| | FLW’s Top Ten Reveal How to Catch Devils Lake Fish
July 31, 2010
It’s the end of July and Devils Lake is full of weeds, so it’s not a surprise to hear that pulling “Slow Death”, a presentation that consists of a 1-2 oz bottom bouncer, on average a 4’ mono lead, a specially designed hook that spins when it’s pulled through the water, a half a crawler or leech hooked on it, and pulled anywhere from .5-1.0mph, is a dominant technique here this week. Most, if not all, of today’s top ten are using Slow Death, pulling spinners, casting crankbaits or pitching jigs, and we can’t forget the old Devils Lake favorite, using slip bobbers in the trees!
Conditions this morning at take off were:
Temp: 70 Degrees and Fair
Humidity:83 %
Wind Speed:W 3 MPH
Barometer:29.91"
Dewpoint:64 °F (18 °C)
Visibility:10.00 mi.
The forecast for today is:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 86. West southwest wind between 3 and 7 mph.
It’s a beautiful day to be fishing, and today the best of the FLW Walleye Tour field is competing for the title and a lot of money (exact amounts unknown until after weigh in). It’s still up in the air as to who will win this, because on a lake like this, anyone can come across the right fish and become heros.
As always, below you can find a short interview (with the exception of Mr. Schilling who likes to talk A LOT!), and they will share with you how making the top ten made them feel, or what it means to them, and they will tell you how each has been catching their fish all week. This week, all the Pros are standing on the left side of the pictures, and are listed in the order of their finish after day two.
 Pro: Jason Feldner and Co Angler: Don Karlgaard: Good! But, nerve-wracking, I didn’t get much sleep last night. That’s expected though. But, yeah, it feels good! I’m just happy to be where I’m at. I’m in the top ten, that’s all I can ask for. I don’t want to fail, but if I take fifth, third, or second, I’m still going to be happy.
Juls: What are your nerves like, because you’ve been leading this event from day one now? But, really, you should be used to this by now with all the successes you’ve had in your fishing career, right? (Smile)
Jason: I’m just hoping that if I can duplicate what I did yesterday that it’s good enough to keep me where I’m at, but there are some people getting on some pretty good fish, so it’s going to be…I don’t know…it’s anybody’s game.
Juls: You’re a well established guide here on Devils Lake…what is your website if someone were to want to look you up?
Jason: www.percheyes.com
Juls: Please tell our readers exactly what you’re doing to catch your fish this past week.
Jason: I’m actually pulling spinners. Lindy has come out with some new spinners that were introduce recently at the last ICAST show, and I had gotten my hands on some of those, and there were a couple of colors that seemed to be making a difference. I’m pulling in 9-11 feet of water over on the west end of the lake, and some spots have weeds and some don’t. You know, the fish are just scattered. It seems like they’re roaming. It’s just pockets of fish…one here, one there, and you just have to weed through them and be brave and throw the right ones in the box.
Juls: How many fish are you going through a day?
Jason: The first day was 50. Yesterday was probably 18-20. Every day I’ve had a couple good fish on too that come unbuttoned that we have to deal with. Seems like using bottom bouncers and spinners up in shallow water those fish come up and they get pretty strong willed to get back down to the bottom and if you don’t have your drag set right, or anything like that, they come unbuttoned pretty fast.
We’re just going fishing today. We’ll see what happens at the end of today.
 Pro: Scott Larson and Co Angler: Ted Kaminski: It’s great! It was a goal of mine when I came in and I’m at my goal in weight…I was hoping for 15 pounds a day and I knew I would make the cut. I’m a little surprised that I’m sitting in second place on Devils Lake with 31 pounds, but I’ll take it! We’ll see what happens and bump it up a few pounds today.
Juls: How are you catching all your fish? Can you tell us, please?
Scott: Sure…basic method is, I’m going along weed lines in 8-10 feet of water using spinners on 1-2 ounce bottom bouncers, Slow Death, and pitching crankbaits into the pockets.
Juls: Devils Lake is a pretty big body of water. Could you at least narrow it down to an area? East side or West side?
Scott: Pelican…(Smiles)
 Pro: Chris Burns and Co Angler: Richard Ness: I’ve been trying for three years to do this and today I’m in a position to take this away from a local guide and hero, so I’ve got to everything I can to do that (he grins). I’m going to fish the same way I have for the last couple of days, and in prefishing, and God willing…the fish…I’m going to take it.
