Lots of options this time of year...

What to do? What to do??

Goose hunting, bow hunting, dove hunting are all going on!  Grouse hunting opens this Saturday. There are certainly options in the Devils Lake area!
Youth duck opener is just around the corner as well. The outlook is fantastic as we are seeing nice flocks buzzing the stubble fields each morning and night.

As for the fishing... we appear to be in a bit of a transition period. We are leaving the summer patterns and turning more into fall. Days are shorter and the weeds are starting to die off. Water temps are cooling and fish are being caught shallow and deep. Perhaps the biggest factor in the bite is the over abundance of bait in the lake. We are competing against young of the year perch, bass, walleyes, and frogs are starting to make their way back to the lake. As we get more into fall look for more fish to concentrate on deep structure such as humps, rocks, flooded roads, and points. Current areas are traditionally good areas to focus in on as well.

So whether you are still fishing or getting your shotgun ready, there are plenty of options in Devils Lake. Weather is usually fantastic and the scenery is second to none. Enjoy this special time of year!

Good luck to all!


Bry's Guide Service

A good time to be a WALLEYE fisherman/person!!!

Wow are the walleyes on the chomp on Devils Lake, ND. We have had some of the best fishing of the year with walleyes as small as 6 inches all the way up to 30. No question the lake is very healthy with a variety of classes of fish being caught. We have caught fish on the west end, main lake, and east end of Devils Lake. The majority of our limits of fish are in the 15-19 inch class. Seems like 10-30 feet of water is the most consistent depths to work to catch the majority of fish. We have caught some fish shallower and deeper; however, it seems that the 10-30 is the most common.
Bottom bouncers and spinners have been by far the best way to cover water and find fish. They tend to move around a bit so bouncers are very effective for covering water. We have used slow death hooks as well with a third of a crawler. Vertical jigging and slip bobbers are also producing fish when you can get on the "X". We have also trolled cranks with success. Some anglers are finding success pulling cranks with leadcore in the deeper depths.
We are also catching some dandy jumbo perch as well. We catching them mixed in with the walleyes out in 20-30 feet of water. Pike fishing is more spotty; however, we have caught a lot of really nice pike while fishing for walleyes out deep.

This is a great time of year to be on Devils Lake! Get out there and enjoy the great fishing and beautiful summer in North Dakota!!

Mark Bry

Not a good time to be a walleye in Devils Lake, ND...

It's the time of year where walleyes can and are caught in a range of depths and locations. We have caught fish in as shallow of 8ft of water and as deep as 35ft. Without a doubt a bottom bouncer and spinner have been the most productive method to produce numbers of fish. We have used leeches, crawlers, and some plastics for our best results. Cover water and find the pocket and life is good!
Slip bobbers have also produced fish and vertical jigging has been good at times to. If you can find the "X" then bobbers and vertical jigging is super fun. The key is to be on top of the active fish.

Pike action has slowed a bit; however, the pike we are catching are big and feeding on walleyes. We have had many in the mid 30 inch range with fat bellies. Bass have also been caught out in the deeper water with walleyes. Seems like once you find the school it is game on. We have even caught a few perch mixed in with the walleyes. All and all life is good in Devils Lake!!


Book that trip now before harvest starts or school begins, summer is starting to slip away.




Good Luck!



Mark Bry

701 739-0161

The bite on Devils Lake...

We are entering the heart of summer and all of the traditional tactics and presentations have been producing walleyes. We are catching a mix of walleyes averaging 10-20 inches. It is really awesome to see the smaller fish in the system as they are the future of the lake. By far, the most consistent way to catch fish is by pulling a bottom bouncer and a spinner. Leeches/crawlers or a plastic have all produced. We have used slow death hooks tipped with a crawler or a spinner with a #2 octopus hook. Some of our guides have been slip bobbering as well. Smaller jigs or plain hooks have both produced. They are tipping their hooks with leeches and working 10-20 feet of water.

Best locations to work include: any hump that comes up, flooded roads, points, the old shoreline, and weed lines. This is obviously a lot of locations, but they truly are all producing fish. Pike fishing has slowed but we are catching some mixed in with our walleyes. There is good potential to catch a giant pike this time of year out in the deeper water. Bass fishing has been pretty good when you find them. We are seeing a lot of smaller bass out in the deeper water so they seem to be coming back.

All and all life is good in Devils Lake, ND! Give us a call or email us if you would like to get out before harvest or the kids go back to school.

