minnows or Genz Worms have also worked.

Walleye fishing has been sporadic with the Mission Bay area seeming to be the most consistent. Highway 57, Highway 20 and Mauvais Coulee have also been producing walleyes. Depthes range from 6 to 22 feet of water in the early morning and evening hours. Anglers are using Jigging Raps, Buckshot Rattle Spoons and Rocker Minnows tipped with a minnow head.

Pike fishing has been excellent with Pelican Lake and Churches Ferry producing great pike fishing. Anglers are finding pike in very shallow water and using herring and smelt below tipups.

Perch fishing has been slow with isolated reports of good catches. Anglers are finding some perch in front of the Dome House, Camp Grafton Shore Line, Rocky Point and the south end of Black Tiger Bay. Anglers are finding perch in 37 to 47 feet of water on the Main Bay and 30 to 34 feet of water on Black Tiger. Halis, Forage Minnows, hanger rigs and Genz Worms tipped with spikes or waxworms have been preferred baits by many anglers.

Walleye fishing has been fair. The north end of Six Mile Bay, Mauvais Coulee, Swansons Point and Mission Bay have been producing walleyes for anglers. Most of the walleyes are being caught right away in the morning or late afternoon and early evening. Depthes have ranged from 6 to 22 feet of water. Anglers are using Jigging Raps, Buck Shot Rattle Spoons or Rocker Minnows tipped with a minnow head.

Pike fishing has been hot in some areas. The west end of the lake has been the most productive. Areas like Pelican Lake, Churches Ferry, Lake Irvine and Morrison Lake have been producing some pretty fast paced action for pike. Depthes have been extremely shallow, often with only a foot of water under the ice. Anglers are using smelt or herring under tipups.

While perch fishing picked up mid week, it seems to be on the downslide. Anglers are finding perch but the schools seem to be really on the move. Perch have been being caught in along the north shore of the Main Lake between Military Point and Highway 57. The Towers and the mouth of Six Mile Bay have also produced perch for anglers in the past few days. Depthes have been anywhere from 37 to 45 feet of water. Halis, Kastmasters, Forage Minnows or hanger rigs tipped with spikes or waxworms have been catching fish.

Walleye fishing remains fair around the bridges of Highway 57 and Highway 20 and Mission Bay. The north end of Six Mile Bay and Mauvais Coulee. Anglers are finding walleyes in 7 to 20 feet with the most activity taking place in the early morning or evening. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and Rocker Minnows tipped with a minnow head have been working.

Pike fishing is really starting to turn on with the best areas being Six Mile Bay, Morrison and Churches Ferry. Anglers are using smelt or herring below tipups and finding pike in very shallow water.

After a very tough stretch the past few days, the Perch fishing seemed to have picked up today on the Main Lake. Good catches of perch came out of the Camp Grafton shoreline and also out in front of Wolfords Bay. Depthes seemed to range between 39 and 44 feet of water. Halies, hanger rigs and Forage minnows with a dropper worked well. poductive colors seemed to be blue / chrome, metallic or gold. Anglers were tipping with either spikes or a perch eye.

Walleye fishing has been fair with some fish continuing to be caught around the 57 bridge, Highway 20 and Mission Bay. Anglers are catching walleyes in the early morning or evening hours in 17 to 24 feet of water. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps, Rocker Minnows and Ivan Glows tipped with a minnow head have worked for anglers.

Pike fishing has slowed down somewhat. The pike seem to be coming out of flooded timber in close proximity to deep water. Six Mile Bay, Military Point, Creel Bay, Old Mill Bay and Budweiser Bay have produced pike. Anglers have been jigging lures the past few day because the cold temperatures have made the use of tip ups less effecient. Productive lures have been Nils Masters, Jigging Raps, or large spoons tipped with minnows.

Perch fishing continues to be a tough bite. Anglers have been finding perch in deep water, 34 to 45 feet of water. The mouth of Creel Bay, the Towers, Dome House, Cactus Point and the mouth of Black Tiger Bay in front of the tree fort. Hanger rigs with Ratsos or Rat Finkes tipped with spikes or a dead rod rigged with a plain hook and crappie minnow have been producing for anglers.

Walleye fishing remains fair. Walleyes have been coming out of the 57 bridge area, Highway 20 bridge, Mission Bay, Foughtys Point, Haybale Bay and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Anglers are having the most action in the early morning or evening hours. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and Rocker Minnows tipped with a minnow head have been productive combinations.

Pike fishing has slowed some but remains fair. Cactus Point, Swansons Point, Old Mill Bay, Budweiser Bay and Morrison Lake have been productive. Anglers are targeting the edge flooded timber in 8 to 20 feet of water with smelt of herring below tipups.

