Walleyes in the 15-to-20-inch range are appearing in good numbers on Devils Lake ahead of the ice fishing season, and the action for those fish should be consistent this winter. Simonson Photo.

By Nick Simonson

With a year of record-level reproduction for walleyes on Devils Lake, and abundant year classes presenting fish from that young-of-the-year slot on up to those eater sized ‘eyes in the 15-to-20 inch range, the sprawling water is primed for a good ice fishing season, according to Bryan Sea, North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) Fisheries Supervisor for the Northeastern District.

“The walleye population is doing very well on Devils Lake still. We’ve had really good reproduction for the last few years, so there’s a lot of fish under that 18 inch range and there’s a good number of the 15-to-20-inch fish that anglers like to keep,” Sea states.

While walleye numbers remain high and the chances of hooking into a big one are there, the lake’s other draws of yellow perch and northern pike remain down heading into the winter of 2025-26, but with a little effort anglers can likely connect with these species.

“Our perch population is down right now, so anglers should expect a slower year of perch fishing this year, especially for those keeper-sized fish. There’s always a chance you could catch that two-plus-pound fish, but it’s pretty low, especially this year,” Sea explains, adding, “pike are definitely a good species to target this winter. The population is slightly below average in terms of overall numbers but there’s still a good amount out there. In terms of size, anglers should expect that 20-to-30-inch size range and there’s always the chance of a larger fish as well.”

The challenge anglers will likely run into during this winter’s ice fishing season is the abundance of forage present on Devils Lake. With high numbers of young-of-the-year walleyes, and plentiful juvenile white bass and perch, game fish have a lot to feed on, even in the lean times that winter brings. Add into the mix gobs of Gammarus – also known as scuds or freshwater shrimp – which make up the base of the food pyramid for gamefish on the water, and tempting even big fish can be a challenge at times on Devils Lake.

“There’s also a decent amount of young-of-the-year perch and white bass, so there’s a lot of forage out there for them right now, so it may lead to slower fishing as the fish might not have to be as active,” Sea posits, “we see Gammarus in walleyes that are 20-plus inches. So they’re a pretty important species, and they’re definitely still in there in good numbers,” he concludes.

Significant autumn rains helped keep Devils Lake full of water, and levels are comparable to last year, despite a very dry winter in 2024-25 and limited spring runoff as a result. Instead, timely summer rains, and the fall precipitation, will help keep things stable. Additionally, anglers should likely find good access to the lake, as the area has not yet received significant snow ahead of ice up.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.