701 739-0161
brysguideservice@gmail.com

Summer is here...

Summer is officially here!! Devils Lake, ND is fishing well despite all the weather that has been thrown our way. WIND, rain, and just a lot of unstable weather has not stopped the walleyes from smacking.
The most consistent presentation has been a bottom bouncer and spinner this past week. We have been tipped them with a crawler or a leech. Best depths seem to be in that 4-10 ft area; however, we have caught some fish out deeper (20-30 ft). Good areas to work this time of year include flooded roads, wind blow shorelines, and weed lines. Fish move around so be persistent and you will find fish.
Pike fishing is still good, but as water temps continue to increase, look for them to be a bit more elusive. White bass have been hitting in the back bays and around rip-rap shorelines for anglers looking to pursue them.
Overall, life is good in Devils Lake! Enjoy summer!!

Some beautiful fish are being caught...

The warmer weather has certainly improved the bite. Weeds are growing steadily and we are starting to find fish out a bit deeper. The most consistent depth is 2-5 feet of water; however, we are catching more fish in 6-10 feet of water. We have had our best luck pitching jigs and plastics into the shallows or smaller cranks. Some days we pull spinners out a bit deeper or we slip bobber as well. Look for the live bait presentation to get better and better as water temps continue to increase and more fish start to slide out deeper. Leeches or crawlers have been the bait of choice while pulling live bait.
Overall, the bite is good it just might take a bit of looking before you get into them. Cover water and work shorelines that have a bit of wind blowing into them.
Summer is officially here! Get out and enjoy!!

Weather has been all over the place.

We have really seen some up and down weather this past week. Wind, rain, and cooler temps have really made fishing difficult to nearly impossible. We are still catching fish, it's just not as easy to stay on spots as the wind has really been brutal. Shallow water is still the place to be. 1-6 feet of water is where we are catching the majority of our fish. Try to find the warmest/stained water you can. If the water is crystal clear it is often more difficult to connect with fish. We are also fishing the wind the majority of the time as this seems to be where the bait is concentrated.
Pitching cranks and jig/plastic combos is by far the best way to cover shallow water this time of year. Slip-bobbers have also produced some fish as well. Look for the bite to get better as the weather comes around.

Good luck to all!

Think "Shallow Water" right now...

The bite is definitely on and the most active water is 1-5 ft. Seems like working the shorelines with a bit of wind blowing on them are producing the best results. Warm, stained, and wind are important factors to consider when deciding where to fish.
Long shallow bays will produce the best results as they will have the warmest water. Shallow water that is close to deeper water will not be as productive at this time of year as the colder/deeper water will cool quicker as the wind blows it in.
Best times to fish are mid-morning to late afternoon. Seems like as the sun comes out and the water warms, the bite gets better and better. Also, current areas such as the bridges and culverts are still producing some fish. With the best action coming in the evening.
The fish are pretty much spawned out and the "Shallow Water" bite should continue to get better for awhile. Jig/plastic combos have been deadly. Cranks are working as well; however, we have not been pitching as many of late as there are a lot of northern pike biting as well and they are very hard on the cranks.

Please remember to practice "Catch and Release" on the mature fish. Good luck everyone!!

A bit of a curve thrown our way...

We received a some winter-like weather the last few days here in Devils Lake, ND. Colder temps and snow fell in the lake region. Hopefully, this will be the last of the white stuff until next winter!!

Lake report:
We are 100 percent ice free on Devils Lake and have been for a few weeks. Docks are in and the majority of landings are ready for use. The lake level is currently on the rise. We are looking like the lake will come up a couple of feet more than likely; however, we won't know for sure until summer.

The bite is a bit 'hit and miss' as we are in pre-spawn, spawn, and post spawn stages depending on the part of the lake that you are on. Whenever you are fishing near the spawn, expect to experience some really inconsistent action. Bites that were hot yesterday may be dead sea today. This is one of the best times of year to catch bigger fish as many mature fish congregate to current areas. Culverts, bridges, basically anywhere there is moving water are great places to try. It seems like the recent cold front that we are experiencing has slowed the bite down a bit. Look for the bite to get better and better as we get back to normal weather conditions.
As spring continues and the spawn comes to an end, look to find active fish in the shallowest/warmest bays. Pike, walleye, and bass will go the the shallows to warm up and feed! Look for water that is stained a bit and warm. Seems like once water hits the 50's it is usually "GAME ON".