Perch fishing has slowed down the past day and a half. Anglers are finding perch out from the Towers, the Dome House, the mouth of Creel Bay and the south end of Black Tiger Bay. Anglers are finding perch deep in 40 to 45 feet of water. The bite has been tough with hanger rigs tipped with Ratsos or Rat Finkes tipped with spikes or a plain hook and small minnow below a dead rod seeming to produce best.

Walleye action has been fair with fish starting to move into the bridges. Highway 57, Highway 20, Mission Bay and Mauvais Coulee have been productive for anglers. Anglers are fishing in 14 to 24 feet of water with the best action in the morning or evening. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps, Rocker Minnows and Nils Masters tipped with a minnow head have been productive. Please be cautious of bad ice when fishing near the bridges. The walleye are near the bridges because of current and current equals bad or thin ice.

Pike fishing has been fair to slow. Pike are being caught on Morrison Lake, Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay and on flooded timber on the Main Lake and Minnewauken Flats. Anglers are using smelt or herring below tipups in 6 to 20 feet of water.

Perch fishing seems to be imporving slightly with the best bite seeming to continue on the Main Lake Basin in deep water. Good catches of perch have come out of the mouth of Creel Bay, the north shore in front of Camp Grafton, the Dome House, the Towers and the Yellow Trailer. Anglers are finding perch in 41 to 47 feet of water. Halis, Forage Minnows, KastMasters, Genz Worms and Hanger Rigs have been working well with glow colors seeming to produce the best.

Walleye fishing has been hit and miss. Some walleyes have come out of the North End of Six Mile Bay, Rocky Point, Cactus Point, Mission Bay and the 57 Bridge. Anglers have been finding fish in 10 to 24 feet of water during low light conditions. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and Rocker Minnows tipped with a minnow head have been working well.

Pike Fishing has been fair. Morrison Lake has been the most consistent for action while the the shorelines on the Main Lake Basin have been producing the biggest pike. Anglers are targeting the flooded timber and using either smelt or herring on tip ups.

Perch fishng continues to be sporadic. Some good catches of perch have come out of the Towers area, the Dome House, Rocky Point, the mouth of Creel Bay, Swansons Point and the Woods Rutten Road. Deep is the word, anglers are catching perch in 41 to 47 feet. Halis, Forage Minnows, Kastmasters, Genz Worms, Fat Boys or Hanger Rigs with Ratsos or Rat Finkes have been productive. Glow colors seem very productive. Spikes, waxworms, perch eyes or minnow heads have all been working.

Walleye fishing remains fair. Some productive areas include the 57 bridge, north end of Six Mile Bay, Swansons Point, Cactus Point and Old Mill. Anglers have been fishing in 7 to 24 feet of water during the evening or early morning hours. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps, Sonars, and Nils Masters tipped with a minnow head have been popular lure choices.

Pike Fishing remains fair to good on Morrison Lake, Six Mile Bay, Old Mill Bay, Concrete Bay and Creel Bay. Anglers are targeting the edges of flooded timber in 7 to 20 feet of water. Tipups with either smelt or herring have been working well.

Perch fishing has been sporadic the past few days. Some very good catches have come in while some anglers continue to struggle. The hot areas the past few days have been the north shore near the Woods Rutten Road and out from the Towers in front of Old Mill bay. Anglers are finding perch in 32 to 45 feet of water. The bigger perch seem to be on a spoon bite. Halis, KastMasters, Forage Minnows or small horizontal jigs on a dropper rig seem to be working best. Anglers are tipping with either spikes, waxworms or perch eyes.

Walleye fishing has been fair. Old Mill Bay, Doc Hagens, Swansons Point, Cactus Point, the north end of Six Mile Bay and Haybale Bay have produce walleyes for anglers in the past few days. Walleye anglers are finding fish in a variety of depthes during lowlight conditions. Productive depthes have been anywhere from 7 to 24 feet of water near submerged timber or rocks. Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps, Rocker Minnows or Ivan Glows tipped with a minnow head have been working well.

Pike fishing seems to be heating up again. big points or saddles on the Main Lake Basin have been producing several big fish. Swansons Point, Cactus Point, Jeromes Bar, Doc Hagens, Creel Bay and Old Mill are a few areas producing impressive catches of pike recently. Tipups with either smelt or herring have been productive. Spearing results have varied from fair to good with fairly good water visibility.

Perch fishing seems to be showing some improvement. Some nice catches have been coming off Military Point and the Camp Grafton Shoreline, the Dome House, the Towers and the Yellow Trailer. The Woods Rutten Road, Skadsons Bay and the East Bay Campground have also been producing perch. Anglers have been finding perch in 32 to 37 feet of water. Halis, Forage Minnows, Kastmasters, Genz Worms and dropper rigs tipped with spikes, waxworms, perch eyes and small minnows.

