Hard water trolling fishing report

Finally after a couple of months of shows and other commitments I got to spend a few days chasing some walleyes.I couldn`t think of a better place to do it then with my friends at Spirit Lake Casino & Marina on Devils Lake in North Dakota.The ice conditions are still pretty good holding at about twenty inches on the main lake, but be carefull around the current areas as it is opening fast.I chose to fish one of my favorite bridges with a current flow and proceeded to do some hard water trolling with tip- ups.North Dakota allows four lines per angler in the winter so you can really cover some water.We spread the tip-ups along the open water current break starting from 7ft all the way out to 35ft following the channel edge.The walleyes were very willing as we iced around 40 walleyes with many better than five pounds.We caught lots of 14-18″ eaters along with numerous northern pike to keep the action fast.The pike averaged around five pounds with a couple in the twelve pound range.Anything from plain hooks to glow products on the business end of the tip-ups seemed to work with a fat head minnow it was just a matter of covering the depths more than anything.One thing to keep in mind for this technique is to choose the smoothest tip-ups you can find like the standard Polar units and you will catch many more walleyes.As the night bite would set in we did catch alot of walleyes jigging with Jig-A-Whopper super glow blue rocker minnows tipped with a minnow head.A few brave souls even went to the trouble of dragging a small boat across the ice to the open water to do some vertical jigging.I instanly wished that it was me in my Crestliner Tournament series as I wathced them boat a 9.57lb and a 10.73lb walleyes within twenty minutes of each other.I guess next winter I will have to bring the Crestliner with the fish trap inside.The perch bite is really picking up fast if that is your game.The key locations were the Cactus point area and Skadsens bay in 35 to 45ft of water.As usual for the perch in Devils lake bring your finesse tactics and your determination and you may just score a bucket of 1lb plus jumbos.I had a great stay and was well taken care of at Spirit Lake Casino & Marina so be sure to keep them in mind if you are planning a trip to Devils Lake.They rent fish traps,heaters,and augers so it makes packing for the trip a breeze.You can plan your trip today at 1-800-WINUBET.

Brett King