Devils Lake Trip

[mountaindew]

I'll be going with a couple of guys to Devils Lake in January! We'll be renting Woodland resort perm for a couple of days. We'll be coming from Souther Central MN area.

I was hoping to get a few tips on what to get for lures. Lures for perch, eyes, panfish also for northerns.

Xmas is coming, wanted to write it down on my wishlist!

If you can give me tips and advice on lures, tips for fishing at devils lake, it would be greatly appreciated! Also location on which part of lake works best? Wanted to get the stuff I'd need and have everything ready for the trip.

Thanks!

[marine_man]

Check out this post:

Devils Lake Update

marine_man

[mountaindew]

Planning on bringing a underwater camera along with my marcum lx-5 flasher...

How's the water clarity there? I would think we'd be staying Creel bay area, not sure, it depends on where they (Woodland Resort) put their perms for us. Wonder how deep I'd be fishing in? Want to try to use the Marcum vs625sd underwater camera. Big question is that how's the water clarity in that area?

[looneyducer]

Woodland has their perms out on Rocky point -- a traditional spot for more consistant fishing. If I was fishing Rocky at the end of January I'd start with forage minnows -- probably an 1/8 oz -- green or red glow, or maybe gold, and possibly run a short dropper. I'd probably start with waxies and if I popped a perch I'd use his eyeball for bait. I'd definitely have a deadstick in the water as well.

[mountaindew]

Looneyducer -

Thanks for the advice!

Can you explain "possible run a short dropper", what's that mean? Sorry for such a stupid question...

One other thing..Let's say we're us all 4 of us there in the woodland perm..and we're there all day, if we're not getting any bites. Are we stuck there on that spot all day? I've never went woodland resort and wondered how would the day goes if the spot we're on doesn't produce fish. Woodland resort people claim that the work very hard to put us on the hot spot. So I'd like to come up with a "back up" plan, like maybe us bringing our own auger to walk out from our (woodland's perm) perm, drill additional holes and try different spots?

Or what? Do we radio or call the resort and have them move us? Not sure what's their plan. Is there something else that we should bring? I've never done this. Has anyone done this kind of service? If there are people who did this..I'd like some feedback and more information on what would the people do differently if they could do it again... you know what I mean? Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

[vman11]

I believe he was referring to a short dropper as a tactic that implements a small distance of line between your hook and jigging spoon. This is different from having a treble hook attached directly to your jig.

The dropper sometimes is more effective on sluggish or tough biting fish as they aren't completely intimidated by hitting the actual jig. They can hit the dropper which is a few inches below which again is more appealing to sluggish eating fish. I usually use an entire live minnow on a dropper rig, and the hook is conventional, not a treble.

A guy at work has a brother who is retired on Devils Lake. They fished last Thursday before the blizzards in Creel Bay and didn't get a bite. He said there were plowed roads to at least drive on, but you had to walk and pull sleds to the better locations. 16" of snow on top of 4-6" of water on top of 16" of ice. He said it was the most miserable day he's remembered in a long time.

The good deal with your set up is you won't have to deal with the snow/slush because you are going with a resort. Another plus is resorts tend to try everything they can to keep you happy, and if you're not on the fish, you're generally not happy.

Good luck - post your results after your trip!

[mountaindew]

vman11 - I think I understand...

Quote:

I believe he was referring to a short dropper as a tactic that implements a small distance of line between your hook and jigging spoon. This is different from having a treble hook attached directly to your jig.

The dropper sometimes is more effective on sluggish or tough biting fish as they aren't completely intimidated by hitting the actual jig. They can hit the dropper which is a few inches below which again is more appealing to sluggish eating fish. I usually use an entire live minnow on a dropper rig, and the hook is conventional, not a treble.

What you're referring to something like a hali lure? Like that tiny chain from the lure "weight" to the hook?

Wow, that's gotta be TOUGH getting around on Devils Lake with all that mess there!

I was trying to plan it out on what to bring to the lake. Keeping ourselves busy trying to catch fish. Just wanted to be prepared for the "worst case" which is no bites. Thought I'd get some tips/advice on other people that what would they have brought when they didn't have at the time.