Walleye fishing has been hit and miss but some fish have been coming out of the Haybale Bay Area, Cactus Point, the Yellow Trailer, Concrete Bay, Swansons Point and Mission Bay. Anglers are targeting the evening and early morning bite in 7 to 22 feet of water. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Rocker Minnows, Swedish Pimples, Jiging Raps and KastMasters tipped with minnows have been productive for anglers.

Pike fishing has gotten a little sporadic but overall, good. Six Mile Bay, Creel Bay, Cactus Point and Wolfords Bay have been productive on the edges of flooded timber. Anglers are using tip ups with either smelt or herring in 6 to 20 feet of water. Pike spearers are still reporting good visibility and having fair success.

Perch fishing has been hit or miss the past few days. Some productive areas for perch have been the mouth of Creel Bay, Rocky Point, Camp Grafton, Skadsens Bay and the Woods Rutten Road. Anglers have been finding perch in 33 to 37 feet of water. Halis, Genz Worms, Forage Minnows and hanger rigs have been producing for anglers. Anglers have been tipping their lures with spikes, waxworms, perch eyes or small minnows.

Walleye fishing has been fair to good. Some productive areas have been the north end of Six Mile Bay, Swansons Point, Concrete Bay, Rocky Point, Haybale Bay, Cactus Point and Mission Bay. Anglers have been finding walleyes in 10 to 22 feet of water during the early morning or evening hours. Buckshot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and Sonars have been working well.

Pike fishing has cooled off somewhat but good catches have still been coming in. Six Mile Bay, Minnewauken Flats, Creel Bay and Wolfords Bay have been producing nice pike. Morrison Lake is also kicking out many pike. Anglers have been using either herring or smelt below tipups. Pike spearers are still reporting good visibility and are having average to good success. Anglers are finding pike on the edges of flooded trees in 8 to 20 feet of water.

Perch Fishing seemed to have taken a nose dive across the lake. Brutal windchills made mobility difficult. Some perch were caught on the mouth of Creel Bay, the south end of Black Tiger Bay, Woods Rutten Road and Skadsens Bay. Over all, the bite was very tough with extremely small jigs packed with spikes or a plain hook and tiny tail hooked minnow producing best. Anglers are still finding the perch deep in 32 to 36 feet of water.

Walleye fishing was fair to poor. Some walleyes are getting caught in Concrete Bay, north end of Six Mile Bay, Hay Bale Bay, and Mission Bay. Anglers are using a dead rod and minnow or jigging Buck Shot Rattle Spoons and Jigging Raps in 18 to 24 feet of water during the evening hours.

Pike fishing and Spearing remains fair but temperatures are making tip up fishing difficult. Pike are coming out of Creel Bay, Six Mile Bay, Wolfords Bay, Bud Bay, Old Mill Bay and Morrison Lake. Anglers are targeting the edges of the flooded timber with smelt or herring.

Perch fishing this past week has been good. Anglers are finding perch in 30 to 36 feet of water with most of the action coming out of East Bay near the Woods Rutten Road, East Bay Campground, the West shore of Black Tiger Bay, Haybale Bay, Skadsens Bay, and the Stromme Addition. Some perch are also being taken on the Main Lake at the mouth of Creel, the Towers, Lost Jig, and Cactus Point. Anglers are using Halis, Genz Worms, Fat Boys, Forage Minnows and Dropper Rigs tipped with spikes and waxworms.

Walleye Fishing has been fair to good in Mission Bay, Old Mill Bay, Bud Bay, Cactus Point, Rocky Point and Military Point. Anglers are finding walleyes in 18 to 24 feet of water during the evening hours. Jigging Raps, Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Ivan Glows and Sonars tipped with minnows have been working well.

Pike fishing and spearing continues to be pretty reliable. Anglers are finding pike in the flooded timber in Old Mill, Wolfords Bay, Bud Bay and Six Mile Bay in 10 to 20 feet of water. Morrison Lake to the north has also been hot. Anglers are using tipups with smelt or herring.

The sun came out, the wind went down and fishing really turned on across the lake. Good perch catches came from the East Bay Campground area, Woods Rutten Road, Mouth of Creel, Stromme Addition and the North Shore near Camp Grafton. Perch anglers are finding fish in 32 to 36 feet of water and using Halis, Genz Worms, Fat Boys, Forage Minnows, Dropper Rigs and KastMasters tipped with spikes, wawworms or perch eyes.

