Xmas was fun...but now it is time to fish!!

As for the bite..,we have been fishing all over the Devils Lake basin with great luck for walleyes, pike, and jumbo perch the past ten days. Ice is really quite good (15-20 inches) is the norm most places. Please still use caution around current areas, cracks, and on Stump Lake. 

Walleyes have been caught in depths ranging from 8-25 ft for us. Buckshots tipped with a minnow head have been deadly! 

Perch have been caught as shallow as 10 ft and as deep as 50 ft. I suggest staring somewhere in between and work shallower and deeper until you find them.

Our best lures for jumbos have been: Hali's, buckshots, flyers, PK spoons and on days where they are less aggressive, we have use a dropper rig set-up.

Most pike are being caught in with the walleyes and we have also had luck finding pike in shallower water along weed lines. Tip ups or aggressive lures such as buckshots and salmo zippers have worked well!

We have seen weather from 30 below to 30 above, it is winter in North Dakota...on the bright side we are still catching fish on the cold front days! Just the other day it was 30 below and we had a group fish all day long in sweatshirts inside of the comfortable SnoBear! I believe the temp in the bear was 75-80 degrees all day long. Our clients caught a limit of beautiful walleyes and they were warm and comfortable!

If you would like experience an ice trip like no other, give us a call and we will make it happen!

Here is a little taste of what we have been experiencing the past week!

Come experience ice fishing in a Snobear with Bry's Guide Service!!

It's all about the "spot on the spot" for the Jumbos!!

Ice fishing is starting off hot!!

The perch bite has been very good to start out the ice fishing season! We have been catching lots of 12-13 inch perch with some over 14 inches!! Ice conditions are getting better each day, make sure you  are still very careful. Many areas are 8-10 inches, but there are places that are less.

We have caught fish on PK spoons, Bucksots, Hali's, and dropper rigs tipped with a waxworm. Minnow heads have been good as well!

Best depths have been 12-30 feet. Fish can really be at a lot of different depths this time of year so punch holes and cover water!

Good luck to all!!

Ice is growing as we speak; however, extreme caution is still advised! Some areas have 6-8 inches, but there are many areas that only have a couple inches. Absolutely avoid current areas (bridges, culverts). Avoid cracks...they can easily close and repoen this time of year, stay away from them!!

If you are itching to get out, try to fish with a partner, wear a life vest, have a float you can throw with a rope attached, and an ice chisel for checking thickness. All of this extra gear takes some time, but it could be the best time you ever take.

As for fishing...Walleyes are being caught! Fishing is usually always best during prime time hours (early morning and just before sunset). Weed lines, points, and shallow bays will all hold fish! Basically, the fish are where you left them a few weeks ago. There are fish at all depths. We haven't been all over the lake yet for obvious safety reasons, but fishing points that are easy to get to have been productive.
Buckshots, forage minnows, pk spoons, and hali's have all been good. Full minnows or just a minnow head, mix it up and figure out what they want. Seems like just a minnow head will do the trick most often!

Good luck to all and remember no fish is worth risking your well being!

Have a great Turkey Day!!

Devils Lake fishing report

The bite remains good! Not many people have been out of late because of cooler weather and hunting season in full swing. The most consistent bites are near current areas. Some days they are located right in the current and others they are in the calmer water near current...we are still catching fish and deeper water anywhere from 20 to 30 feet. The best presentation has been either live bait with bottom bouncer and spinners or trolling crank baits. 

Open water days are starting to come to an end so get out there and enjoy the last of the open water season!!

Fall fishing has been fantastic!!

The bite goes on...Our clients have been experiencing some fast and furious fishing on Devils Lake over the past week. We are catching lots and lots of nice eating size walleyes (15-18 inchers) with the occasional nicer eye as well. Not a lot has changed as far as presentation and location goes. The majority of the walleyes are still in that 24-32 ft range. More and more fish are being caught near the bridges/current areas as well. There is always a shallow water bite on Devils Lake somewhere, so don't be afraid to go into shallower water and try casting cranks or jig/plastic combos. Perch and pike have been caught daily with the walleyes out in the deeper water. If you are looking for pike, concentrate on the shallower water with a crank or jig/plastic combo.

