Devils Lake Perch Report

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Brrrrrr It’s 20 below zero here. With the frigid cold front coming down from Canada, perch fishing has gotten tough. I would think it will remain that way for the next few days. We also got 8-10 inches of snow. Perch fishing had been very good leading up to this cold *%^$#. (Sorry I don’t have any photos, it was to cold to stand outside)

The bite was tough. You could get them to look but to take the bait was another story. One had to try different things. Once you changed, you might get one to go right away but the next one acted finicky. Another change and you’d pick-up another perch. Move onto another hole 100 feet away and repeat the process. I would recommend staying away from the center of the crowds and work the outer edges and then some. The perch are on huge flats and it makes no sense to fish in a pack. The area I was fishing is 38-40 feet deep for miles and has perch all over it. Now if the weather cooperates…

I eventually settled on using a white/blue hali with a plain treble dropper. The treble offers less sucking resistance versus a jig and has more potential to find fish flesh on short hits. I experimented using Shrimpo and Atomic Ant rubber bodies also. Glow worked the best with three spikes. I bite the tail off a Shrimpo and used the body on one of the trebles as an attractor. Shrimpo bodies blend in with the spikes.

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I liscensed Fishing Outfitter by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. I operate West Bay Guide Service on Devils Lake for walleyes in the summer and perch in winter. I'm a member of the North Dakota Guides and Outfitters

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  1. Hey Kevin. Do you have any info or a link to the train that runs from MPLS to devils lake. Sounds like a easy way to get out there fishing.

  3. The above link gets you to the Perch Patrol Guide Service. You do not have to use that guide service to schedule a trip via Amtrak.

    I normally do not recommend coming via Amtrak. You can get here in less than 6 hours from your location for two tank fulls of gas roundtrip in a pick-up. Bring a friend and split the cost. Without a vehicle you are stuck.

    The Amtrak travel hours are tough..early morning arrival and late night departures.

    The train leaves Minneapolis at 10:45 PM and gets here at 6:25 AM. It departes Devils Lake at 11:32 PM and gets back in Minneapolis at 8 AM. Round trip is about $85.

  4. Thanks for the replys. Do you have any other good info on the area up there. Dont think I have ever been to north dakota. Are the hotels mentioned on the perch patrol site the only ones there and how far are they from the lake? How about roads on the lake? Bait shops. Ect. Just fishing for some info.

  6. Devils Lake and Minnewaukan are fishing towns…not resort towns that tend to gouge vistors. There are several hotels and resorts other than those listed on the site you have visited. Check out the chamber of commerce at http://www.devilslakend.com

    I recommend West Bay Resort. http://www.westbayresort.com Diane is running a winter special.

    You have to understand our situation here. Devils Lake has risen 26 feet in 9 years. The city of Devils Lake is behind a dike that keeps the lake out of the town. In Minnewaukan the lake is flowing into town.

    There is not much right on the lake since we don’t know were the shore is. If you are fishing in less than 26 feet of water you are fishing “old” land.

    Devils Lake is a long lake stretching 40 miles with many smaller bays. To access the better fishing you need a 4X4. The roads that are plowed on the ice become community holes close to the city. There are well traveled paths on the lake of access points and dozens of fisherman in any one location. It would pay to get a guide your first day.

    Lake access is very limited. We create our own access trails by the shear volume of traffic that hits the ice on any given day. You don’t have to drive miles over the lake to fish. I think we have more visitors in the winter than the summer.

    You need to travel to the fish. I live a seven iron away from the lake on the far west end and travel east 35 miles to the location I’m fishing now.

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