Walleye Fishing has remained fair on Cactus Point, Rocky Point, the Stromme Addition, Mission Bay, Swansons Point, the Dome House and in front of Old Mill Bay. Anglers are using Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Rocker Minnows, Jigging Raps and Sonars in 10 to 24 feet of water in the evening hours.

Pike angling and spearing remains good. The pike have shifted into a little deeper water but water visability remains good for spearing. Old Mill Bay, Budweiser Bay, Six Mile Bay and Creel Bay are producing consistent pike action. Sweetwater and Morrison are also producing pike. Anglers are using herring or smelt and targeting the 10 to 20 foot depths for pike.

Perch fishing has gotten sporadic the past few days. Strong winds and cold temperatures have slowed down mobility. Some good catches are coming in but most anglers have struggled the past few days. Good catches of Perch have come from the south and west shore of Black Tiger Bay, the Woods Rutten Road, in front of the Dome House, the Towers, the mouth of Creel Bay, Cactus Point and in front of the Casino. Anglers are finding perch in 32 to 44 feet of water. Halis, Gez Worms, Fat Boys, Forage Minnows and KastMasters have all been producing perch. Anglers are tipping with Spikes, Wax Worms, perch eyes, or a small minnow.

Walleye fishing has remained fair. Walleyes have been caught on Rocky Point, the Dome House, Swansons Point, the Stromme Addition and Mission Bay. Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps, Sonars, and Ivan Glows tipped with a minnow have been working best. Anglers are targeting the evening bite in 10 to 24 feet of water.

Pike fishing and spearing remains fair but weather has made tip up fishing tough. Wolfords Bay, Creel Bay, Mission Bay, the Flats and Morrison Lake have been the most productive. Anglers have been using smelt or herring and fishing in flooded timber areas in 10 to 20 feet of water. Spear houses still reporting good visibility and have been reporting success.

Perch fishing has remained good to fair throughout the week. Productive areas have been the mouth of Creel Bay, Swansons Point in front of the Casino, south and west side of Black Tiger Bay, Stromme Addition, Cactus Point and Fort Totten Point. Anglers are finding perch anywhere from 24 to 44 feet of water. Genz Worms, Fat Boys, Forage Minnows, KastMasters and Halis, tipped with waxworms, spikes, perch eyes or minnow heads have been productive.

Walleye fishing has been good on Rocky Point, Stromme Addition, Swansons Point, Cactus Point, the flooded timber in Haybale Bay and Mission Bay. Anglers are catching walleyes during the early morning or evening in 10 to 24 feet of water. Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps, KastMasters and Rocker Minnows tipped with minnow heads have all been producing fish.

Pike angling and Spearing remains excellent. Pike are being found on the edges of the flooded timber in Wolfords Bay, Budweiser Bay, Old Mill Bay, in front of the Country Club on Creel Bay and Sweet Water Lake and Morrison Lake. Smelt and Herring on Tip Ups are producing the most action. Productive depths have ranged from 7 to 20 feet of water.

Perch fishing has been on the rebound over the weekend. Nice catches of perch have came out of Creel Bay, Black Tiger Bay, in front of the Casino, Dome House and in front of East Bay Campground. Anglers have been finding perch in 24 to 37 feet of water. Halis, Genz Worms, Fatboys, Forage Minnows, Jigging Raps and KastMasters tipped with spikes, waxworms, or perch eyes have been working.

Some walleyes are being taken in Mission Bay, the flooded timber in Hay Bale Bay, Swansons Point and the north end of Six Mile Bay. Anglers have been targeting the evening bite in 10 to 24 feet of water. Jigging Raps, Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, Ivan Glows and Kastmasters tipped with a minnow have been working well.

Pike Fishing continues to be good along the flooded timber in several of the larger bays including Wolfords Bay, Budweiser Bay, Old Mill Bay, Six Mile Bay and Sweetwater Lake and Morrison Lake have been producing numerous fish.

The cold weather is improving ice conditions across the lake but caution is still advised.

Overall, fishing has been pretty unproductive the past few days. Strong winds, snow and miserable temperatures have kept many anglers off the lake. There have been some perch being caught in Black Tiger Bay, Creel Bay and in front of the Dome House but the bite has been tough. 33 to 43 feet of water. Genz Worms, Fat Boy, Halis, Forage Minnows tipped with waxworms, spikes, or small minnows. Walleye fishing has also slowed down when this front came through. Some walleyes had been going in Mission Bay, Rocky Point, Dome House, North Side of Grahams Island and the north end of Six Mile Bay. 12 to 24 feet of water in the evenings using Jigging Raps or Buck Shot Rattle Spoons. Pike fishing has remained fair. Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay, Sweet Water Lake, Morrison Lake have all been productive. Tip ups rigged with frozen herring have been working well. Spear houses have remained productive.