Juls: Well, you guys will be long gone by the time this gets typed up, so could you tell our readers exactly what you’re doing to catch fish?
Chris: I’ve been running slip bobbers and I’m balancing the bobbers so they go under real easy. I’m using leeches, and not jumbos like you read about, I saw the fish were spitting up the smaller ones up in my boat, so I went with smaller leeches and did good. Gold hooks and also casting jigs into the wood.
Juls: What kind of jigs are you using?
Chris: I’m using Northland’s Weed Weasels. Seems like orange with chartreuse seems to be the best for me, and I’m keep it light, I’m using 1/8 ounce or maybe even a little lighter, and I’m just using the weight of the crawler or the leech to pitch it.
Juls: What’s your game plan today?
Chris: I am going to go to my favorite spot and I am going to anchor up. I have a bad feeling that I am going to camp there, so let’s hope the fish are still there. (Laughs)
 Pro: Tommy Skarlis and Co Angler: Victor Wood: (Second top ten this season) It feels really good to be in the top ten. I was fortunate enough in the other FLW I fished this spring, the Spring Valley event, to have placed 4th there, and ironically I’m going into this event in 4th place. I feel really fortunate to be where I’m at. I didn’t really have a whole lot going on in practice. I had a couple ideas where good fish were at, and I was catching a few good fish, but the patterns were pretty scattered, and I got some really good advice from a really good friend, to fish with a ½ a crawler. And, I’ve also been casting some jigs and some crankbaits.
Yesterday, I stumbled across a bit of a program, casting white 3” GULP! Minnows. I’m using Lindy X-Change jigs. All the guides here use that bigger X-Change jig with the number two hook, because when you’re fishing with plastics and your fishing Walleye, you need that big hook in order to get it into the fish. The nice thing about using that number two hook too, is I can also change jig sizes. So, if it’s windy and I have to go up to a quarter ounce from an 1/8 ounce jig, I can do that. If I have to step down to a 1/16 ounce, pitching the weeds, I can do that. So, with the Lindy X-Change System it allows me to change heads, and vary my presentation. Sometimes a faster fall rate can trigger the fish, so use a heavier jig head. If you want a slower fall rate, use a lighter jig head.
I’m pretty fired up. I’ve got one heck of a partner, as far as my co angler is concerned. He’s got a heck of a great attitude, and this is going to be pretty exciting.
Juls: How deep are you fishing?
Tommy: Most of the fish I’m catching are coming along the weed edges in 8-14 foot of water. It just depends. A lot of times if I’m getting out in 14 foot of water I’m fishing scattered brush and old timber lay downs, to where you know, If I’m fishing weed edges I’m going through one bottom bouncer a day (he starts to chuckle), and if I’m out in the scattered timber it’s about one bottom bouncer a minute! But, we’ve got a fist full of them, just like Clint Eastwood had a “Fish Full of Dollars”, and we’re going to take the “Good, Bad, and the Ugly”, and just hope that we come in as the “High Plains Drifter” when this is all done.
 Pro: Chad Schilling and Co Angler: Clarence Heckert: It feels good! I wished I’d of got more of these this year as with everything, everybody had to cut back a little bit, so my one appearance is a top ten…I like that! At least the one this year is going to be a good memory. No, it feels great!
Juls: Well, it’s no surprise to us, really. (Smile)
Chad: Here’s going to be the surprise today…(he’s pretending to read a headline) ”Chad’s tends to choke a little on the last day” (Laughs). It’s never because I’m nervous. I’m never stressed. I just go out and it’s just bad cards, I guess.
I told my partner this morning that I’m usually not this jittery, but I have a shot here. I could weigh…the potential of my spot is so incredible, and I haven’t wasted one yet. I mean, in the last two weeks, I know of 15 fish over 27 inches that have come out of there.
One guy had 6 of them in four hours one day. So, when I started the day yesterday with a couple big fish I thought, “Here we go…here we go!” But, it didn’t work out yesterday. The right fish are there. I know they are! I mean, yesterday, I sat there for three hours and 20 minutes without a Walleye bite. I’m willing to do it again today, because I know the potential and that’s what happens on this spot.