 Again, this is a fun time of year to be in the Devils Lake basin! Waterfowl hunting has been great and should get better and better as more birds migrate down from Canada. The leaves are beautiful and the air is crisp! Lots and lots of options this time of year for people to pursue!

If you would like to experience some of the fast and furious action on Devils Lake, give us a call and we will make it happen!

Mark
701 739-0161

Cast and blast is upon us!!

Fall is our favorite time of year for one simple reason, OPTIONS!!

We still have fantastic fishing!! There are 14-16 inch walleyes biting well all over the lake...we are still finding the majority of them in 22-30 ft of water; however,there are more fish are being caught in shallow water again and in the current areas of the bridges! Pitching cranks or jig/plastic combos in 6-12 ft of water can be deadly, look to catch a few nicer fish in shallow as well...vertical jigging, slip bobbering, or ripping blade baits is the presentation of choice near the bridges. We are still catching some beautiful jumbo perch and northern pike while we are fishing for walleyes!!

Goose and sharp tail grouse season is open and there have been a lot of geese harvested!! Duck opener is right around the corner and the sloughs are loaded with them...if you have never experienced Devils Lake in the fall, we highly suggest you give it a try, you won't leave disappointed!!

28 inch eye released by Ryan Gerhke!!

Devils lake fishing report!

The weather is hot and so is the bite!! Many people talk about the "dog days" 

of summer...how the bite gets tough on their lake this time of year...that there is to much this or that going on therefor the bite is off...well this is NOT the case on Devils Lake!!!

We are catching lots and lots if walleyes! We are catching some very nice fish as well...Seems like everyday we have a few fish that push the 5-8 pound range.

Perch are also being caught and some of them are flat out huge! We have had some dandy Pike being caught mixed in with our walleyes...the bottom line is that the bite is good and there is still time to plan that trip to Devils Lake!

Devils lake fishing!

And the bite goes on!!

 We are catching most of our walleyes in 22 to 32 feet of water. We have moved around a lot and fished many different areas of the lake and had good luck in nearly all of them... Our best presentation has been a bottom bouncer and spinner with either nightcrawler or a plastic gulp/crawler. Best spinner blades have been chartreuse orange pink and on sunny days hammered gold or silver. We're catching a lot of walleyes in the 14 to 18 inch range with a few larger ones mixed in...We are also catching some jumbo perch with a few of the measuring over 14 inches... Northern pike have been scattered in with the walleyes and there are days we catch a fair amount of them as well. 

This is a fun time of year to be on Devils Lake so get out there and enjoy the rest of summer!!

Jumbo Perch!

Devils Lake anglers continue to report excellent fishing in most all parts of the lake and about any way you want to fish.  While a lot of anglers continue to work the edges of weed beds in 8-12 feet of water with bottom bouncers and spinners, pitching or trolling cranks, or slip bobbering, local guide Mark Bry of Bry’s Guide Service says he’s been finding nice numbers of eating sized fish with some larger fish mixed in out in the deeper waters as well.  Mark and his guides have been working deeper rocky points and humps around the lake anywhere from 18 on out to 30+ feet of water.  In these areas Mark likes using bottom bouncers with brighter spinners in orange or chartreuse.  He’s working them a little slower (.8-1mph) than many anglers and has also had good luck with slow death style setups.  Once Mark finds fish he’ll often try jigging or slip bobbers as well.  And similar to last year, Mark and other anglers are also reporting some nice Devils Lake perch mixed in with the walleyes.  Living on the east end of Devils Lake, Mark’s been working mainly the East Bay, Black Tiger, and East Devils Lake section of the lake but they also go west some and are finding similar patterns to work there.  Some of the better areas for boating anglers continue to be Pelican Lake, the north shore and sunken 281 areas of the Flats, Howards Bay, Doc Hagens, the north end of Six Mile Bay, the Ft. Totten area, Concrete Bay near the casino, the storm sewer area, Penny and New Penny Bays, the south end of Black Tiger Bay, and East Devils Lake.  In these areas look for the outer edges of defined weed beds or work those deeper rocky points Mark mentioned. 

Dandy eye!!

Great fun on Devils Lake right now!!!