Perch fishing continues to be hit and miss but good catches have been coming out of Black Tiger Bay and Creel Bay. Perch anglers are marking alot of fish on the Vexilar but having a hard time getting the fish to bite. The best strategy has been a sit and wait approach after fish have been found. The perch have been coming out of 30 to 34 feet of water over in Black Tiger Bay and 37 to 44 feet of water in Creel Bay. Anglers have been using Hali's, Forage Minnows, GenzWorms, Fat Boys and KastMasters. Small minnows, spikes and wax worms have all been working with waxworms seeming to produce the best. Walleye fishing remains fair with fish coming out of Mission Bay, Doc Hagens, North Side of Grahams Island, Dome House, Cactus Point, and Rocky Point. Anglers have been fishing the evening bite in 12 to 24 feet of water with Buck Shot Rattle Spoons, KastMasters and Jigging Raps tipped with minnow heads. Pike fishing remains red hot. Several ten to fifteen pound fish have been taken this past week from Woodland Resort's Rental Houses by both tip up anglers and dark house spearers. Wolfords Bay, Budweiser Bay and Six Mile Bay continue to be the hot spots for pike. Anglers are finding the pike in 8 to 15 feet of water and the best bait has been frozen herring or smelt. Ice conditions really fluctuate between 8 to 18 inches. Anglers are advised to drive with extreme caution or use ATV's. Please be safe and constantly check the ice.

Perch fishing has been spotty the past few days. Some anglers are reporting good catches while most are struggling. Some perch have been caught in Black Tiger Bay, north end of Creel Bay, Dome House, and in front of Camp Grafton on East Bay. Productive lures have been Forage Minnows, Kast Masters, Genz Worms and Fatboys tipped with either a wax worm, spike or minnow head. Depthes have ranged from 33-45 feet of water. Walleye fishing has been fair in front of the Dome House, north end of Six Mile Bay and Mission Bay. Anglers have been jigging Raps, Rattle Spoons, and Nils Masters. The evening bite has been in 15 to 24 feet of water. Pike fishing has been good. Spear houses have been reporting excellent success. Anglers are using smelt or herring on tip ups in Wolfords Bay, Six Mile Bay and Budwiser Bay in 10 to 15 feet of water.

Perch anglers have reported mixed success. Some good catches of perch have came from Creel Bay, Black Tiger, Skadsens and Haybale Bay in the past few days. Some anglers are beginning to drive their vehicles on the ice but we would advise extreme caution. Good lures have been the Halis, Genz Worms and KastMasters tipped with spikes. Depths have been ranging anywhere from 30 to 36 feet of water There has been some walleye activity on the east shore of Black Tiger Bay next to the flooded Timber in the evenings and the north end of Six Mile Bay and also in front of Wolfords Bay. The evening bite has been anywhere from 12 to 24 feet of water. Anglers have been using Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and also tip ups. Pike fishing and spearing remains very good. Hot spots have been Wolfords Bay and Six Mile Bay. Anglers have been reporting excellent luck with frozen herring or smelt. Good Luck on the ice and remember to use caution when out on the ice. We are conveniently located right on the shore of Creel Bay for all of your lodging and rental house needs.

Ice conditions gradually improving but would still not recommend vehicle traffic besides ATV or snowmobile. Ice thickness really fluctuates from 11 inches to six inches. Stay clear of the bridges because of bad ice. Perch fishing has been hit and miss. The south end of Black Tiger Bay, Haybale Bay and the Woods Rutten Road area have produced for anglers this past week. Creel Bay is also producing some perch in front of the Retreat Center and near the Country Club. Anglers are all ready finding the perch in 29 to 36 feet of water. Hot lures have been the Genz Worms, Hali's, KastMasters and Forage Minnows baited with a minnow head. Walleye fishing has been fair to good. Anglers are finding walleyes on the edges of flooded timber in front of Camp Grafton, Budweiser Bay and over on the Minnewauken Flats. Walleyes have been running on average anywhere from 24 to 12 feet in the evenings. Hot lures have been Rattle Spoons, Jigging Raps and a plain hook and minnow. Pike fishing has been tremendous in Wolfords Bay, Budweiser Bay and Six Mile Bay. Setting tip ups in six to twelve feet of water has been producing some amazing action. The dark house spearers are reporting good water clarity. New for this year are our two new dark house spearing houses. We keep them on the fish and provide you with all the gear to try this exciting sport.