Juls: Well, this is the day that you guys tell all our readers exactly what you’re doing out there to catch your fish…care to share?
Chad: (Laughs) Alright, but I got a bunch of buddies, and possibly myself coming back here in a week, but I’ll tell you any how.
We’re doing what everybody is doing. I’ll tell you it’s pretty funny. I brought my “old man” up here, and he’s an old guide from Lake Oahe, and I had him casting crankbaits. He made it for maybe an hour, and he said, “This is too much work!” He went back to the back of the boat while I was casting and dropped a bottom bouncer and he started smoking me. And, his Boss, Jim Hayes was with us, and HE started smoking me! And, I’m like, “You guys, I’m not near any weeds, I’m just out here cruising!” I’m just casting at the weeds…I’m just cruising along casting, and they are just crushing them in the back of the boat.
Everybody kept telling me it was going to take 15 pounds a day to make the cut, and I was like, “Man! These guys are getting 15 pounds in a hurry!” You know, so it didn’t work out quite like that, but I found this big fish spot, so we’re pulling bouncers and spinners, bouncers and slow death ….
Juls: What size blades are you using on your spinners?
Chad: Ahhh….(he starts to laugh) They don’t care! It’s like at home. I run a lot of real tiny blades. I’m not exactly sure of the size…one of the real tiny blades that are about the size of your pinky nail is what I run. But, I also went to a number four, and they eat that too. Pretty much, if you put it in front of the right fish, they’ll eat it. They’re really lethargic though, and they’re not the June Walleye that crush it, if you put your rod in a rod holder and you turn around and he’s hooked, that’s about the best way to do it. We always say to play dumb…well, that’s playing dumb as you can get, when they get hooked themselves. (Laughs) They’re real soft, and I think that’s probably one of the keys these guys have missed. A lot of times, you’re dragging a “weed” until it starts to fight. I mean, he doesn’t do anything…he just lays there. My Dad would have one, while I was casting and say, “I think this ones a fish?” And, you know, he’s been fishing and guiding for 30 years, so he knows what a fish looks like. And, then he would say, “Yeah, this is a fish”, and he’d reel it up. They don’t really fight until you start reeling and set the hook a little bit…and, you don’t set it much.
That’s the key to my good weights.
Juls: How deep of water are you fishing?
Chad: I’m fishing deep water for my big fish. I’m sitting out in 25-30 feet. They were there in practice. The little time I checked them I had big weights, and when I got here and they said those weights were going to do it, I was really excited. I’m still…I’m jittery, man! (Laughs) This first hour of today is going to tell a lot of what my day is going to be.
Juls: Are you using both crawlers and leeches or just cralwers?
Chad: I bought a pound of leeches when I got here, and I have ¾ of a pound left. I didn’t use much. It’s all crawlers. I’m using single hooks, Slow Death hooks, or just a long Aberdeen on my spinners. Another thing I do, just because I’m a Hillbilly is, I use an ounce to two ounces of bouncer down there. I don’t want it away from the boat. I want it straight down, so if I have weeds I can feel them. There are no real tricks and I don’t fish the same spot twice. I caught them in one spot the first day, I went through there yesterday…I said, “Nah, we’ll go to another one”. We went to the next one and there they were. I mean, these are my kind of fish. These things don’t stay home…ever! They’re on the move and that’s what I like to find. I know they’re going to be in one of the 4 to 5 spots, and if it stays glass calm like this, that’s going to be a blessing to me, because people don’t like that here. They’re depending on wind, and I don’t need it. I can catch them either way.
My “easy fish” are that. They’re easy. I can go get them. It might take me three or four passes, on 3 or 4 different spots, but when I find them it’s quick. I left that spot yesterday with a triple. I had two fish on, got them in, and I was like, “They’re not big, but they’ll put us back on big fish”. Turned around and my spinner was just lying on the bottom for 30 seconds and one ate it off the bottom! (Laughs) So, I was like, “Well, this isn’t hard! We can get these and get out of here”.
I’m going to go swing! We always say we’re going to go swing for the fence. Well, this one I’m going to hit. I’m going to point it out right now! (Laughs) So, here we go! Thanks Juls!
 Pro: Mark Courts and Co Angler: Bryan Bayerkohler: After the drought I’ve had with all the 11th place finishes, I’m really happy by a top ten.
