Cold, but Not Cold Enough.  Open water on the Missouri River still is providing a good fall bite as larger bodies of water just aren’t cold enough to freeze over yet. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.

By Mike Peluso

We are really in a bind right now with this weather and what comes next for walleye fishing in the state. It’s not cold enough to get the larger waters frozen and we definitely need some cold weather so we can kick off the ice fishing season.

However, I do know of a few guys that have been venturing out on smaller waters. For my line of work, I need a good hard cold snap to firm things up enough to safely take clients on the hardwater. Devils Lake is certainly taking its time to freeze over.

Looking at the 10-day forecast, I think I will be on the open water for sure this week! I was out a couple of times last week and the Missouri River did not disappoint for those late fall walleyes. In fact, it’s probably as good as it’s been in the fall around Bismarck since I came back from playing hockey.

If you are going to ice fish at this point in the season, please don’t forget to take things slow. Spud bars, ice picks, float suits and travel buddies are the only way to go. Until the ice is safe enough, you’ll find me just working on getting all my ice fishing gear ready to go. I will have an open water fishing report and ice report in the coming days. 

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