In these past few weeks we have started to get our colder weather. There now is 8 to 9 inches of ice at the north end of Creel Bay. The shorelines of the bays are the safest areas to use an ATV or snowmobile. We recommend using caution while on the ice. Perch are just starting to pick up. Few perch being caught in Haybale Bay, the Wood-Rutten Road, and the north end of Creel Bay. Walleye are also being caught out of the trees. There are fish houses on the lake but they are scattered along the shorelines. Spear fishing for northern pike in Wolfords� Bay has been very good.

A big thanks to all the tournament anglers that braved the difficult conditions on Sunday! As you can see some anglers were able to find active walleye. Fishing continues to be challenging due to cool weather. Stand by for warmer weather. New report will be posted Thursday, or Friday this week. The Report below lists the tournament results. The first number is the team�s place followed by number of fish, and total weight. Woodland Resort

World Walleye Association Tournament
Devils Lake North Dakota Tournament Results
May 5th 2002
Place Team Name # Fish Weight Points Prize
1 Jason Ramberg- Langdon/ Chad Bickett- Carrington 5 14.43
2 Jeff Trana- Devils Lake/ Rick Darling- Leeds 3 12.58
3 Kelly Moody- Williston/ Dave Benth- Williston 1 7.61
4 Al Freidig- Devils Lake/ Tim Rutten- Devils Lake 2 6.88
5 Bryan Backer-Bismarck/ Scott Wolt- Bismarck 2 6.30
6 Dan Erickson- Harvey/ Rob Erickson-Bismarck 1 5.53
7 Scott Piper- Jamestown/ Dean Snow- Jamestown 1 5.31
8 Corey Heiser- Fargo/ Troy Stone- Fargo 1 4.49
9 William Olsen- / Leslie Olsen 2 4.31
10 Jeff Hanson- Devils Lake/ Ray Sainsbury- Devils Lake 1 4.18
11 Pat Thorson- Neil Kadlec 2 4.15
12 Mark Finch- Carrington/ Rick Hegvik- Glenfield 2 3.62
13 Cory Anderson- Devils Lake/ Ken Remmen Devils Lake 1 2.34
14 Scott Steckler- Mandan/ Garth Blumhardt- Bismarck 1 1.70
15 Ed Bullinger-Bismarck/ Monty Unterseher- Mandan 0 0
16 Jim Carroll- Minot/ Corey Ell- Minot 0 0
17 Brian Dahlin- Fargo/ Jason Kohlman- Fargo 0 0
18 Casey Dodgson- Eldridge/ Rod Lux- Jamestown 0 0
19 Jason Feldner- Minnewauken/ Shelle Feldner- Minnewauken 0 0
20 Jason Fischer- Bismarck/ Pete Knell- Bismarck 0 0
21 Randy Gisvold- Carrington/ Jason Gisvold- Bismarc 0 0
22 Chad Harding-Bemidji MN/ Jason Wegwenth- Bemidji MN. 0 0
23 George Heiser- Finley/ Joel Heiser- Finley 0 0
24 Scott Larson- West Fargo/ Chris Reinhart- Sharon 0 0
25 Brian Sailer- Garrison/ Jeff Sailer- Minot 0 0
26 John Takala- Woodworth/ Eric Hoggarth- Woodworth 0 0
27 Gary Weaver- Jamestown/ Gary Suko- Jamestown 0 0

Welcome to spring! If you can call it that. The recent weather has really hampered fishing. Cold and wet conditions have made I miserable to be on the water, so little in the way of good reports from boat anglers. The weekend looks like fair weather. Woodland Resort will be hosting the World Walleye Association tournament this Sunday, so we should field some good anglers and get a better idea on what is happening. Looks like a good turnout and hopefully good fishing. One of our major problems this spring has been lack of run off resulting in little current at Channel A and the Mauvais Coulee. These two locations have been, in past years, spring hot spots. So far Pike actions and some walleye are the only reports. Water temps are around 37*, look for improved fishing as the water temps warm. We are looking for mid 50* temps to really get fish active. Stay tuned. Enjoy the spring and good luck! Report: The walleye fishing has seen little action. A few nice fish have come out of the Woods Rutten Road area, along with the Mission Bay, Highway 20, and Highway 57 areas. Overall, walleye fishing has been very slow.

Both the walleye and pike fishing have been hot the last few days! Walleye have been coming out of Mauvais Coulee, Mission Bay, and Six Mile Bay. Pike fishing has also been very productive at Six Mile Bay and the Mauvais Coulee area. Perch fishing has been somewhat hit and miss. Some have been taken on Foughty's Point and Mattern Ridge. Black Tiger Bay has also produced a few perch. Good to fair reports are coming out of the cactus point area in deep water (45�). Creel bay has produced some perch off Rocky point and near the retreat center. The Trail association has closed the access to the winter trail system. This is mainly a precaution due to the recent warm weather. Some access points will become questionable soon. Overall ice conditions on the lake are still good. Some areas around bridges and culverts have started to open up a little so be cautious when near these structures. Again, access and pressure ridges can be dangerous. Vehicle travel could become questionable in the near future. Anglers should be able to travel by foot and ATV for at least a couple of weeks. Enjoy the weather and some of the best fishing of the year. Woodland Resort will remain open throughout the spring.