Please remember to take a picture of those nicer fish and practice catch and release.

If you would like to experience some of the most exciting fishing of the year, SHALLOW WATER time, then give us a call and we will make it happen!!

Mark
701 739-0161

The ice season is still going...

With the cooler temps of late we are finding good ice on the Devils Lake basin. Look for conditions to change as we have warmer temps coming soon. Ice is going to start to deteriorate quickly as there is little to no snow cover left on the lake these days. Soooo, please be careful and realize ice can change very quickly this time of year. Ice that was safe yesterday, could be unsafe tomorrow.

As for the fishing we have experienced some good days and some slower days as well. The majority of the perch we have caught have been in deeper water, 30-40 ft. Searching and moving is key to finding and staying on active perch. Not sure if any one lure has been the best, more importantly is to get back down quickly and keep the flurry going. Finding the rhythm that the perch want is also crucial for success. Some days they want little to no movement with your lure, other days it seems like if you can get them to come off the bottom and keep the lure just in front of their noses it produces the best results. Hali's, buckshots, tungstens, and forage minnows have all produced.

We have been catching Walleyes in the early morning hours and mixed in with the perch out deep. During early morning hours, work shallower water (6-12 ft), and concentrate on rock piles or timber.
Pike fishing has been fantastic! They are hungry and aggressive right now. This is a great time to get kids out and chase some flags with tip-ups!

Good luck to all and please remember to be safe!

Bry's Guide Service

Longer days and one of the most enjoyable times of the year for ice fishing!!

What beautiful weather we have been experiencing in Devils Lake these past few weeks! Temps in the 20-30's makes outside fishing and 'hole hopping' so much easier and productive. We are starting to see some of our waterfowl friends return as well (Canadian Geese), which is always refreshing to see.

As for the bite...it's been a pretty up and down adventure to say the least. There are groups that experience one after another flurries for the world famous jumbo perch and there are others that wonder if perch are really in this great lake. Seems like one of the biggest factors is to have sunshine. The days that are overcast are often the toughest days to get the perch to go.
We have caught them as shallow as 24 and as deep as 47 this past week. Buckshots, halis, forage minnows, and tungsten jigs have all been productive lures to use. Remember, to use lighter line as well, 2-4 pound braided line is what we prefer.

Walleyes have been caught mixed in with the perch. The most consistent bite for walleyes seems to be in the shallower back bays of Devils Lake. The morning bite has been good on days and average on others. We fish until 4pm this time of year so we have not spent much time fishing the night bite. Working drop offs, humps, and points has been the most productive for us. Buckshots tipped with a minnow head as been the most productive presentation. 6-10 feet of water is typically the best depths to work.

We have been using some tip-ups, angling, and spearing for pike with solid results. Ditches, culvert areas, rocky points have produced the majority of pike. Look for this bite to get better as get more into March.

As for the ice...I dislike giving ice reports because ice is constantly changing, especially in March. As of now we are driving trucks in most places of the lake. Beware of ridges and cracks as some of them have started to open up of late. Also, remember that ice will start to deteriorate as we get farther into spring. Ice can change by the hour, so please remember to take your time and go as light as you can.
AVOID all current areas such as bridges, culverts, and bottle neck areas.


Good luck to all!!

Bry's Guide Service

A bit of a roller coaster...

We have had a bit of a roller coaster ride fishing this past week. Some days the perch are on and other days they like to look. Weather has been up and down as well which can definitely change their mood. Most productive depths have been 20-32 ft of water. Seems like smaller buckshots, halis, and dropper rigs tipped with smaller hooks or tungsten jigs. When the bite gets lighter it is crucial to use finesse and really pay attention to your rod, the slightest movement on your rod tip and you should set the hook. We have caught some dandy perch with smaller ones mixed in as well.

Walleye action has been the best in the early morning and late afternoon hours. Our most consistent bite has been in shallower water (6-10 ft). Buckshots, sonars, and jigging raps have all produced for us.

Pike have been very active in Pelican and the northwest corner of Devils Lake. Work the edges of weed lines, flooded points, and roads to hold a lot of fish. Tip ups or jigging with aggressive lures has been very good this winter.

Ice conditions are overall very good. Ice thickness varies from 15-30 inches. The northwest corner of the lake has a lot more snow on it than the eastern portion of Devils Lake. Tracks are a must out west; however, there are some areas of the main and eastern parts of Devils Lake where you can drive trucks.

Good luck to all!!