By Mike Peluso

The good news is we are finally in full swing this spring. The bad news is that the weather really hasn’t been that great, with lots of wind making walleye fishing on the Missouri River difficult. When the weather permits, however it seems the fish are willing and able.

For my guide business I’ve been trying hard to avoid the heavy traffic areas. Of course, like most springs the bulk of the fish are further south on the Missouri River. Unfortunately, this puts a lot of pressure on those areas. I’ve been taking the lesser of both. We are still getting our fish, north of the crowds, we just have to work a little harder for them.

The best option has been to use jigs cast out and away from the boat with both minnows and plastics producing. I know a few guys have been trolling and getting walleyes to bite as well. The only problem with that method so far this spring is that it has been hard to find area out of the boats to troll properly.

We are seeing a good mix of fish as far as size goes with plenty of nice eater sized walleyes to take home and a few larger picture fish in the mix. I still believe someone is going to catch a new state record this spring as I am seeing a few fish in the 12-to-14-pound range already this season.

I think the bite should just continue to get better and better here in the next couple of weeks and hopefully the weather allows for more fishing. I have a couple open dates in May left for the river. After May 15, I’ll be headed to Devils Lake and Sakakawea. I have scattered days for those two lakes also.

Mike Peluso is a Dakota Edge Outdoors contributing writer and a licensed ND fishing guide specializing in walleyes on the state’s premier waters.

Featured Photo: Whacked! When weather allows, walleyes will become aggressive, with larger fish on the southern stretches of the Missouri River near Lake Oahe. DEO Photo by Mike Peluso.