The bite for nice walleyes continues on Devils Lake despite a recent cold snap and some challenging access at times. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.

By Mike Peluso

We finally were reminded of what a good old fashioned cold snap feels like again earlier this week. The hard freeze did firm up a few areas on the lake. My fear however is this will be a short-term fix with the 10 day forecast looking pretty nice.

Amazingly the fish continued to bite. The walleyes have been the most sought after by myself and my guide groups. For the most part the walleye bite has been fantastic all winter. We did see some really nice perch mixed in on some of the days. The walleyes bit throughout the day and with the full moon, they had spurts during the middle of the day where they bit as well.

Nothing fancy when it comes to location and presentation, just target old shoreline structure using rattle baits and minnows. At times we downsized and used tungsten and wax worms and that seemed to pick off a few stragglers. I’m not sure what the ice conditions will bring us the next couple of weeks, but if I start to see some major changes I’ll definitely report.

We did have a major group cancellation here this week for up to 8 guys February 22-25 if you are interested. If so, get ahold of me or get ahold of Jason Feldner at Percheyes.com to get in on this rare opening. Once you are in you automatically get those dates again the following year.

I’m also filling up fairly fast for this spring on the Missouri River near Bismarck. April is pretty much spoken for, but some primo May dates are available yet if you are looking at a chance for a personal best walleye. I’m thinking the state record may fall again this spring.

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