Juls: (Laugh) You have had a lot of 11’s…
Mark: (Laughs) Yeah, I have. I’ve had three in the last year, actually. No! It’s nice to be in the top ten here on Devils Lake. I always love coming back to this lake. It’s treated me pretty well over the years, and I look forward to getting out there today.
You know the conditions today, hot and flat, and I just think it’s going to be a deal of covering a lot of water, and hopefully contacting enough fish throughout the day to get the right ones.
Juls: How many spots does your milk run have?
Mark: Oh! I’ve got lots of spots on the milk run. I don’t know how many I’m going to go to today. I’m going to try and cover some water in some key areas and look for big fish. That’s what it’s going to take for me to get first place, so we’re going to stick it out in some big fish areas, and try to catch those up there and we’ll see what happens.
Juls: What are you doing to catch your fish?
Mark: I’m pulling bottom bouncers like I think like most of the top ten, and just covering a lot of water. That’s the key, just covering water, and covering some fresh ground. I’m fishing weeds and some breaklines. Just covering the outside of the weeds, and looking for those key spots, like points and inside turns, and stuff like that are what the fish are holding in.
Juls: Did you guys have your www.onthewaterlive.com cameras working here?
Mark: No. Unfortunately the reception is so bad…it’s not that we don’t have good service with Verizon, it’s just that there are so many dead spots here on the lake, and the program needs to be rebooted when that happens, so I was continually having to reboot like 20 times a day, so that’s why we don’t have it live this week.
 Pro: Paul Meleen and Co Angler: Greg Oppegard: (3rd top ten this year) It feels good! I feel like I’m fishing well again. I think a lot has to do with the birth of my new little boy. It’s kind of rejuvenated me in a lot of ways and it’s carrying over into my fishing.
Juls: How are you catching all your fish, Paul?
Paul: I’m pulling spinners outside weed lines, and I’m casting crankbaits. I’m using a variety of crankbaits. I’m throwing number 5 Shad Raps. I am throwing some custom baits with some custom colors, that are pretty good. But, mostly Shad Raps. I’m also throwing a couple colors of the 200 series Reef Runners.
Juls: Without giving specific locations…what kind of areas are you targeting?
Paul: It’s kind of funny for me, because the wind is really making a difference. I’m fishing up in Pelican. I think there were 7 or 8 of us that ran up there the first day, and I think 4 or 5, maybe even 6 of us in the top ten, were up there. But, I’m fishing anywhere from 4-12 feet. It depends upon the weed line and the patch. I’m doing something a little different, I’m finding that instead of the main weed lines being the target, I’m looking for open patches with nothing else attached to them. It seems like they hold less fish, but the ones that are there are quality fish. So, it’s more of a “milk run”…one or two here, one or two here, or one or two here…(he’s pointing to different spots). Some days you slide up and you catch two small fish and the next day you slide up and you get two good ones.
Hopefully, I will guess the right patches today and they’re all good ones. (Smiles)
 Pro: Kevin McQuoid and Co Angler: Lowell Joy: (Shaking his head in a positive manner) It feels good…feels good! (Grins) I only have one top ten this year, and one last year, and it’s definitely nice to stay there. Devils Lake has always been good to me.
Juls: What are you doing to catch your fish?
Kevin: Spinners outside of the weeds. I’m using about a 1 ½ ounce bottom bouncer, a 6 foot leader, a two hook worm harness, and pulling a crawler with different colors of blades. Yellow, chartreuses, gold, and nickel are the colors I’ve been using the most.
Juls: What size blades are you using?
Kevin: 3’s.
Juls: What’s your game plan for today? How many spots do you have to work?
Kevin: Oh, quite a few. I’m hoping that two of the spots are holding a lot better, numbers of big fish, so hopefully those are going. Yesterday I had to run around. I got two really nice ones right away, and spots two through eight didn’t do very well.
Juls: How many fish are you going through?
Kevin: Well, the first day I had about 30 weigh fish. Yesterday, I only had 5. Some of it depends on the weather. Today is going to be like yesterday as far as weather goes, other than we didn’t have the bad storm last night. So, today should be better than yesterday.
 Pro: Gary Maher and Co Angler: Bill Drake: (Second top ten this year) It feels pretty good, and I feel pretty fortunate to be here. We got into some really nice fish and today might be another good day.