The bite has been a lot of fun this past week on Devils Lake!! We have had great action for walleyes, bass, pike, and....JUMBO PERCH!! We have had some clients catch limits of them and they have been averaging 11-13 inches! What a great bonus it is when you get on an active school of Jumbos!
We have had a few clients decide to put a few of the 14 inch plus Jumbos on the wall.

As for what we are doing...We have really done a bit of everything. Our most consistent presentation has been a bottom bouncer tipped with a third of a crawler. We have also trolled cranks a bit with some solid results, and slip bobbered weed lines and that has also been productive. Best areas to fish include weed lines and any water in the 8-18 ft range. We have caught them really scattered all over and it seems like everyday is a bit different so keep covering water until you locate active fish.

Weather has been beautiful and the fish are cooperating, life is good here in Devils Lake!! Good luck to all!

Devils Lake Fishing Report

The bite remains good! Our best bites have been when we have a little wind, fish still bite when it is calm out;however, you just have to adjust with longer casts or fishing a bit deeper.

With the warmer weather look for weeds to continue to grow!! We are seeing more algae in the water which will help reduce the clarity. Traditionally, July and August are some of the best times to fish on Devils Lake. The water is warm and fish are active.

Fish the presentation that you prefer, they all will work. We have caught fish this past week casting, trolling, bobbering, and pulling spinners.

Summer is moving way to fast, if you want to get in on some of the action, give us a call!

Have a safe 4th of July everyone!!

The bite is on!

Walleye, bass, pike, and even some bonus jumbo perch are all biting on Devils Lake!

Water temps continue to rise, weed beds are growing, and fish are active!!

We have caught fish pitching jigs/plastics and cranks. Play the wind for best results. We have also done a lot of slip bobbering with leeches. Best depths have been 3-10 ft.

The majority of fish are being found in shallow bays; however,they can be found just about anywhere now! This is a great time of year to be a lake good luck and enjoy the bite!!!

6-16-13

Tis the season to catch walleye!!

The bite is fantastic! We are starting to see lots of the 14-18 inch walleyes showing up! These are the best ones for the frying pan and they seem to be all over the place. We are still catching some big eyes as well, there are just more of the eater class biting of late. Pike are still in shallow and on the feed as well as the bass. 

We are spending the majority of our days pitching cranks or jigs/plastics. Seems like most of our fish are in the 2-8 ft of water.

Other bites are happening as well. We have had some guides bobbering in the trees with leeches. Some have pulled bouncers and spinners and we have even done pretty good trolling cranks. The key is to stay in shallower water (under 15 ft) is what seems to be the best.

Good luck to all! 

Dandy 28.5 inch walleye caught by Steve Hastings with guide Mark Bry!

The bite on Devils Lake is good! We are catching walleyes,northern pike,and bass in the shallows (2-10ft). The walleyes are healthy and fat and we have had some dandy slough sharks as well! Jigs and plastics have caught the most fish; however, crank baits have also produced at times.

It is a fun time of year because you never know what you're going to catch...There are even some whopper class bass being caught.

Some of our guides have also caught walleyes out in the deeper water (10-18 ft). They have used bouncers and spinners or vertical jigged with leeches and crawlers.

It was a long winter it's time to enjoy some action on the open water!! Good luck to all!!

5-31-13

The bite has been decent. Look for a more consistent bite as soon as we get warmer weather. Water is getting warmer by the day; however, we still need a bit more for the bite to really go. Lots of pike and bass with some dandy eyes mixed in! The bite will continue to get better! Good luck to all!!

S

Ladies and gentlemen...Start your engines because we have an ice free Devils Lake!! It sure feels good to be on the water after a long winter! As for the bite...We have had some pretty good walleye and pike fishing. Very important to be in or near current. Some fish have spawned, others are spawning, and there are some that will be this week. Culverts, bridges, anywhere there is water coming into the lake are all good places to try. Water temps range from upper 40's to mid 50's. The shallow water back bay bite that Devils Lake is famous for is getting very close, all we need is a few days of warm weather and the water temps will be where they need to be for active fish.

Best presentations include: jigs and plastics, pitching cranks, vertical jigging with leeches or minnows, and slip bobbering with leeches. Of late, a lot of the walleyes we have been catching are males. Most of the females have laid their eggs and the males are now milting.We are close to the shallow water bite exploding on Devils...START YOUR ENGINES!!

