Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By late afternoon the sun is ducking down behind the snowy banks of the cold blue horizon in the Dakotas. Most people are comfortably inside, getting ready for a tasty dinner.

Walleyes are similar in their dining preferences. In January, during the dead of winter, they like to chow down at sundown. By that time of the day the temperatures are starting to plummet to the depths of the thermometer.

And fishermen are happy about that, as it means that the odds are increasing for the best walleye bite of the day on the Dakota lakes harboring this popular game fish. That evening bite during the first month of the year is the time at which some of the best ice-fishermen here make it a point to be on the lake somewhere.

One of those is Steve Bourcy, owner of Devils Lake Guide and Outfitters. Bourcy specializes in ice-fishing in this northern latitude. He's fished the lake 25 years, and guided ice-fishermen on Devils Lake for 10 years. Obviously, he thinks Devils Lake is great.

Some of the best ice-fishing in the Dakotas can be found in our natural lakes and smaller waters. And the techniques Bourcy uses on Devils Lake can be applied to many of the smaller lakes, which should have very good walleye populations this winter.

At Devils Lake, Bourcy heads up fishing expeditions throughout the winter. "The walleye fishing on Devils Lake is fantastic," he said. "I dare to word it as 'fantastic.' It's how you go about it -- where you go and when you go."

The ice-fishing is typically good just after the lake freezes, which of course is usual on many northern Great Plains lakes. But throughout the winter, fishermen catch lots of walleyes, and the occasional really big fish. A few go more than 9 pounds.

"Some of the big walleyes will suspend in Devils Lake," said Bourcy. "It isn't something you see all the time, but when you see them, it is good to catch them."

There are certain times when the fish just seem to get into a feeding mood. They swim through the prime areas looking for something to eat.

"And toward dark is notoriously the best walleye time anywhere," said Bourcy. "That seems to be the key to catching walleyes on Devils Lake -- getting there on time, and your bait presentation."

He sometimes uses one of the Rapala lures with no bait on it, and jigs it for fish. But three-fourths of the time, he prefers the minnow head fished just off the bottom.

"I personally just fish one hole when I'm walleye fishing," said Bourcy. "I'm looking for the more aggressive walleyes."

If he can't find them, he'll use what he calls the "dead-stick" method, in which an angler fishes the bait completely still. "When you dead-stick later on they will come in and stare at it for a while before taking it," he said.

But it's the extremely aggressive walleyes that he always tries to entice first. They move quickly. "It seems like if you are paying attention to your Vexlar (sonar), jigging one hole, they won't give you more than a flash when they come in; sometimes they won't even give you a flash. That is how fast they come in, how aggressive they are. If we see them come into the Vexlar and hang by the bait for a while, and they take off, then we will dead-stick them. They aren't as aggressive in that situation."

For dead-stick fishing, Bourcy likes a Kastmaster lure tipped with either a full minnow or a minnow head. "Sometimes we use the small slip-bobbers with a plain gold hook and a minnow," he said. "With dead-stick, it is leaving it and letting them come to the bait and take the bait. Like I said, a lot of it is just watching your Vexlar and reading your Vexlar.