By Nick Simonson

With first ice settled in across much of North Dakota, only the big waters remain in terms of establishing fishable hard water for anglers.  One of the premier destinations for those seeking walleyes, perch and pike each winter in the state is the sprawling complex of Devils Lake, and this winter will likely provide good opportunities for all three species, according to Todd Caspers, Devils Lake Fisheries Biologist for the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F).

“Water levels are decent. We’re more or less at a similar level to last year and it shouldn’t cause any problems for access and it should be a good winter for ice fishing if the snow stays away this year, and getting around on the lake is in better shape than last year,” Caspers advises, adding that ice conditions so far this year remain highly variable, with shallower stretches nearing eight inches, but open water stretches still present on the main basin with recent warmer and windy days.

Populations of walleyes will likely provide great fishing for those headed up to Devils Lake as a solid size structure exists with many fish available in the 14-to-18-inch range. Following a strong catch of walleyes in the NDG&F test netting efforts this summer, anglers can also expect to find larger fish up to 30 inches in length.  According to the agency’s numbers, the average length of captured walleyes was 13.7 inches and walleyes made up 57 percent of all fish surveyed over the past summer.

“Overall walleye numbers should be very good right now.  We had a strong catch of walleye in our test netting nets last summer,” Caspers details, adding “there will be smaller and larger fish out there, of course, and there are trophy walleyes present in the lake, so a lucky angler might run into one of those too.”

While pike numbers are off from higher counts seen over the last ten years, northerns are holding their own on the lake, with a large percentage of fish in the 24-to-30-inch range, providing good action for anglers seeking them below the ice this winter.  A few larger pike still prowl the expanses of Devils Lake, and early ice tip-up anglers would be best served by finding remaining weedlines in the shallows of those first frozen bays to set up for the predators.   The largest sample in the agency’s test netting in 2023 was just shy of 40 inches, but many larger pike likely are swimming in Devils Lake.

Finally, the draw that has been most historically tied to Devils Lake ice fishing in the past several decades bringing anglers by train from across the upper Midwest as part of the Perch Express, is the yellow perch.  Caspers suggests things are improving in the football-shaped fish’s size structure, as more of those traditional Devils Lake jumbos may be in the cards for anglers arriving from near and far on the lake’s hardwater surface this winter.

“Overall numbers of perch are about average right now, but there likely will be a few more of those twelve-inch-plus jumbo perch around this winter, as their numbers seemed to be above average in our netting survey this past summer,” Caspers relates, adding its best to follow the schools’ movement as the ice allows for best perch success, “the areas with the safest ice are the best spots to try at first ice, but if you can ,work down toward that basin edge a little bit, if you can get to it safely, but then again, sometimes perch do show up a little bit shallower early in the winter.”

A strong population of Gammarus – more commonly known as freshwater shrimp – remains on Devils Lake, forming the base of a strong food web, especially for the perch. An about average supply of young-of-the-year fish such as juvenile white bass and perch coming out of this spring and summer will likely fuel those walleye and pike populations on the water as the leaner months settle in, making for good fishing through the ice.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: Anglers will likely find quality eater-sized walleyes in abundance on Devils Lake, as a good population of fish in the 14-to-18-inch range is present. Simonson Photo.