I have a good friend of mine planning a Devils ice trip for mid-Jan(12-16).During a typical year what is your perch bite like during this time? What about your eyes and northern on tip-ups?
How many rods or tip-ups per person during the winter?
How much is your out of state license?
Are there any portable fees for our shacks?
Are there road fees when we go out on the ice?
thanks for the help.
Ryan Hale
I found some answers for you Ryan:
WINTER ACCESS AREAS:
Winter access areas include most boat access areas. The Devils Lake Tourism Committee has a subcommittee called the Lake Access Committee to address winter access points and trails for vehicles. These points change based on fishing “hot spots”. Please check with us or the DL Chamber of Commerce for up to the minute changes.
Winter Trails: This committee is also responsible for maintaining trail system on the lake. A contractor is hired each year to maintain access points and to maintain a trail system. This system is funded through donations from fisherman and local businesses. PLEASE HELP SUPPORT THIS TRAIL SYSTEM BY PURCHASING A LAKE ACCESS PERMIT (not required) AT ONE OF THE LOCAL BAITSHOPS/RESORTS.
GENERAL FISHING RULES FOR DEVILS LAKE
North Dakota’s fishing season runs from April 1st thru March 31st. There is no longer a “closed” period on Devils Lake. However, usually late November/early December and late March/early April have extremely dangerous ice conditions that prohibit most fishing on the lake.
Number of Fishing Lines Allowed: Ice Fishing – 4 lines per angler
Daily Fish Limits for Devils Lake Species:
Walleye – 5 per angler
Northern Pike – 5 per angler (Benson, Eddy, & Ramsey Counties only)
White Bass – 35/day 175 in possession limit
Yellow Perch – 35/day 175 in possession limit
Crappie – 35/day 175 in possession limit
Muskie – 3 per angler (30inch minium size length)
Rod/Line Proximity: ND Law requires the angler to be within 150 feet of their lines. ND Law requires lines be checked at least once per hour.
Ice Houses: ND No longer requires fish house licenses!!! We lobbied hard & won!!!
JANUARY:
The month of January is typically very cold in ND. Lows will often exceed 20 degrees below zero. However, perch fishing is excellent during this time. By now, the ice is typically 2-3ft thick requiring a gas powered ice auger. Fisherman now concentrate their efforts on the deeper bays. While perch can also be found in the trees, most anglers will work the middle deeper water of bays. Perch fisherman tend to go with small (1/8 to 1/32 jigs), jigging raps, rattle snakies, kastmasters, other small jigging spoons, or a plain hook with a split shot and a slip bobber. When looking for perch, plan to move around until you find them. Many anglers will drill in excess of 100 holes in their search for Devils Lake’s jumbo perch. The perch are usually in large schools this time of year and you need to move around until you find a school of active fish. Additionally, most angler will resort to using ice houses this time of year. To help with mobility, a small portable quick flip type house is recommended
And lastly, the out of state license for 3 days is $15 and for 7 days $20.
Hope this helps Ryan,
Chad
Chad,thanks so much for the help on this subject.Alot of great info for our Devils trip in Jan.It should be a fun trip and hope we can get into those jumbo perch.
Ryan Hale
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