Spring fishing is upon us! Water is still low but should be back to main pool levels shortly. Docks are in and the water has been great lately.

For the walleye guys 3-6 foot on the rocks have been a great spot to pick off some really nice walleyes. Jig and a minnow have been most productive. Ive also been throwing plastics on a jig just to save on replacing minnows. Don’t be afraid to try a tube on the warmer sunny days. You’d be surprised how many walleyes will pick off a tube when you fish them slow. The real trick is a nice slow retrieve. If you cant pick off a walleye you still have a good chance at a dandy small mouth.

Warmer days have been great for small mouth off the deeper edges. The warmer sunny days start to draw the fish up shallower and prespawn small mouth are aggressive. I enjoy this time of the year because you can pick up nice walleyes using the same tactics. Fish hair jigs, suspending baits and fish them real slow for the best results.

Sibley launch is open and the ramp is usable. Very little ice from this ramp north and the current is very strong yet. I did see a few large chunks between here and 2nd crossing. But very fish-able from this ramp.

2nd Crossing looking north. Both Ramps have some ice around them and there is several large chunks of ice floating around. The corps have both east and west boat ramps barricaded yet. Significant ice flows going south to the mouth of the creek.

Below is the Bayshore ramp. It is going to be a while.

Here is an update from the 2nd crossing bridge looking south. There is enough room from the edges that if you wanted to cast from shore you could do so. Still lots of ice to get rid of yet.

Spring may show up some day! Until then, fishing may be interesting. I was down on the lake today. Things to note the lake level is low, they are right at the draw down target level. Meaning most places you’re going to have to fish in the channel to find any water. There are no roads open after the last snow, It doesn’t appear anyone is going to open any more roads. There was a few people out fishing today. I would say the lake is back to tracks only at this point. Access appears to be tough at the 2nd crossing. Also note that the Hungry Pelican at the crossing is closed due to a fire. March/April tends to be pretty decent fishing on the lake. If you can get out to the channel the perch are still very willing to bite. Minnow profile baits and wax worms work well on them. Don’t forget to keep the males and release the big females. Bluegills have also started to school up and have become a little more hungry over the past few weeks. Small baits tipped with wax worms are your ebst best there. If you are looking for something fun to catch, the small mouth are really schooled up off the breaks and they are very willing to bite. Small tungsten baits like the Kenders D style are working best for them. Set the hook hard to get a solid hook set and then hold on. The tungsten shrimp also work well on them.

Walleyes will be pushing shallower as we speak. Look for them along shallower flats and edges pushing north. Rock piles and gravel edges are a great spot to check out too. One of the biggest mistakes guys have during late ice walleyes is fishing too deep. Don’t be afraid to fish shallow and use large rattle baits or jigging raps.

Lots of messages today about the lake. Its definitely a no go so far, all the ramps are blown shut, roads are plugged, highways are half plugged. Enjoy your time with family at home for a couple days. I will get an update once everything gets opened back up later this week. With the heavy snow and wind the lake is full of snow again, I also suspect there is going to be a few areas that will produce slush again. I would guess we have a fresh 10″ on the lake.

Friday afternoon fishing update! Lots of inquires today about the lake. Yes we did get snow Wednesday and yes it has blown alot of the traditional travel routes shut. You can still get around on the lake all though travel is a little bit more difficult. There is a short plowed road heading south from the hungry pelican at the crossing. I have not been to Sundstroms to confirm but i heard someone opened up the lake access there again. They have dropped a significant amount of water from the lake. Minnows are very hard to come by in the local area, sounds like everyone in valley city is out.

Fishing has been a little bit unpredictable, but they are still catching fish. With some steady weather coming we may see an uptick over the weekend.

Ice travel remains good, this weekend was another busy one on the lake. Most of the access points have roads plowed and allow good access to get places.

Fishing remains decent, I have noticed on the weekends with traffic the bite tends to shut off earlier than most days. I am not sure if that is the February slowdown or if it is related to more vehicles on the ice creating noise. We still managed a good bucket of fish the last weekend.

I would certainly say the fish are pushing out into deeper waters, I think this is partially due to water levels being dropped and also a little to get away from some of the heavier fishing pressure. Don’t be afraid to get away from the crowd on the lake.

Perch are mostly focused on the 20 foot of water range, especially if you can find a deep flat you’ll more than likely find a school or two roaming the flat.

I have been unable to dial in a good walleye bite as of lately, but they are showing more interest in larger baits or dead stick a minnow. We are seeing plenty of walleyes on the camera but getting them to bite has been tricky.

As we roll into February and beyond feel free to reach out, let me know what you would like to see and become a part of the conversation. Follow the Facebook page and also join the Facebook Group to continue the conversation.

Feel free to check out the Omnia Fishing link for some hot baits.

This weekend is the Lake Ashtabula Fishing Tournament.

Travel remains good, Sundstroms landing is probably the best bet for anyone looking to camp on the ice for the weekend. Plowed access and lots of plowed road makes it an easy spot to get ice castles out too. Fishing has slowed down a little bit with the last cold front. Fish seem to be a little bit more tight lipped. Smaller baits have seemed to be out producing anything else. Dead-sticking a minnow has also been producing some fish.

This weekend will be a busy one, plan to fish early to get the best bite. I am betting the fishing will really slow down once the traffic starts rolling on the lake.

There is still deep slush pockets in the area around the creek.

Check out https://www.facebook.com/groups/icefishingnorthdakota/ for more updates

Lake Ashtabula ice fishing continues on, what a great last week on the lake.

Travel is improving, you can find plowed roads at all the approaches on the lake currently, the snow set up nice making pickup travel easier. Even saw some minivans on the lake last week. Saturday with the nice weather was a very busy day on the lake. Most of the parking lots were full across the lake. No need for an extension on your auger quite yet. Another question I was asked was about lake visibility, cameras can be used, visibility is probably right around 6ft or so. That may change a little bit with the dam releases being bumped up today but only time will tell.

There is still deep slush south of the 2nd crossing be cautious in that area.

Perch are always willing to bite. 17-20 foot still seems to be the magic number in terms of perch. You will have to sort through them to get some decent sized fish. Try a wax worm or a minnow.

Walleyes are still biting, edges of the flats around dawn and dusk seem to have the best chances. Minnows are working best for them.

Bass are moving around the lake and are becoming more willing to bite. Both white bass and small mouth.