Staying Deep.  Walleyes have made a seasonal adjustment and are finding their forage deeper on Lake Sakakawea.  Anglers should be aware of barotrauma issues with those fish caught from 25 feet of water or greater. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso

By Mike Peluso

I have a few more days fishing walleyes on the big pond of Lake Sakakawea before heading back to Devils Lake for a couple weeks. The trend now is that the walleyes are definitely deeper.

They are now out in the barotrauma range without a doubt. I hope anglers are paying attention to this because honestly any fish released after being caught from 25 feet of water or deeper has a very small chance of survival.  I’m telling clients we can catch what we can for bringing home and after that it’s time to call it a day or bore yourself to death fishing shallow.

I’m mystified as to why these fish will not slide way up like they used to when the blows? In my entire 40 years of fishing this lake, the walleyes would always follow the wind. My only philosophy is, they are like drug addicts, except for the walleyes, that drug is smelt and the smelt are staying deep.

It’ going to be exciting to see what the results of the two big tournaments will be coming up here in the next couple of weeks. One thing is for sure, with that many good fishermen on the lake someone always crushes it!

I have a couple more days up here and I will switch gears back to Devils Lake.

Mike Peluso is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and a licensed ND fishing guide specializing in walleyes on the state’s premier waters.