Weekly Devils Lake Report (WBGS)

[Guest]

Everyone...Let me use this spot to post my weekly Devils Lake report. If you want to post your own or have questions use another topic. OK? By the way my reports will center around walleyes. Northerns always bite and I don't fish for whitebass. These are my reports and not talk from the baitshops and resorts. It is what I and the guides I work with are doing. I won't give spots. I fish the west end (Ziebachs Pass to Minewaukan). That is as specific as I can get.

Here it is... Fishing success varies greatly. Catches vary from the incredible to diddle squat. By incredible I mean a 5 fish 7 pound average. By diddle squat I mean bumpkis, noda, nothing. Walleyes are scattered throughout the system. Those willing to work will be rewarded...eventually.

Casting #5 Shad Raps and #4 RS Raps work very well in 1-3 foot of water. That is where the biggest fish tend to be. It is work and can be expensive. Work the windy shores or old windy shorelines. The wind hasn't blown at all the past few days so this bite will get somewhat tougher I suspect. Get some leeches and slipbobber, jig, lindy or bottom bounce in 10-12 foot.

There is a huge, huge amount of shrimp hanging on the wood. You can grab them off by the handfulls. The walleyes will follow and the wood slip bobber/jig bite should be on soon. Wind will push them off the wood and onto the shore. All of the eye's I've seen cleaned are loaded with shrimp. I've seen some leeches in them and also some minnows.

There you go.

------------------
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

[This message has been edited by kevin neve (edited 05-22-2003).]

[Guest]

Fishing still is hit and miss for walleyes. It can yield phenominal catches in an area and then and go stone cold. Spots go dead for no reason at all. This wekend with the holiday saw a lot of action and boat activity that may have cooled some spots. High winds on Memorial Day limited fishing activity. It always blows at least one day on a holiday weekend.

There was an incredible amount of shore fishing going on. There may be another week or two of good shorefishing left. I saw lots of northerns being caught as I drove by. It is not as dangerous this year since Highway 19 has been widened. It still gets a little scary along Highway 281 into Minnewaukan. Please be careful when approaching parked vehicles.

There is quite a bit of slipbobbering going on. This will only get better. Try 10 foot in on windy, woody shorelines. I caught all my fish on bobbers and leeches. Nothing on jigs. Casting into shallow 1 - 4 foot water with plugs can yield huge fish but you need to be prepared for the challenge with the wood eating more cranks than the fish at times.

------------------
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

[Guest]

Fishing is pretty good right now. Things are getting more dependable and the walleyes are moving into their summer haunts some.

I have been slipbobbering more and pitching cranks. If they are 3-6ft pitch. I have done best with #5 Shad Raps RS in perch color the past few days. Try slipping 6-10ft near good crank spots, they may hang deeper at times. Hit the windy shorelines.

For those who care, shore fishing still is good. I think the whitebass may be going too.

I released a 39" northern the other day.

Use cautioin when motoring over shallow areas. Several of these spots have wood on them that is just below the surface this year. I have been anchored on this stuff slipbobbering when someone blows over it WOT.

------------------
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

[Guest]

I've been busy fishing and plum forgot to post reports. Here is one from this week.

The walleyes have gotten smaller. We now longer are picking up as many large fish as we were in June. This is not to say that we are not catching good fish. It is that the smaller ones have moved onto the "usual places" and dominate those areas. One can catch two to three dozen 13 to 15 inchers in one spot vertical jigging and slip bobbering.

Fishing depths vary from 8 to 28 feet. Choose the presentation that is dictated by the location. Very nice catches are occurring using lead core in 20 foor or so deep water.

The fish are very spread out over the entire system now. The habitat and water quality is leveling off. What was new habitat 8 years ago is becoming more in balance with the older deeper sections of the 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

[Guest]

Holy cow!!! It has been a month since I last reported. I have been very busy at both my jobs and have not spent time in front of the computer.

Fishing here has been fantastic here on the flats. Last week I had three one hundred fish days in row. Granted they were small (12 to 15) but it was fast and furious. I used real small leeches and jigs. I anchored over deep branches in 17 foot of water. I also hit some area that held bigger fish but when the clients want to catch fish and laugh and have a good time, let's go for 'em.

It is has been hot and windy for three days now so I left them alone.

The walleyes are all over on humps and long points. Some ares hold bigger fish but less of them.

------------------
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

[Guest]

Walleye fishing continues to be very good. I'm still having 100 fish days. Jigs and small leeches just off the bottom on humps amd long points. Larger fish are being caught trolling the "golden highway" although it can be less dependable. I still am getting reports of large walleyes very shallow but they are a lot of work to locate.

I had several 5 pound plus pike mixed in with the walleyes. An occasional 25"+ inch walleye also.

[Wiskers]

Howdy, any new as of late for Devils lake walleyes? I am heading over there on Thrusday 10-9-03. Are they still pretty deep or moving in to the shallows yet?

I have only fished that lake twice and once we got caught in a wind storm so no fish that day. the other time was the first and had no idea where to go.

With any luck this time I might get into some eyes.

Thanks

------------------
Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River & Minnesota RIver Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

[Guest]

Hello Wiskers,

Sorry I haven't been looking and posting here as much as I ought to. Hope you had a successful visit. Most folks have been concentrating on hunting but those keeping their lines wet have had some reward. A couple weeks back our guests included some recent tournament pros who showed me a thing or two. Fishing more or less the same as I do (but with more finesse and close communications) they got a look at some real beauties. Paying attention to he lake currens created by he changes in wind from day to day they located some very large fish stacked up near submerged road beds and constritcions in the lake where the water moves from one area to another. They dropped jigs righ on their heads after locating with crankbaits and caught some wo hundred fish over three days, many over five pounds with some over nine. It was exceptional graned, but i was fun o see the possibilities. Photos will be on our webpages soon. Have fun and please remember to release the big ones for ohers to enjoy. Go o go now and enjoy supper wih guests!

------------------
SpiritWaterSteve
The Spirit Water Inn
Box 68
Minnewaukan, ND 58351
Reservations Toll Free: (877) 305-1528