Bucking the Trend.  Despite challenging conditions on the hardwater, ice anglers are finding some walleyes during activity windows on Devils Lake. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.

By: Mike Peluso

This winter is starting to feel like the movie “Groundhog Day” with brutal weather day in and day out making ice fishing and getting around on Devils Lake extremely difficult.  

The one thing I absolutely hate during the winter – especially on Devils Lake – is when we get just a little bit of snow and 30 to 50 mph winds making it impossible to see.  

This really limits us as guides in our ability to get out and look around for active fish.  Days like this are more of a survival day than anything.  We definitely have had more of those bad days this week than good ones. Couple that with extreme temperature changes and the fish are in a worse mood than I am. 

My hope is we will see the weather warm up a tad and maybe a little less wind so we can get our clients out of the shacks a bit to spread out and capitalize.  When we are able to do this, our end results are much better. 

We have actually caught fish this week believe it or not.  Nothing out of control good, but definitely good considering the conditions. The walleyes have been a little more willing to bite with buckshot lures and minnows at key times of the day producing the best results.  

The perch have been a little bit more moody this week.  We are still putting some in the buckets, just not in the numbers like we have been.  Hopefully with a  little stable weather they will respond again. 

I have random scattered dates from now until March 16th if you are wanting to get out yet before we switch gears to open water starting April 1 on the Missouri River near Bismarck.  I’m taking bookings for those trips right now as well! So, 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.