While the walleye bite has gone a bit deeper on Lake Sakakwea, it remains strong and slower presentations are putting fish in the boat. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.

By Mike Peluso

It’s funny how I was a little reluctant to leave Devils Lake in my last report. Like all the previous ones, I’m here to tell everyone once again we are definitely spoiled here in North Dakota! A big thanks to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department for doing a wonderful job of keeping these systems firing like they are.

I arrived back at Sakakawea last week thinking the walleye bite may be a little tricky, but I have been pleasantly surprised. In fact, I feel as if the fishing is better now than it was before I left.

Deep and deeper walleyes are still the trend, however. I keep hearing folks saying they can’t believe how deep the fish went. Actually, they didn’t really move a whole lot. Remember, we gained almost 20 feet of water on top of where they were these past couple of months.

The smelt are plentiful and these walleyes and other fish are chowing down. A person has to dig them out of the livewell after a day of fishing. Another thing I continue to talk about is barotrauma. These fish will not survive coming out of 25 feet of water or deeper. Keep what you catch, then move off and give those fish a break.

For me I’m running a heavier bottom bouncer with a shorter leader and slow death rig with a crawler. I am keying in on deeper water from  25 to 50 feet and moving slower on those fish to keep the bait in front of them longer.

Jig raps, spoons, creek chubs and crank baits in that deeper water will also produce good results.

I’m here until Aug. 9 and then I will be back over to Devils Lake until the Aug. 24. I don’t have any more open days left this month, but I do have a few in September on both lakes. I’m also keeping my fingers crossed we can get a good river bite near Bismarck going by the end of October. If so, I will be booking trips for there until freeze up. Get ahold of me.

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