Come on warm and wind!! The weather is starting to act more like May and the ice is getting softer by the day. At this point I would not suggest ice fishing on Devils Lake. Ice is getting mushy and the edges are open nearly everywhere on the lake. Channel A area is opening up more and more each day. There have been some pretty good bites happening on ice and in smaller boats in the Six mile bay (Channel A area).

Key to fishing this time of year is to fish current. Anywhere there is water coming into the lake, bridges, culverts, etc. all will hold fish. If we can keep up this nice weather, ice should be off shortly! I am hoping for 10 days... Needless to say, everyone in the Devils Lake area is excited for open water fishing!

If you want to get out and experience some of the best walleye, bass, and pike fishing in the country, give us a call or shoot us an email and we will make it happen!

Last year we had the fastest thaw I've ever seen and this year it is the slowest I have ever seen. Actually, it really hasn't even started to melt or thaw in the Devils Lake area. It is still winter and it looks like it might be here a bit longer. We do not have any real warm weather scheduled in the near future.
The bottom line is life goes on. We can ice fish a bit longer. There are some pretty good bites for eyes, perch, and pike going right now. We could have ice fishing into late April? 
We have had a fair amount of people wanting to fish in the next few weeks so we will continue to fish until conditions are unsafe. It looks like we will have at least two weeks of good ice, probably more.
Let us know if you want to do some real late ice fishing!!!

Thanks to all the people that visited Bry’s Guide Service in the Devils Lake/ND Tourism booth at the Minneapolis Sports Show this past weekend. We had a great time talking with previous clients and many future ones as well. Everyone that lives in the Devils Lake area knows just how unique the fishing and hunting is. We feel very fortunate to live where we do and we really enjoy sharing this great resource with people from all over the country. The open water season can’t be to far away….As we get further into spring, remember to use caution on the ice.

We currently have good ice and lots of ice. Weather looks very nice and this is the time to get out and enjoy some late season ice fishing! Slush can be bad in places, but for the most part you can still get around pretty good. Good Luck to all!!

It looks more like mid January than mid March today. We have snow and lots of it. Life in North Dakota is constantly changing and different, last year at this time we were done ice fishing and getting the boats ready. Extensions are needed and it is an absolute must to have tracks of some kind. THERE IS NO WAY TO FISH OUT OF YOUR TRUCK!!! We have seen some brave souls attempting to do so, and they ended up getting a great workout of shoveling and pushing (hours worth).

Weather looks to be getting better in the near future and look for there to be some excellent bites as well. Over the past ten days we have found some good bites out in that 28-40ish ft range. We have caught eyes, white bass, and some enormous perch too. There are days when the buckets are full and if mother nature would just give us a week (or two) of nice weather, it could be hot and heavy. Even though it doesn't look it, it is March and this is one of the best times of the year to be on Devils Lake. One good way to look at the snow is that many people will not be out cause of it, therefor if you find that hot bite, you just may have it to yourself!!

Good luck to all!! Remember extensions and tracks are a must this time of year!!

The bite has been steady! Seems like most days we are working for them, but at the end of the day, the bucket looks pretty good. We are drilling lots of holes and fishing all over the place.

The best bite for perch has been anywhere from 25-40 ft for us. We are fishing flooded timber with buckshots, pk spoons, lindy flyers, genz worms, and dropper-rigs. Minnow heads and wax worms have produced the best results. Walleyes have been caught in with the perch and we have had the occasional pike as well. There are places where the pike action is very good right now. Best presentations are tip-ups or a jigging spoon tipped with a fathead.

Overall, it is a fun time of year to be on the ice. Weather has been beautiful and the bite has been solid. Look for the bite to get even better as we approach the late ice period!

Good luck to all and be safe. There are areas that have lots of slush and deep drifts, vehicle traffic on the lake can be tricky.

We have had some pretty good days mixed in with some just OK days over the past ten days. We have had some dandy perch and pike of late, just not huge numbers of them. The walleyes have been more in the eater class, with only a few nicer ones mixed in here and there. The reality is that just about everywhere we go we are marking fish, the key is triggering them to bite or to be there for that window they are feeding in (which may last twenty minutes or a few hours). So there is a bit of a guessing game as to the time and location that will produce the next flurry...Some days we wait for the bite and other days we go looking for more aggressive fish.