We'll be fishing for 3 days, 1 full day driving up to the resort and 1 day back...a good 9 hour drive! It'll be my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and my wife's niece's soon to be husband and myself going to Devils Lake. None of us has done anything like this and we HOPE to make it a memorable fishing trip with lots of fish to bring home. I will for sure post our results and experience after the trip.

Any other tips/advice or more lures to get before our departure date on the 20th of this month? Thanks in advance!

[vman11]

Yep just like a Hali's.

Bring electronics if you can, borrow or rent if needed, as they will at least tell you if there are fish in the area. Its tough to sit there all day without it because you can't determine whether there aren't any fish in the area or don't like what your presenting.

[candiru]

I would bring some tip-ups and pick up some frozen smelt. The most dependable bite seems to be for northerns.

[marine_man]

Good point... ND allows 4 lines in the winter.. which makes running 2 tipups and 2 rods in the house pretty easy to do.

marine_man

[mountaindew]

Thanks guys! I've got the electronics.

Here's what I'm a bit concerned..I've got a Marcum LX-5 flasher, my father-in-law's got a Hummingbird ICE-55, and the other kid has a Vexilar FL-20. I'm concerned that with all the three electronics inside the perm, would it cause interference between all 3 different brands in the perm?

[marine_man]

The humminbird runs on a different frequency than the vexilar or marcum, so that won't be a problem.

Between the Marcum and Vexilar you should have no problem tuning each other out with the Interference rejection.. you may need to try a couple different IR settings, but shouldn't have a problem. Three of us have fished in a 8X10, 2 marcum's and 1 vexilar and are able to make it work just fine.

marine_man

[mountaindew]

Thanks for the info! Once we're all in there..we should be able to figure it out the tuning and settings on the flashers.

Thanks again!

[dougger222]

Leave your underwater camera at home, very stained water.

A couple years ago we fished Devils and finaly after taking the advice of the guy at the first bait store coming into town went to Irvin. We fished very close to the perch patrol for 3 straight days!!! Fishing was good...

I would bring a portable so if fishing is slow in the sleeper you can move about and try different areas. In the past have always done the best in 6 mile bay.

[mountaindew]

I guess I'll leave the underwater cam home. Thanks for the advice!

See, that's the thing. I'm trying to decide wether or not to bring a 3 man flipover for that specific reason. Not even sure if I CAN bring it. We're staying at woodland resort, and the package we got is lodging at the resort, transportation to and from fish house, live bait and frozen dead bait for tip ups.

On their HSOforum, on their fishhouse package section, "This is not a guided fishing trip, but we do work hard at keeping our houses on the best fishing available in our area. Fishing hours are from sunrise to sunset. Sorry, but we do not do sleeper houses. Devils Lake does not have a night bite" Does this mean, they move their perms daily? Or more than once during the day?

We are 4 guys, and planning on driving 1 truck to up to the resort from southern Minnesota, which is a good 9 hour drive. I would imagine after packing all of our tackle, poles, food, drinks, etc.. in the back of our truck would be pretty full.

We COULD bring a smaller trailer with a flip over on it, and a four wheeler...But how this would work if we're to ride in their tacked machines to our fishhouse? After looking their HSOforum, looks like they do alot of fishing on Creel Bay. Do they go further out?

I'd beat myself up if I talked to my guys into bringing the flipover and the 4 wheeler when we never used them during our trip there.

So anybody who'd done this type of package at the woodland resort, please give me some experiences.

[marine_man]

I can't speak for the resort. Your best bet is to call them and see what they recommend or are willing to accommodate.

I have spent a lot of time at Lake of the Woods... the houses probably do not get moved daily. What I'm thinking they're trying to explain there is that you won't have a guide with you all day, moving you when fishing gets slow. They move the houses when needed to get people on fish... but more often than not that's a gradual process.. just like any other resort anywhere else. Some resorts, depending on how many people they have a given day will move houses and relocate people to that house.. it all depends on their staffing, number of houses and number of clients.

As far as the 4 wheeler goes... I've seen people follow the track van / resort provided transportation out to their rented house and then run a portable out of the rented house... that's not all that uncommon and I'd be surprised if the resort had an issue with that, as long as you understand you're completly on your own with your equipment... if you get stuck it's up to you to get yourself out.