Juls: Will the calm conditions help you or hurt your area?
Gary: It’s not going to be real favorable, but I think we’ll be alright. There’s a lot of fish in our spot if we can get them to come out and take a look around out of the weeds.
Juls: Seems just about everyone is pulling spinners or Slow Death…you too?
Gary: Yes, pretty much just dragging along the weed edges. If you can get them to come out for a little bit, you can catch one here and there. Hopefully, it’s a good one today. I’m due for a couple really good ones.
Juls: How many fish are you going through a day?
Gary: The first day we caught maybe 30 fish, but yesterday it was a lot slower. The weather has kind of stabilized, so I think they’ll be on the “feed” maybe. We’ll be alright. I think we’ll go through a lot of fish. I’m hoping for a limit of 20 inchers, and throw in a 24-26 incher, maybe two, I hope. That would be a good day! (Laughs)
 Pro: Eric Olson and Co Angler: Lance Bainville: (Second top ten this year) It feels probably better than anybody could ever figure out. It’s been a long time coming and…
Juls: Yeah, you went through a dry spell, and now you have two in one season.
Eric: Yeah, and I looked at the Red Wing tournament and I had the opportunity there too. I just had the fish come unbuttoned. I kind of think of it as a personal redemption “thing”. You know you could do it, but it just wasn’t showing up in the results. Frustrating? Yeah! Tough to make it through it? Absolutely! Now it really makes a turn. I made a lot of changes in all my fishing stuff this year from my equipment to one brand and now I’m running Humminbird and running different things in the boat. I said, “I’ve got to change something”, and a lot of times change is not good, but in this case, we made changes for the right reasons and I’m happy.
It was one of those things yesterday, when I realized I made the top ten, and I didn’t really care. Other than making the top ten was the goal for me. And, now, the best part about this is I can swing for the fence right up to the very end. I have nothing to lose, because I can’t go lower than 10th place. My Co is on board with the plan and he looks like he’s ready for the challenge.
We’ll have our little bet going, of course, of first, best, and biggest, so we’ll put a little in boat competition into the game as well. (Laughs) What can I say? We’re dancing! How many guys want to be dancing in the top ten? Everyone wants to do it. Making a championship, well, that’s one thing, but having two top tens, especially after coming off a win is the best!
Juls: What exactly are you doing to catch your fish?
Eric: The first day we went out I decided to go get a limit. My prefish was pretty weak and I said, I want to go get my limit, then I’ll be able to really work the fish the way I want to without a panic mode, because I want to be able to do the best I can. So, we went and got our limit doing….hmmmm, funny….”Slow Death”! (He smirks knowing everyone else is doing the same thing)
We hit a limit fast. We had a limit by 9:30 or quarter of 10, and the fun part about that is then we were able to really play the game. I went to my second spot and casted cranks the rest of the day, which was only a ½ hour, and we had our overs. Yesterday, I switched it up, because I realized I could make the top ten and I said, “Screw it. I’m going for it!” I went to the big fish spot first and got 4 good ones and lost a big 5 pounder, which would have put us in second place.
I’m going out today with the same feeling. I think I can win this thing, still. The other guys are going to have to score the same points and we can make it happen. The fish are there. There are big there. We are going to cast cranks all morning, and at the end just give us enough time…if we don’t have anything in the box to show up and still play the game. There’s going to be guys that show up with nothing or a few, and I think we can move up a couple of spots. We’re going to give ourselves every opportunity to win, not just place. So, that’s what we’re going for…the win.
For full results please click on the “Devils Lake” link associated with the FLW Walleye Tour on the Live Leader Board at www.liveleaderboard.com. You can find pictures from the morning blast offs and afternoon weigh-in there too.
Today’s final weigh in will take place at “Lake Chevrolet”, located at 123 5th Street NE in Devils Lake, and will begin at 4pm Central Time on Saturday.
There will be a “Kid’s Fishing Clinic” featured before the weigh in, from 2:30 to 4:00 hosted by FLW Outdoors and the NPAA (National Professional Anglers Association), and presented by several of the FLW Touring Pros. Bring the kids down for free prizes... It’s open to the public and FREE to attend!
For more information on fishing or attending an FLW Walleye Tour event, please visit the FLW site at www.flwoutdoors.com.
Hope to see you all there!
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