When it comes to producing big walleyes this spring, top honors will go to Roy Lake. Jan Thames at Roy Lake Resort and Cabins says this should be a great spring on the lake.

"A lot of very big walleyes came out of the lake last year and that pattern should hold for the spring bite," says Thames. "We saw a lot of 8-, 9- and 10-pound-class fish -- and if people take care of the fishery, we should have a good run on the lake." Again, jigs and live-bait rigs will take the majority of Roy Lake's walleyes this spring.

NORTH DAKOTA
In North Dakota, anglers are also getting ready to hit the water this month. Ice-out occurs later in this neck of the woods, but by now, anglers are getting restless and are ready to hit the water.

Devils Lake has swelled to 145,000 acres and fishing just keeps getting better and better. "This is going to be a fantastic spring on Devils Lake," says Kyle Blanchfield owner of Woodland Resort. "Fishing has been great for a few years now and we expect that to continue. Because of the high water, the lake has produced a lot of walleyes over the past few years and there is a ton of good walleyes in the system right now.

"The fish are looking for spawning areas and stage along the rocky points, sunken islands, flats, coulees, and submerged timber at this time of year," explains Blanchfield. "The guys use a lot of jigs and live-bait rigs on light line early in the season, and then switch to plugs and bottom-bouncers once the water has warmed. Weather also dictates how and where you fish at this time of year, but the fish are pretty cooperative."

And what Blanchfield calls "cooperative" is more than just a meager bite. Devils Lake has not only produced scores of walleyes over the past few years, but also has been the No. 1 producer of trophy fish in the state. Blanchfield says that while the spring bite consists of a lot of average walleyes, now is also one of the best times to tie into one of those trophy walleyes -- generally considered to be a fish over 8 pounds.

No matter how you like to fish, Devils Lake will produce walleyes at this time of year. "That's part of the fun here," Blanchfield adds. "One day you're drifting the flats or sitting on top of a submerged rockpile, and the next day you're pitching jigs into flooded timber or slip-bobbering. Fishing is just amazing right now, and we just want to get the word out so that everyone can enjoy the lake while it is at its peak." Because of weather conditions, fishing on North Dakota's portion of the Missouri River usually falls about a month behind that at South Dakota reservoirs. Although it will be another month before fishing really erupts on Lake Sakakawea, the walleye action below the Garrison Dam is the first to heat up.

A tremendous number of walleyes stage in the area below the dam at this time of year. They've been moving up the system to spawn. They really stack up between the dam and the tributaries and make for some pretty easy pickings.

The portion of river between Bismarck and the dam hosts a lot of walleyes, but they tend to be bread-and-butter fish in the 14- to 18-inch range.

The majority of the tailrace walleyes that stage below Garrison in April move up from Lake Oahe, and that system has seen good improvements in the quality of its fish the past two years, so North Dakota anglers should see those results in their creels as well.