Jumpin’ Jumbos!  Perch are on the move and tracking down pods of these panfish is worth it on Devils Lake, when they get on the bigger end of their size ranges. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.

By Mike Peluso

The ice fishing season is going in full force now here in the Dakotas. Great ice and good fishing has definitely been the word on the street. For us as guides on Devils Lake, things have been good. For the most part we have been able to access everything we have wanted to take a look at early in the season.

We did get a fair amount of snow here recently, and I’m not sure how that’s going to affect things.  There are lots of pillow drifts out there right now and it’s my hope they don’t harden up, but time will tell.

As far as the fishing action this past week, if the weather is decent the bite seems to be good also. Some really nice fish have been caught. Fair warning though, it’s not just head out and catch fish, however. Even us guides are having to move and drill a ton of holes to find fish for our clients.

The fish are super healthy and not starving for food. I’m guessing this is why the weekend groups that are venturing out on their own are not seeing the results they would love to see. Again, even for us having an army of guides out scouting, it hasn’t been easy.

Walleyes are being caught in the upper lakes and the perch have been really scattered about. When you land on them it’s awesome! Unfortunately, it’s just not that easy to end up on them by chance.

We do have some openings for you if you are looking for a trip. Get ahold of me if you want to get out and chase some North Dakota gold!

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