Ed's Bait Report 4/26

Report for 4/26/02:

High winds the past couple of days have resulted in the demise of the ice
on Devils Lake leaving the lake pretty much wide open. With the lake just
opening, most boat ramps do not have docks, but should be usable for you
early birds. We do advise caution on some of the smaller more temporary
ramps as the ice can sometimes do some damage on the lower parts of the
ramp, and with the ice just having gone out, these areas have not been
checked out or "officially" opened. As for fishing, anglers have been
doing some shore fishing and putting in smaller boats. Those making it out
report catching a lot of smaller pike, but not a lot of bigger pike yet.
The best spots have been the bridge and culvert areas, the Mauvee Coulee,
and Channel A. Try using cranks, daredevils, jigs tipped with minnows,
smelt, or herring. For walleyes, the best spots has been the culverts on
the Woods Rutten road and the culverts/bridges on the western part of the
lake. For the boaters just getting out, typical early hot spots include
the north ends of Six Mile and Creel Bays, Mission Bay, and the newly
accessible Pelican Lake (the culverts in the northwest corner). Since we
are in the spawning period, we do ask anglers to please practice catch and
release when catching the larger spawning walleyes. Also a word of caution
for you boaters. When the lake first opens there is always a lot of
floating trees and other debris. Good Luck and good fishing!!!

Don't forget to stop in and register for our weekly qualifying drawings for
one of two amateur entries for the In-Fisherman PWT to be held on Devils
Lake this July.

[ This Message was edited by: administrator on 2002-04-26 14:55 ]