Bottom line.. I'd call the resort and ask them your questions. Better to understand now than be disappointed later.

marine_man

[mountaindew]

That's a good advice. Thank you! I'll have one of my guys call them up and ask the questions.. I would, but I'm deaf.

Either way, I'm pumped to go! We'll be leaving next Thursday. Thanks all!

[marine_man]

Good luck!

marine_man

[candiru]

I would be shocked if they were moving houses more than once a week, probably a lot less. Real tough conditions there right now the way it sounds.

[marine_man]

That's a good advice. Thank you! I'll have one of my guys call them up and ask the questions.. I would, but I'm deaf.

Can't be all bad... you won't have to listen to the belly aching if fishing is slow...

marine_man

[riverview]

Woodlands has houses all over the lake and a slick tracked vehical with a tracked trailer they pull. They move there houses to keep them on fish. from what i hear there customers have been catching fish. As far as the wheeler if it doesnt have tracks dont bother. I fished devils lake last week and it was slow and where ever somebody had fished there was water under the snow. alot of slush all over. Every time i stopped i had to chip ice out of my skid frame. I am going to give it a couple of weeks before i go back

[Double A]

The track vehicles at Woodland are pretty cramped - and dress warm. They can bring 11 people at a time out on the lake - 8 in the back. So keep your "stuff" packed into compact containers. I wouldn't count out the camera unless they're putting you in 25+ FOW. at 14 FOW we had visibility of about 8-10 feet and could get a picture of the structure below. A camera adds a lot to the weight of your bag, though.

There were some issues with the lake this past week so it's best to call to see what's up.

No advice on lures. bring it all and try it all. Small lures and small minnows = small fish. We also had some success with the darter.

[mountaindew]

Thanks all for the ice/snow condition report. Wow, that's pretty hectic! We (southern MN) had similar situation situation with all the snow/slush problems, we had this "heat wave" that was in the 35-40 for 2 days and that melted the snow on top of the ice and then it refroze it right back up. In a week it was a foot of snow with 2 inches of ice then underneath that 4 inches of slush, then 6 inches of ice! Now it's almost 18 inches of ice in a week after the meltdown.

marine_man - I still haven't called them, all my buddies had to work late last night, so I'll try again sometime this week. Thanks!

candiru - "I would be shocked if they were moving houses more than once a week, probably a lot less. Real tough conditions there right now the way it sounds." Yikes. What made you say that? Woodland resort have their heavy duty tracking machines that pull them...are you saying that they don't move them all that often?

riverview - No, I don't have tracks on my 4 wheeler. I'll just leave my 3 man flipover and 4 wheeler home. Wouldn't want to have those headaches getting stuck out there!

MeltedDon - Thanks for the info on the track vehicles. What you mean by packed containers, you mean something like big tubs/storage with a lid on em?

In that case I'll bring my underwater cam.

"We also had some success with the darter" Could you tell me the size and color of the darter?

Thanks again! Want to be prepared for the trip.

[Double A]

The last couple years I have been packing all my gear in a heavy canvas waterproof duffle bag. I pack my rod bags, underwater camera, vex, tackle, snacks, camera, etc in the duffle bag. That way I can put it on the rack on the front of the track machine. If it's -10, a tub or anything plastic isn't going to survive the trip outside.

Also - very nice to grab my bag - one trip and I'm done.

I think the darter was a #3 Red Tail Shiner. Buy 'em all. The economy needs all the help it can get.

[LMITOUT]

Quote:

'It was terrifying'

Vehicle falls through ice near Fort Totten

By Sue Kraft, Lifestyles Editor

Devils Lake Journal

Posted Jan 11, 2011 @ 12:00 PM

Devils Lake, ND —

Steve “Zippy” Dahl has seen in a lot in 16 years as a fishing guide, but he's never had a vehicle fall through the ice.

Until Sunday.

The owner of the Perch Patrol said he was out with other guides and some out-of-state anglers about 8:30 a.m. on Sunday near Fort Totten, ND, when the unthinkable happened — a tire from one of the pickups caught a crack in the ice and within minutes the entire truck was submerged.

“We've never had anything like this happen before,” he said in a phone interview Monday.

Because of the large amounts of snow on the ice, Dahl said they had previously plowed a trail on the ice — and traveled it several times. But sometime overnight a large crack formed in the ice.