Ice conditions on Devils Lake remain a consistant 25" throughout the majority of the lake. The accesses are good still but puddles of water are present. Perch fishing has been hit and miss this week due in part to the weather fronts that have been hitting the region. Anglers have been having success catching perch at Military point, Rocky point, Ft. Totten bay and Black tiger bay. The majority of the fish being caught in these locations have been in 30-40 feet of water. Perch are being caught on halis and Genz worms tipped with spikes or minnow heads. Walleyes have been caught recently at Military point, Budweiser bay and in front of the dome house east of the towers. Kastmasters and buck-shots tipped with a minnow have been working well. Northerns are being caught in the north end of six mile bay on tip ups using smelt or herring. Good luck and good fishing!!

The perch fishing the last couple of days has picked up. The areas which have seen an increase in production include Black Tiger Bay and Skadson's Bay. There has been some action out in the main lake but the east bay remains the most productive for anglers. Presentations remain the same as prior reports. Some walleye have been caught at Six Mile Bay, in front of the Dome House, and along the submerged timber. The pike fishing has been fair. The best spots to find pike are the north end of Six Mile Bay, Old Mill Bay, Budweiser Bay, and Wolfords Bay. Presentations being used for pike remain the same as previous reports.

Don�t panic yet! The ice is holding up good and we are fishing. The nice weather has melted the little snow we had in our area, and made the accesses a little mushy, but the main sheet of ice is in very good shape (20 to 27�). Be very careful near any pressure ridge, and near the main highway bridges. Forecast for next week looks good, highs in the upper teens to low twenties. Perch fishing the last day or so can be best described as sporadic. The best places to find the jumbo perch are Cactus Point and in front of Yellow Trailer. Others are being found at Six Mile Bay, Skadson's Bay, and Military Point. The walleye action is considered fair to good. Spots that are producing the most walleye right now are in front of the Dome House, along the Highway 57 Bridge, and Fort Totten Point. Pike fishing has been fantastic with many big fish being taken this week. Go to shallow water with tip-ups and herring. Places to find pike include Creel bay, Six Mile Bay, Old Mill Bay, and the flooded timber along the Minnewaukan.

The perch fishing has picked up. Some of the areas which in which the activity has increased include the trough south of Cactus Point, Camp Grafton shoreline, Military Point, and the west shoreline of Black Tiger Bay. These areas have been producing perch the last day and a half. Pike fishing has been good at Old Mill Bay, Budweiser Bay, and Fort Totten Bay. The north end of Six Mile Bay continues to be hot. Pike have also continued to be found along the flooded timber of Minnewaukan Flats. Walleye fishing has been fair to good. Old Mill Bay, Budweiser Bay, and Cactus Point are still the best spots for action. Presentations have remained the same. Pike are being caught with smelt and herring. Walleye continue to be caught on Kastmasters and Buck Shot rattle spoon lures. Perch are still being caught on Fat Boys and Hali's.

Perch fishing has slowed down over the last day and a half; although, there have still been some reports of nice perch being caught up in the corner of Camp Grafton and Highway 57, the mouth of Creel Bay and out from the East Bay Campground. Most people are reporting slower perch fishing and are still fishing in 30-45 feet of water and presentations remain the same as the past reports. Walleye fishing continues to be fair. Some areas that are producing walleye activity is the east side of Grahams Island, the mouth of Six Mile Bay, the point of Budweiser Bay, Old Mil Bay and Ziebachs Pass. Presentation and depth of water hasn't changed much. See previous reports for details about presentation and depth. Northern pike fishing remains good. The location, presentation and depth haven't changed since the last couple of reports. Ice is now about 20� to 23�. If you were planning on attending Shiver Fest this weekend there has been some changes. The sled dog race has been canceled due to lack of snow. Other events planned on the lake have been moved to the Elk�s in town. For more info contact the Devils Lake Chamber of Commerce at 701-662-4903. Product Feature: Often we have reported that walleye have been biting on a lure called �Buck-shot rattle soon� This lure is a unique product that is produced by Northland Tackle company of Bemidji, MN. This lure is a vertical jigging spoon that is fairly heavy, and has a tube inside the lure. The tube contains small pellets that create a rattling sound when jigged. This lure has proven itself on the ice as a good walleye gutter. We stock this rig at our bait shop. Service Feature: The next 6 weeks can be some of the best ice fishing of the season. Woodland Resort still has some limited openings for your winter getaway. If you didn�t know, Woodland offers full kitchen Cabins, Deluxe lodge units, and motel rooms. We are located on Creel bay, Devils Lake. Call us today to make your reservation at 701-662-5996.

