Lake of the Woods or Devils Lake?

[toughguy]

I am trying to get a bunch of friends together for a three day weekend ice fishing trip. We plan on renting perms. I've never ice fished Lake of the Woods or Devils Lake. For those that have been to both which do you prefer and why? Which had better fishing last year? Which has better accomidations? We are leaving from the south metro but distance is not a factor. We'll fish for walleyes, northerns, perch, or pannies, doesn't matter just looking for the best fishing.

Thanks for the help.

[irvingdog]

L.O.W. No reasons needed. Just fish them both. You'll understand for yourself.

[Animal]

I've never been to Devil's Lake so I can't really answer your question. If you decide to go to LOW and are planning to go during a weekend I would suggest you make a reservation NOW. Wheeler's Point has many resorts that are great places to stay and have nice houses. River Bend, Sportsman's & Border View are three I would recommend. There are lots of W's to be had at LOW. Late Dec and March is usually the best bite. Although, the bite is fairly consistant thoughout the ice season.

[fisherman]

I'd definately pick LOW. If you go in late December or very early Januarly I'd try Schusters or Ballards Resort. If you go after this time I'd go to Rocky Point Resort. Just my .02

[iffwalleyes]

LOW is a way better choices for guides/resorts. DL have some resorts that have Perm. but LOW has much more. Plus you have a more generious limit at LOW compaired to DL. You can get good size fish in both lake though.

[Rick]

fixed

[PierBridge]

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Plus you have a more generious limit at LOW compaired to DL. You can get good size fish in both lake though.

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Really? DL has slots like LOW does?

[Northlander]

LOW no doubt.

[hanson]

Toughguy-

I've fished them both. In my opinion, I'd go to Lake of the Woods.

The DL perch fishing is nothing like it used to be although the walleye & pike bite was very good last winter.

My first taste of ice this winter should be on Devil's Lake pike fishing.

[H.Hughes]

DL without a doubt. More structure there than you can imagine, you will not get perch like this anywhere else.

[iffwalleyes]

PierBridge I am sorry. I kind of mislead you. DL you can keep 5 fish per day. But I forgot about the fact that you can have a 10 fish possion limit. There isn't a slot like LOW. MN of course possion limit is the same as a daily limit. With LOW you can keep your 8 aggregate fish limit of walleye and saugers. I'll say it again though I would rather still go to LOW. I usually make 5-6 trips to LOW during the winter and I live 5-6 hours away depending on which side of the lake I am fishing. I only live 2 hours from Devils Lake and I havn't been there for years. Not that fishing isn't good there I just prefer LOW.

[PierBridge]

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I'll say it again though I would rather still go to LOW.

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I knew what you meant just wanted to make sure everyone know's it's not the 10 Walleye 10 Sauger limit of old or the 6 Walleye 8 Sauger limit, it's no more then 4 Walleye and all Walleye's 19.5 to 28 must be released, I believe.

You can still keep 8 fish which is fine by me.

[black max]

I'll put my vote in for LOW also. I love fishing up there, there is normally plenty of biters around and it is just a great experience every time I go up.

[slick814]

Gotta go with LOW. Better all around experience, and more to do if you come off the ice for a bit. Not to mention, you aren't all that far from other great fishing experiences at LOW compared to DL, IMHO.

[Jeff Dosch]

I suppose I better throw my two cents in since I guide on Devils Lake. I havent ever ice fished on LOW but I do get a lot of clients that do or used too. There main reason for switching is the amount of people. I spend everyday on the ice and hardly ever have to fish in a crowd. There are some days we can fish all day and not hear another auger. I know Devils Lake perch fishing is not what it was in the 80's but where else can you go and catch 35 perch a day with a 175 perch possession limit and the average size is from 3/4 - 1 lb! 2 lbers are rare these days but it is still common to catch perch over 1.5 lbs. The thing about back in the 80's when perch fishing was so good if you did get a front move in and turn the perch off you didn't have anything else to fish for. Now since the lake has expanded so much the pike and walleye populations have exploded making Devils Lake probably the best place in the country for the all around fishing experience. Limits of walleye and pike were very common last year and the nice thing is, no "slot limit". I will tell you to rethink renting a permanent house on D.L.. The key to success on D.L. is mobility. Pike and walleye aren't usually in the same areas as perch so dont limit yourself to one species. If you want to get away from the crowds and a chance to catch a number of species of fish I would recommend Devils Lake. Just my two cents.

Wherever you decide to go Good Luck!

Jeff

["Fishtrap"]

Jeff, I've had great success on Devils Lake in the summer, but have never ice fished there. A group of us are giving it a try this winter. Are there a lot of roads plowed on the lake (like LOW) making it easier to get around? We are all fired up, we need ice soon!!!!

[Jeff Dosch]

Hey, Great yo hear your coming to Devils Lake this winter. The lake access committee keeps the trails open on the lake along with many access points. You should have no problem getting around on the lake but you will still need a 4 wheel drive. What time of year do you plan on coming?

["Fishtrap"]

Jeff, Looks like it will be the 1st weekend in Jan. or the 2nd weekend in Feb. Any suggestions???

[TroutAngler]

I am also curious about what dates to make a trip. LOW, for example, has a January lull (although there are still plenty of fish to be caught). What about time of day for certain species?

[toughguy]

I have a question too. How late do most resorts let you sit out in the houses if you sleep back at the lodge? Are there some resorts that you can drive out on plowed roads in your own car? Or do they all bring you out in the cats and give you a set fishing schedule? My group would like to stay out on the ice later in the night if possible.

[hanson]

I don't know if I'd say Lake of the Woods has a January lull. I would say more of a later January, February lull.

Time to fish? 9am-4pm or so up there. We've had some real awesome fishing between noon and 1pm.

The bite tends to shift around on Lake of the Woods too. Reefs vs Flats, etc. While Adrian's Rd over Pine Island/4 mile bay may be good the 1st half of the winter. 12 mile & 16 mile reefs may be hot the rest of the winter.

[Jeff Dosch]

Its hard to say where the best spots are going to be on Devils Lake each winter. Things change a lot from year to year. Every year the lake has risen a little and taken more shore line and created new structure. Last year pike and walleye were on a good bite all winter long. Last season as most of us remember was full of high and low pressure systems and we all know what that does to perch fishing. I cant stress enough about staying mobile on Devils Lake. If you think your going to sit in a permanant house from one of the resorts and catch a lot of fish you will be very let down. If you have the equipment and are willing to look for fish you will do just fine. I recommend to people all the time to consider hiring a guide for the first day of your trip. There aren't a lot of crowds on Devls Lake to give yourself a starting point. We have a lot of people use our guide service for one day to learn about the lake and get some info on areas they should be fishing. I'm not pushing my guide service, I just dont want anybody to come to Devils Lake and sit in a permanent house for three days and not catch any fish.

[fishnfool]

I've been to Devils Lake twice and wouldn't even think of a permanent shack, you must be mobile on DL. Also I would never attempt to fish that lake without a guide service. There were days when we came back to the resort with limits and guys without a guide were lucky to catch a meal. The walleye and pike fishing is excellent and the perch are awesome if you can find them. Been to LOW 3 times and the fishing there is also great but not huge numbers of perch, but you can fish in perm's without a guide service and still catch fish. Either way both are a good choice.