This 2013 season looks to be a later spring where everything is behind schedule from a biological perspective.   Colder water temperatures can be a double edged sword.  Some patterns happen later or don’t happen at all.  When we have had cool, late springs in the past, good solid patterns for shallow water held on much longer than usual and resulted in overall good fishing conditions.  Overall, some of our best open water seasons on Devils Lake, ND have been the years where we had late springs and cool summers.  When the water never really does warm up and the patterns don’t change much… watch out.  Great fishing lies ahead.

No secret that walleyes use weeds an awful lot and despite the fact that walleyes are known to use weeds so often, many walleye anglers still avoid fishing weeds.  Take a quick look around many good walleye fisheries from the opener on through summer and the armada of boats are typically dangling lines over classic structure.

Even on lakes with slot limits where the same fish can be caught several times over the course of a summer, the fish on these classic locations get pressured.  Can fish on these classic locations eat a day after getting caught and bend a rod?  Absolutely but fish that are getting angling pressure become more difficult to catch.  What I love about weed fish is that these fish are typically fresh because of the lack of pressure.  Fresh fish make you look better.    

By Jason Mitchell

No secret that walleyes move into shallow water come spring but a lesson I have had to relearn a handful of times over the years is simple, don’t be afraid to look for fish in a foot or two of water come spring.  Many anglers will fish shallow particularly early in the year but often stop at that three foot mark.  There are probably many reasons that cause walleyes to position themselves into a foot or two of water but I think most of the time, warmer water temperatures and baitfish are the two biggest motivators for pulling walleyes into such skinny water.