The Decline of Devils Lake

[Walleye202]

This has been years in the making but I believe we are truly seeing the repercussions currently of it. I think if a person thinks back 10 years to what has been going on in Devils Lake it starts to make sense. We are currently in the midst of a very tough ice season on Devils Lake, Weather no doubt has been a challenge this year but there remains pretty big issues with the "Perch Capital Of The World".

I firmly believe that the perch simply are not there in numbers anymore on DL. The G&F has not stocked any perch in DL in many, many years and the results are now showing themselves. Ice fishing is not the same as it was even 10 years ago with the massive advancement in technology and now wide use of forward facing sonar technology. Currently there are MANY guides operating on DL and the constant "perch problem" is being talked about. With the absence of perch, the focus turns to walleyes which are also starting to feel the effect of increased angling in my opinion.

The NDGF has operated under a "minimal restriction" method in regards to Devils Lake for many, many years. No regulations on size, no regulations on fishing timeframes, no regulations on the numbers of guides and outfitters and no stocking of the yellow perch. I firmly believe that the NDGF needs to change their operating plan for Devils Lake. I asked 5 years ago at the spring advisory meeting on the status of the Devils Lake perch population. NDGF Fisheries Chief Greg Power's response was that we needed more water in Devils Lake to flood vegetation. Now remember, 5 years ago we were less than 10 years from the all time high in DL and if you go back 30 years, 25+ FEET above that level when Devils Lake had a booming yellow perch fishery going on.

I question the creel studies done on DL and seriously question the management plan on this lake. There remains many walleyes but the general size is in decline with most of the pressure now on walleyes with the absence of perch. I look forward to future advisory meetings and would like to hear something from the NDGF on the results of their current management. The fishing deal has changed greatly. Non residents largely hire guides and are taken to the fish that exist. Gone are the days that many come and look for fish on their own. Currently there are over 150 winter guides operating on Devils Lake during the ice season. For the future of this fishery when history would suggest we continue to trend lower with lake levels, I really think some focus needs to be put on and ramp up stocking efforts and in the meantime look at different management strategies than what have been practiced for the last 15 years.

I have ice fished Devils Lake for 25 years and it has changed greatly. I, along with others hope to see some change on this body of water.

 

[Rut2much]

Typical money involvement and mismanagement of a resource recurring theme.. Lake sakakawea rebounded and survived but change doesnt happen without sacrifice.. Maybe just maybe for a change, benefit the locals, I know crazy thought!

 

[bravo]

The lake “growing” over nutrient dense shoreline was a plankton, bug, and fish multiplier for years. The same thing happens on Sak when the lake refills. Now that Devils is kept steady, I reckon that has a lot to do with the population leveling off. They’re still there, but I don’t see the amount of scuds in the lake that I used to. I do agree they should look into stocking, but a lake that size would probably need such an amount to make a difference they’d have to forgo stocking smaller lakes (that is just purely my own rube speculation, I don’t know the dynamics of perch fry to adult success).

Any attempt by the game and fish to adjust limits on the big D will be met with the full force of the chamber of commerce / politicians, and the screeching of thousands on social media. Immediately followed by legislation that says they can’t do that.

Guides are another topic altogether. They are still posting their cool “North Dakota gold” bucket dump videos every day so things must be good.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Not sure what happened or why but I started fishing it in the mid to late late 70s , first year or two was a learning curve but after that I had real good luck until the water started rising . I thought I just wasn't finding them in the bigger lake and eventually found more productive water. Back then there was no limit , perch were non game fish and times were tough in the 80's with 12% home and vehicle loans so hunting and fishing was more of a necessity than today . More than once I caught enough fish to last a whole year and then clean fish till I was numb. That's just one person, I remember all the people that would flock in from Wisconsin and I'd make the comment a that it will get fished out with all these people and everyone said no way that could ever happen. I don't recall ever hearing of a huge winterkill .

 

[Walleye202]

The lake “growing” over nutrient dense shoreline was a plankton, bug, and fish multiplier for years. The same thing happens on Sak when the lake refills. Now that Devils is kept steady, I reckon that has a lot to do with the population thriving. They’re still there, but I don’t see the amount of scuds in the lake that I used to. I do agree they should look into stocking, but a lake that size would probably need such an amount to make a difference they’d have to forgo stocking smaller lakes (that is just purely my own rube speculation, I don’t know the dynamics of perch fry to adult success).

Any attempt by the game and fish to adjust limits on the big D will be met with the full force of the chamber of commerce / politicians, and the screeching of thousands on social media. Immediately followed by legislation that says they can’t do that.

Guides are another topic altogether. They are still posting their cool “North Dakota gold” bucket dump videos every day so things must be good.

There is actually a lot of chatter locally about engaging the G&F about wanting a hatchery on DL. NDGF has been engaged about the perch problem and I personally am very curious about their responses to these questions and ideas about developing a hatchery for Devils Lake.

 

[Jiffy]

I really don’t have much to go off of other than last summer up there and last summer was crap!!

I’m spending more time on some little lakes this year.