Stable weather and hard work by anglers are finally producing some great fishing. Some productive perch areas have been Rocky Point, the mouth of Creel Bay, Military Point, in front of the Casino, Swanson�s Point and out in front of the East Bay Campground. The majority of successful perch fishermen are taking fish out of deep water, 30 - 40 feet. The bite has been light, but those who have been working at it have been catching some real nice jumbo perch. The lures that most fishermen are using are Kastmasters, Hali's, Genz Worms, and Fatboys. The colors that are working the best for perch are chartreuse, glow or a blue/chrome combination. There have been some good catches of walleye being reported from those fishing the Rocky Point area out from the Dome House and also Swanson�s Point. During the daytime concentrate your efforts in 20 - 30 feet of water and as shallow as 10 - 15 feet during the early morning, evening and nighttime hours. The northern fishing continues to be good in the north end of Six Mile Bay. Other areas that are reporting fair to good northern action are the Minnewaukan Flats and Budweiser Bay. Look for areas where there is submerged timber located close to deep water. Product Feature: Many anglers have found that light gear and soft rods are the ticket to getting light biting perch. Today anglers have a great selection of good rods to choose from. One rod that stands out from the pack is the Pro Jig All. This hand made rod is very sensitive, has good backbone, and a beautiful black walnut handle that really picks up those little hits. This American made rod is produced by Eagle�s Pro Sports in Wisconsin and can be found in our bit shop for $18.99. Service Feature: Don�t forget that Woodland Resort offers a full line of Ice fishing rentals. We rent: Perm. Fish houses, portable Fish Trap and Clam fish houses, heaters, Vexilar fish finders, Aqua Vu under water cameras, and Strilke Master Lazer augers. Call us today at 701-662-5996 to make your reservations.

Fishing is picking up, just in time for the Devils Lake Fireman's fishing tournament. Last weekend was very slow for most ice fishing. Our region received around 4" of snow on Tuesday, along with a significant cold front that really slowed fishing action. Since Tuesday, fishing had been steadily improving. Pike fishing continues to excellent both in quantity and quality. Our bait shop weighed one pike that tipped the scale at 22.67lbs on January 20th. Places to work pike include the north end of Six Mile bay, Patience Point and the North end of Creel bay. The trick is to stay in 6 to 15 feet of water near flooded timber. Frozen herring off tip-ups is the ticket. Active perch remain in deep water (30-40') and will take some light gear to get to bite. Try places like Camp Grafton shoreline, in front of the Casino, near the Dome house, and Woods-Rutten road. The key to successful perch and walleye fishing on Devils Lake is to be mobile. If the fish are not biting or no fish are showing up on your Vexilar, be prepared to move to new locations and different depths. Walleye fishing has been a little hit and miss. Head to the mouth of Six Mile Bay, Bud Bay, and Cactus Point. Larger fish will bite in the morning and again near evening. Ice conditions continue to improve to around 17" to 19" of good ice. The Trail Association is plowing trails on the lake. Anglers will have good access and trails to use this weekend. We would like to welcome all the anglers participating in this weekend's tournament. Have fun and enjoy Devils Lake!

Military point, but for some fishermen by mid week fish have been hard to come by. Fish can get serious lockjaw when we have days of unstable weather. The successful fishermen are inciting. Ice fishing continues to be challenging on Devils Lake. Early in the week we had a great bite for perch on perch with small jigs tipped with spikes, or plain hooks tipped with small minnows. Anglers are reporting marking fish in about any location, but getting them to bite is another thing. Ice conditions are improving and the forecasted cool down should put additional needed ice on Devils Lake. Most folks are reporting a good 14" to 16" of ice. Pressure cracks have firmed up but should be considered dangerous and only crossed after testing thickness with an auger. Walleye fishing has been good with nice fish being taken off Rocky point, Wolford's bay, and Mission bay. Pike are providing lots of action off tip-ups rigged up with herring in various locations.

How about this weather! Hard to believe we would be worrying about ice conditions in January. Even with the latest warm up the overall ice conditions are holding in good to fair. We are still seeing around 12-16" of ice through out the lake. The real concern is the pressure ridges. We are advising extreme caution if driving, and keep clear of pressure ridges and cracks. The good news is the latest forecast indicates cooler weather by early next week.