“It was four inches wide, but it had snow over it,” he said. “It was parallel to the trail we made the day before.”

Dahl said two pickups had passed the crack without incident but tires of the third vehicle slipped into the crack. He said the driver, Bill Ortiz, noticed the danger and told all of the occupants to exit the vehicle.

“Bill told everyone to get out,” Dahl said.

He said the passenger in the front seat jumped out of the vehicle immediately and Ortiz stood on the running boards to help the other three out of the back seat because the passenger door was no longer usable. The men, two from Chicago and two from Wisconsin, escaped without injury.

Dahl said within 90 seconds the front of the vehicle was in the water — and just minutes later the entire truck was submerged.

“It went vertical — straight in the air, almost like Titanic,” he said. “Thank God everybody got out.”

Dahl said soon after the pickup dropped through the ice, the chunk of ice that had broken off floated back to the surface.

“The chunk of ice floated up and it filled in like a jigsaw puzzle,” Dahl said. “It was terrifying.”

Dahl estimates the water was about 22 feet deep where the 2006 Chevy Crew Cab fell through.

Dahl said a couple of the visiting fishermen “got wet” during the incident and the guides quickly set up heated ice houses to dry the men and keep them warm. They then called for help to ferry the men back to shore.

“Thank God we travel together,” Dahl said, obviously still shaken. “It was a scary experience, it's never happened to us before.”

Dahl said the unusual amount of snowfall has created some new challenges for ice fishing this year, but he doesn't think the thickness of the ice was a factor in Sunday's mishap.

“There was 18 inches of ice,” he said. “In my mind, it wasn't the thickness of the ice, it had more to do with that crack. I think it was a freak accident.”

But, he admits, they aren't taking any chances.

“We're canceling clients for now,” he said. “We're hoping for one more cold snap.”

Dahl said he is also considering the purchase of track vehicles, which travel well over snow and distribute the weight more evenly than tires.

First time in Devils Lake

Wisconsin resident Barry Grill, 64, was once a pro bass fisherman and has been fishing most of his life — but this was his first time visiting Devils Lake.

"It's not the first time I've seen a truck go through the ice," he said. "But it's the first time I was in it."

Grill was sitting in the back seat of the truck on Sunday and was the last one to exit the vehicle.

"Bill (Ortiz) has done this a million times, I've done this a million times, but as we crossed it I noticed this crack," he recalled during a phone interview Tuesday morning.

Grill said he remembers thinking, "This isn't right," when he saw the crack in the ice, but was reassured by his friends that is was just an expansion crack.

He said as the truck ahead of them crossed the crack, they saw the right hind wheel go down a bit, but they weren't too concerned.

"It was rough out there," he said.

But, when they tried to cross the crack, the front end began to sink.

"Bill opened the door and said 'bail out, we're going to go down,'" he said.

Grill said he still wasn't too excited about the incident and took his time exiting the vehicle.

"I said, 'I don't think it's going to go down,' — and all of a sudden a big chunk of ice lifted the back of the truck," he said.

He said they were about 50 feet away when they watched the pickup sink.

"It was a scary moment," he said.

But, Grill said, he has seen and done a lot in his 64 years — and this will not deter him from ice fishing again.

"I was thinking about going out fishing today," he said. "It's like falling off a horse."

Grill said he thinks the crack in the ice was formed by the ever-expanding water on Devils Lake.

"The lake is coming up, that's why it's opening up," he said. "I'd be willing to bet that crack goes all the way around the lake."

Grill said he may return to Devils Lake to fish again one day — but first they have to recover from this trip.

"On the way home yesterday, we smashed up his truck," Grill said of fishing companion, Don and his Toyota pickup.

He said the two stopped in Fargo for breakfast on the way home and when re-entering the interstate lost control of the vehicle.

"I went across three lanes and never touched a car," he said.

The vehicle, he noted, sustained minor damage but they were able to drive it home. Neither of the men in the truck were injured.

Grill said he was impressed with the North Dakota law enforcement that attended to the accident, but he was even more impressed with Dahl and his crew.

"The guys did a phenomenal job of making sure we were safe and getting us off the ice," he said. "I'm really impressed with the people, I can't say enough about them. They're just good old boys."