Some of the best ice fishing of the year is traditionally that late ice period. My calendar is showing that March is right around the corner!! We are anticipating more takers and less lookers as the weather warms and more hatches occur in shallow. Seems like everything (walleyes, perch, pike) become more active in the spring.

The Devils Lake area has had a fair amount of snow mixed in with lots of wind which equals tough access and travel on the lake. We recommend snowmobiles or tracked vehicles of some kind as there are some major drifts out there. We have a few openings in March if you would like to book a trip with Bry's Guide Service. Good luck!!

We are still working for our fish; however, the weather is starting to shape up and the bite should become more consistent. We have not had a problem marking fish of late, the key is to trigger them to bite. Seems like most days the aggressive lure is the best, but we have had times when downsizing with more subtle lures has produced.
The bite has been a bit unique this year for walleyes in the sense that you never really know when it might happen. Most years, it is the early morning and late afternoon deal. However, this year we have had many excellent bites in the middle of the day for walleyes and times when the late afternoon bite really doesn't happen. I guess the bottom line is to always keep fishing hard because you just never know when the walleye window is going to hit. We are marking and seeing perch all over the place and getting a few of them to cooperate. It is only a matter of time before they are back on.
We have a fair amount of snow on the lake now and access is getting trickier by the week, again another factor that we are not as concerned about because the SnoBear handles the deep snow like a dream. COMFORT,SAFETY,MOBILITY is the what we are all about!! We still have a few dates in February and March if you would like to have an excellent experience!

We have had a roller coaster of weather over the past ten days. Temps have varied from 30 below to 35 above. We have had brutal weather the last two days. Wind, cold, and blowing snow has kept most anglers off the ice. The decision to purchase a SnoBear has proven to be a wise investment. We were able to fish right through a blizzard with 40 mph gusts and all of our clients were warm and comfortable, we even managed to catch fish!!

As for the bite, it has been really up and down. The perch are pretty good one day and spotty the next. Seems like they are going most consistently in that 20-30 ft of water. We have caught them mixed in with the walleyes. Buckshots, forage minnows, and lindy flyers tipped with a minnow head have been the best. Best bite for walleyes has been in 12-30 ft of water. Seems like there are walleyes all over, with lots of classes of fish (anywhere from 8-18 inches is the norm). Buckshot with a minnow head seems to trigger the most bites. We have caught pike mixed in with the walleyes. The weather looks to be warming up a bit later this week and hopefully we will have more stable weather....

If you would like to experience a unique ice fishing trip, give us a call, the SnoBear is an absolute DREAM to fish out of. We can pick up and move in a matter of seconds. There are days we move 20-30 times. The idea is simple, when the fish stop biting, we move until we find fish that want to!

We are very excited to have a SnoBear to fish out of this winter!! We decided this would be the best way to provide all of are clients with a safe, comfortable, and unique ice fishing experience on Devils Lake. We have had about ten groups out in the SnoBear and just about every group has re-booked for trips later this winter. The fact that you do not have to go outside and that you are always warm and comfortable is very appreciated by our clients. Also, we can pick up and move in a matter of seconds, which really improves our clients chances for catching fish. It has been very amazing how making "little moves" can really help trigger bites when it seems like the bite has stopped. On spots that have been holding fish, we have made 6-10 moves (about 30-50 yds a move) and been able to catch just about ackshots tipped with a minnow head has been the best for us.

Walleyes have been cooperating very well and we are having limits of them daily. We are catching a variety of classes of fish, anywhere from 10-20 inches with the norm being fish in that 14-16 inch range. A buckshot tipped with a minnow head has been the best. We are catching fish in 8-20 ft. of water.

 The perch have been more hit and miss. There are days that they really go and others where you might only get a few. The key is figure out what depth it is going to work at. Some of our most consistent perch bites have been in 8-10 feet of water; however, we have also caught them in 30-50 ft. I guess the bottom line is to not be afraid to try a variety of depths until you can get a pattern. Buckshots, forage minnows, lindy flyers, and genz worms have all produced. Good luck to all and if you would like to experience some fun and comfortable fishing, shoot us an email or give us a call!