A little late but here is the info. Muddy opened up about 3-4 weeks ago. I think pike may have spawned under ice due to the warm spell earlier. Walleye have been up in the muddy for spawning but I’m unsure of their stage. Lake just opened up this weekend.
Yesterday I caught 2 post spawn pike, 2 catfish and several shiners. Tomorrow I’m heading to the lake to check it out but I know the water is brown so we shall see.
walleye
Midwinter update
Have been out fishing the last two weekends with little to moderate success. General description of weather, it has been really warm with temp in the 30s. Still lots of snow on all the lakes though.
Lewis and clark has been basically dead for walleyes but I have been able to pick up pike right at sunset at the opening of the bay in 14 feet of water. 3 weeks ago I caught a monster 42 in 19 lb fish!
Otherwise trenton has been slow, a few fish here and there with the best bite in the morning. Went out today to the point at the bend and fished that shelf picking up 5 total but bite was basically dead by noon.
Kota ray was crazy with people. There were perch biting on wax worms and minnows but no size and too many people.
Also caught this guy at lunds in 14 feet. Lake whitefish, my first, kinda cool.
Walleye fire
Fishing has been crazy good for walleyes, went out Wednesday and Saturday and got limits of average 18 in fish. Water temp is 63 and we were fishing in 10 ft of water with slow lindy rigged worms. Weather had been varied with some warmth, rain, and wind.
Lake has cleared enough!
I have been out to Lunds landing a few times in the past week and have managed to do well on walleye, pike, and white bass. The water has finally cleared a bit and the fish are biting. Lindys have been doing well in red, copper, and sometimes green in 9-14 ft of water. Really need to move and target active fish on dropoffs. Pike have been hitting raps and sometimes the spinners too. Here is a few links to the videos of the trips!
McLeod
Took the yak out to ray to fish McLeod for a first. Lake is real shallow north of the bridge but the south side is like one big pit that maxes out near 30. Water was warm at 70. Caught about a dozen 2 foot or less pike using a jig head and gulp minnow bait. Was looking for perch and walleye and marked a bunch at 9-10 feet right at the edge of the weeds. Only managed one bitter though on a slip bobber and worm but it was a huge perch. 13 inches long, if I could get a mess of them that would be great. It was bright and sunny and very calm, may have better luck on a cloudy day.
Spring update
So far this spring came early. I have heard reports of smelt starting to run on the lake by lunds landing. Walleye by Newtown have been good but on this end its been real slow. Not a lot of reports but last weekend I went out and got a few pike, one being 12 lbs but I think was half spawned out. Also caught a ling, all in about 10-15 ft of water. Temp have been solid for about a week now so water temp should be up, I’ll check this weekend if I go out. No melt yet from the river so lake levels are real low.
Early spring fishing
We have had an exceptional early thaw this year. The river opened one week ago and today I am fishing open water at lunds landing and Lewis and Clark. It would seem the walleye are prespawning on the river and people have been doing really well at the pumphouse. Today I fished for pike on sakakawea. Lunds had really low water, I couldn’t find a spot deeper than 5 ft. Managed a small pike slow rolling a minnow but was otherwise dead. It may be to shallow to early. Lewis and Clark however was a different matter. There is still ice on the boat ramp where barley 3 weeks before I caught a 40 in fish through the ice. On the inlet though the water was open and the pike were trolling. I got an ok pike and the guy across from me got a beauty of a fish. Oddly I also caught a large catfish in deep water on a minnow. Weather has been in the 40s and wind was light with mostly sunny skies giving way to clouds.
Mid-Winter Fishing
Went out fishing at Sakakawea yesterday with some friends. It has been really cold with highs in the negatives some days but we warmed up this weekend with yesterday at 36. Still fishing was slow. We tried out by Lunds Landing, some submerged islands off in the main body at about 17 to 30 feet of water and got nothing. We then went over to the south side kind of by Tobacco Gardens but a little bit further east at the opening of this bay. We were fishing at 12 to 9 feet of water and managed one yellow perch, one pike, and one 21.5 in walleye! Saw a few other fish on the finder and had a few tipups go but to no result. Caught the fish on a yellow darting lure.
Posted from Williston, North Dakota, United States.
Temperature
Low: °F, High: °F
Low: °F, High: °F
Avg. Wind Speed: mph
Avg. Visibility: miles
Crappie galore
Got to do some ice fishing on Trenton the past two weeks. First ice of the year and really managed to slam them, probably caught 40 fish over three trips. Some walleye and pike too. Also a 2.3 lbder was caught by some guy. All on minnows with basic jig heads or spinner jigs. Artifical seems to do nothing. Bite is real good from sunrise till about noon, then picks back up around 3.
First ice
Some first ice fish being caught at trenton. 4 inches of ice I hear with crappie and walleye being caught. May go out for first hand experience tomorrow. Today was sunny and mid 20s with little to no wind.