When walleye seasons open across the Midwest, the Devils Lake action has already been going strong for months. With seasons opening in places like Minnesota and Wisconsin, these traditional “national holidays” attract crowds. Devils Lake in north-central North Dakota, with no closed fishing seasons, basically has an “opening day” every day for walleyes, perch, northern pike and white bass.

The hottest bite occurs from mid-May through June and well into summer. Zippy Dahl, owner of Perch Patrol Guide Service and well-known throughout the fishing world, said, “It seems every year that this peak fishing time produces the biggest smiles on my client’s faces.” Probably some of that is because most fish and an amazing number of true trophies are shallow. Fishing for these top-quality fish is mostly hands-on by casting jigs and crankbaits.

Like any big lake with record numbers of fish, something is always biting somewhere. “But, with the knowledge shared among our guide group, we have the ability to key on certain types of water,” he said. That doesn’t mean all guides show up along a quarter-mile shoreline stretch. “No, if we know by noon that 6 feet is the magic depth (water warms), over a mud bottom with emerging weeds, there are thousands of such spots to fish,” Zippy said.

The state fisheries folks surveyed fish populations last summer and discovered record numbers of walleyes, perch and white bass. For instance, the long-term average of walleyes per net has been 22. Last summer, this number was 32.4 per net. The 15- to 20-inch eater size walleyes were double the long-term average. White bass exceeded the long-term average (5.7 per net), and last summer was 9.7 per net. The big whiteys, 15 to 18 inches long, were 2.2 per net compared to the long-term average of less than one per net. Not much perch fishing occurs during open water, but the number of 12-inch jumbos were double the average.

Visiting fishermen are encouraged to learn all they can from bait shops and social media daily before heading to the lake. The best bet is to consider hiring a guide for a day or two. “I get quite a few calls from guys or families wanting to fish with a guide for a few days because they don’t want to tow their boats,” he commented. Besides, with the walleye and pike limits at five daily and 10 in possession (perch are 20/40), coolers with frozen fillets are destined for fish dinners back home.

Zippy offered some fishing tips for late spring and summer fishermen. However, before talking tactics, what about a guide with the name Zippy?

After achieving a college degree in marketing, he began as a Schwan’s route driver, then became the PR guy for the FargoDome’s Continental basketball team. He also served as General Manager for the Minot Hockey Boosters. But, the home farm was calling.

He returned and found too much idle time in winter. Friend Kyle Blanchfield from Woodland Resort asked him to consider ice guiding 29 years ago. “I love fishing all seasons, and about 15 years ago purchased Jason Mitchell’s summer guiding business,” he recalled. With 10 guides during the ice season and 13 open-water guides, Zippy manages the large guide service. Being surrounded with good guides is a blessing.

“I still get out there and love all seasons,” he said, “But I admit that I love perch most of all. This is a people-pleasing business, and the clients keep me doing this job.”

When the Devils Lake ice sheet melts, open water beckons fishermen. Usually mid-May is when the fish wake up. “Water temps dictate what the fish do and what us guides do,” Zippy said. Through May, early mornings tend to be very slow. “We often head out at 11 am and seek back bays and shorelines where the water warms up 2 to 3 degrees,” he said. Cold water or cold fronts call for slip bobbering. When warm water triggers walleyes, Zippy and clients turn to casting crankbaits or jigs and plastic.

“If it’s cold with no chasers,” Zippy described his best tactic, “by double-anchoring the boat parallel to shore, we slip bobber in 3 to 6 feet.” Discovering what walleyes want often surprises Zippy. There’s usually a key spot which produces more bites. Sometimes it’s a color. “Bobbering with leeches quickly morphs from chatting and sharing stories to needing two nets,” he said. He learned a trick from guide and walleye tournament winner Pete Harsh, “When the breezes turn into real wind, it’s important to slide the split shot (between bobber and jig/hook) closer to the lure.”

Moving into June, weed growth takes over shorelines. “We follow our GPS tracks along the outside edges with each client running a bottom bouncer and spinner in the fish zone,” he said. That’s also the time for casting crankbaits. “The explosion of a big walleye slamming a crank shakes me down to my heels, and the same feeling affects clients,” he said. Even in June, shallow shorelines prove to be walleye hotspots. The best lures are number 5 Shad Raps or Flicker Shads in firetiger, chartreuse or purple colors.

Water color is an early season key, with the dirtiest water best. Wind creates dingy water when blowing into shorelines. “Water in the 50-degree range is go-time for activity and cranks,” Zippy said.

Another favorite early-season lure is the Northland Mimic Minnow. With one hook, this is his choice when encountering schools of white bass. Handling dozens of squirming bass hooked on lures with two treble hooks makes guide work dangerous. Many bass are now pushing the 4-pound mark, and according to Zippy, “They fight like crazy. It’s tough to get my clients to leave this much fun and go back to chasing walleyes.”

Last year, he added a pontoon to his guide fleet. Families or groups with more than four people like to go together. “This also makes a special trip for handicapped, and for wheelchair-bound clients,” he said.

Guide trips on Devils Lake are never the same year after year, and Zippy said, “This place changes; so do the locations of the fish.” Clients often share about their visits with guides. Zippy said, “The most comments relate to the size of the lake, the remoteness, the numbers of fish and how many they can take home.”

Many excellent guide services, lodging, resorts, restaurants, casino, bait shops and much more information about one of the best ice and open-water fishing destinations in North America can be found at devilslakend.com.