That is all…

 

[gonefshn]

 

[gonefshn]

 

[gonefshn]

Don’t forget. Almost every good fishing area on the lake now has a large campground right next to it. More pressure than ever and way less stocking to accommodate that pressure can’t help.

 

[Trip McNeely]

I don’t fish DL much anymore but got in in the hay days of the 90-2000s. Imo the constantly up/down elevation changes of sakakawea benefits her yearly as shorelines full of vegetation flooding is a recurring cycle with boom years for forage and natural production. It’s a process that constantly repeats and replenishes. DL was great while it was going up but now that new shoreline and vegetation being submerged is pretty well over it won’t ever be the same as it was going up. Edit; Pretty much just summed up what bravo already said

 

[Walleye202]

I don’t fish DL much anymore but got in in the hay days of the 90-2000s. Imo the constantly up/down elevation changes of sakakawea benefits her yearly as shorelines full of vegetation flooding is a recurring cycle with boom years for forage and natural production. It’s a process that constantly repeats and replenishes. DL was great while it was going up but now that new shoreline and vegetation being submerged is pretty well over it won’t ever be the same as it was going up.

Totally agree, I think the big question is with the stabilization of DL and history suggesting it trends lower, why not spike up the stocking efforts? The lake was 1/4 the current size in the late 80's and was producing phenomenal perch fishing. There was not flooded vegetation in the 80's the main talk then was trying to get water into DL which Mother Nature did in 1993 and into the early 2000's.

 

[Trip McNeely]

Totally agree, I think the big question is with the stabilization of DL and history suggesting it trends lower, why not spike up the stocking efforts? The lake was 1/4 the current size in the late 80's and was producing phenomenal perch fishing. There was not flooded vegetation in the 80's the main talk then was trying to get water into DL which Mother Nature did in 1993 and into the early 2000's.

I think at this point stocking is the only path forward to maintain the fishery to the levels it has been. Only other thing you could hope for would be the lake dropping for a few years and a couple wet years bringing it back up over the veggies.

 

[Bacon]

Limit the guides allowed to operate every year. Raise the out of state fees. You can still fish but have to figure it out on your own. I think this proves that you can over fish a lake. Even one as large as Devils.

 

[Davey Crockett]

Was there alway this many bass in DL ? I realize that all fish will eat perch eggs in the ribbon but It wasn't until after the perch decline that I realized there were so many white Bass in there.

 

[Duckslayer100]

I guess I can't comment on ice fishing. Never did have much luck on DL in the winter months back when I lived a lot closer. Pike, sure. But the walleyes and perch were ghosts.

The past three summers we've had an annual Graham's Island camping/fishing trip in July. Sometimes it takes a bit of looking, but never had a problem bringing home plenty of fish for the frying pan and freezer.

But I guess your post was more regarding ice fishing perch. I remember watching the Perch Patrol commercials back in the 90s. You could take a train from the Twin Cities right to DL! Seemed neat to a young kid who woke up extra early Saturdays to catch the outdoor shows on the local channels.

I think the biggest joke about perch fishing nowadays is there are probably dozens of smaller lakes within an hour of DL with bigger and easier to find perch, but everyone just drives past them.

 

[Tikka280ai]

I have heard another interesting theory about the east side of devils lake.

The salt content on the eastern side of the lake is extremely high. From what I understand the perch eggs have a 20ish second life expectancy, once laid until fertilized, until the salt kills them off.

When I first heard that I was skeptical but a few weeks back we went out with snobears for a 50th bday trip and the floors of said snobears looked like a Minnesota highway from the dried salt on the floors

 

[gonefshn]

Was there alway this many bass in DL ? I realize that all fish will eat perch eggs in the ribbon but It wasn't until after the perch decline that I realized there were so many white Bass in there.

Ever since the bass populations took off the perch numbers have been hit the most. And yet they keep lowering the white bass limit.

 

[1lessdog]

Limit the guides allowed to operate every year. Raise the out of state fees. You can still fish but have to figure it out on your own. I think this proves that you can over fish a lake. Even one as large as Devils.

I know families that have campers up at D.L. that brag about going out in the morning and catching there limit. Then go back out in the evening and do the samething. And these are N.D. residents. So don't blame guides and out of staters



I have always called them the meat fisherman. Mark Pollert a N.D. Game Warden and I would talk about the meat fisherman that would fish the Dam on the James River west of LaMoure. And he wrote lots of tickets for people catching two limits in a day.

 

[ndlongshot]

The best thing for it would be a severe drought to bring the lake down, with the help of pumping. We may never seen the lake go down with the amount of drainage north of devils lake now though.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I have heard another interesting theory about the east side of devils lake.

The salt content on the eastern side of the lake is extremely high. From what I understand the perch eggs have a 20ish second life expectancy, once laid until fertilized, until the salt kills them off.

When I first heard that I was skeptical but a few weeks back we went out with snobears for a 50th bday trip and the floors of said snobears looked like a Minnesota highway from the dried salt on the floors

Before the big flood of water in the lake it should have been way worse, but if the farmland up north is saline ground you might be onto something.