Anglers are still finding success for good numbers of walleyes on both Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso

By Mike Peluso

I’m back on the travel wagon this week getting a chance to fish both Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. I know I mentioned this in my last report, but with both a drought and pumping operations ongoing, my anxiety of what will happen to both of these systems concerns me.

Reports are coming in that the Corps of Engineers wants to lower Lake Sakakawea another seven feet before February. The situation on Devils Lake mystifies me also. I can’t imagine the amount of money someone is spending to run the pumps that is drawing the lake down. My hope is we get a massive amount of snow this winter.

Lake Sakakawea continues to shine right now with good to excellent fishing. The fish are sliding out deeper, so plan on keeping any fish you are catching if they are coming out of 25 feet of water or more. The majority of the fish are holding in that 22-to-40-foot range. Bottom bouncers with butterfly blade spinners or slow death rigs are hard to beat for putting numbers in the boat.

Devils Lake is still holding strong. The water is a little green but that doesn’t seem to bother the walleyes. In typical Devils Lake fashion, you can catch walleyes anyway you like. Old shoreline structure is holding a ton of fish right now. I’m also predicting a banner winter on Devils. Less water means more of a concentration of fish and when you’re ice fishing that’s a good thing.

It’s hard to believe we are already in the heart of August and I’m taking bookings for ice fishing Devils Lake already, so put your plans together and get ahold of me.

Mike Peluso is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and a licensed ND fishing guide on the state’s major walleye waters.