Are the perch as big as

[muskybuck]

Back in 1987 I went with a few friends up to
Devils Lake (Christmas time) and after a couple days of searching we found the big ones. We caught all the perch we wanted that weighed between 1.5 to 2 pounds apiece. Are they still that big? By the way that was by far the wildest fishing experience I have ever had. Watching hundreds of people all chasing the same school of fish was something to see. I finally just sat down on my pail and watched. Of coarse the pail was full by then.

[Guest]

In a word...No.

In 1987 the lake was 30% the size it is now. The lake size was shrinking due to drought to 40,000 acres and the fish were concentrated into a small space and it was ridiculously easy to catch all the perch you wanted with no thought for the future.

Since you were here the lake is now over 125,000 acres. The lake has seen the fish pressure increase by 3 times. Over half the angler hours are from non-residents. Perch can roam all over the depths of the lake favoring 36-40 foot depth. That alone makes fishing a little more difficult.

If you haven't been here since 1987 you would not recognize it. If the dike didn't exsist, the city of Devils Lake would be under 20 foot of water.

------------------
Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Slow Jigger]

We went last year and had a great time the majority of the perch were 1 - 1.5 pounds. The lake is huge..... A guide is a good idea if you haven't been there in awhile....

[Dano2]

"[This message has been edited by Dano2 (edited 01-18-2003).]

[This message has been edited by Dano2 (edited 01-19-2003).]

[Guest]

Dano

I mentioned the statistic on the % of non-resident fisherman to show that Devils Lake is a destination location for fisherman to come to. People come from all across the country with the sole purpose to fish here. We are not just known as an excellent fishery to residents of North Dakota but attract fisherman from throughout the nation.

Just in case you thought I was bashing non-residents you are sadly mistaken and not very insightful. As you can see from my posts I am a fishing guide. A little more about me...I am a founding member of the Benson County Tourism Association. I am also a member of the North Dakota Guides Association. All of the aforementioned entities support unrestricted non-resident access to hunting and fishing in our state. The mere fact that I am a forum pro on fishing minnesota and field quesions on North Dakota on a HSOforum that is not directly tied to North Dakota should tell you something.

Another statistic...80% of my clientele pass through Minnesota on their way to Devils Lake.

------------------
Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[Dano2]

Heh, Heh, your definetly right,
sorry.
I jump to conclusions too fast sometimes whenever I hear NR brought up,
I have to quit hanging out on that Nodakoutdoors forum.
Just waiting to see the results, and changes for the 2003 hunting season.
Sorry again.
Dano

[Guest]

If you get a chance this summer, come on over the west end of Devils Lake to Minnewaukan. WE are a little town of 375 people who LOVE resident and non-resident fisherman and hunters.

I have been told many times the the North Dakota directed websites are getting very sickening with the non res debate. I assure all of you that we won't let this forum get booged down in that. I may interject things through the back door from time to time in my responses.

I am taking a day off work on Thursday to lobby for NO non-resident waterfowl liscence caps. The vast majority of us up in this part of the state welcome out of staters and non-locals and are lobbying for that postion. Our wonderful NDGF Director was told by farmers up here at a meeting that they will post there land to exclude resident hunters.

------------------
Kevin Neve's Devils Lake Guide Service
fishingminnesota.com/kevin-neve-guiding/
e-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 701-473-5411 or 701-351-4989
Minnewaukan ND

[icehousebob]

Hey Kevin, I,m glad to see that someone is thinking about the non-residents. We wanted to come up last fall for waterfowl and fishing, but the new regs put a damper on it. One of the websites I read blamed out-of-staters for almost all the hunting and fishing troubles that exist. It almost sounded like send us your money and then stay home. Believe me, if you saw me shoot, you'd know I'm not going to hurt your duck population too much. I've enjoyed every time I've visited ND for fishing, including the time my bottle of brandy froze while sitting on the ice. Just a mite nippy.

[icehousebob]

Hey Kevin, My older brother and I have made several winter trips to Devil's Lake and everyone we've dealt with there has been friendly and helpful. Unlike some tourist places, you guys understand that tourist business means money to the local economy. If we just wanted to catch limits of fish to put in a freezer, we could do it a lot closer to home. Here in Tonka I have several lakes within a few miles. We come to DL looking to put a big perch on the wall, and DL is one of the most likely places to do that. I'm glad to see your state has finally cut the limit. It took Minn. too long to do that and perch fishing took a hit that will take a long time to recover from.
A fun part of the trips there is Ed,s Bait. After seeing everything they offer, if they had bunks a guy could live there. It should be required by law that every town in the country build a place like that.