Water Temp 64 degrees
There’s a big late summer bug hatch happening on Devils Lake. Combined with a recent cold front and high winds, it has had a negative impact on fishing. However, the good news is walleye are concentrated over mud flats and are catchable with a fairly specific presentation. With the bugs coming off the bottom, walleyes are schooling up over mud flats in 12-25 feet adjacent to structures like humps, old shorelines, and islands.
A good trick for bug hatch walleyes over mud is to shorten up a crawler and go slow. Dragging a bottom bouncer with a single hook, short 30-inch leader, and 1/4 of a crawler at .8-1.1mph is a good way to cover water but mimic bite-size meals like mayfly nymphs hatching off the bottom. They’re also not smacking the baits; the bites are light, so pay close attention to your rod tip. Wind can be prevalent when you are out on the mud flats, so if it’s blowing too hard, head to current areas like culverts and bridges. Switch up your presentation to jigs and leeches or jigs and crawlers.
Mike Peluso Outdoors
https://mikepelusooutdoors.com/
