DEVILS LAKE, N.D. _ Devils Lake is projected to be about 2 feet higher this summer than last year, but the lake won't rise 4 feet like forecasters had predicted in January.
That has resort owners and fishing guides gearing up with optimism for the open water tourism season that's about to hit full swing and water managers breathing a sigh of relief.
"It's not going to happen," Kyle Blanchfield, owner of Woodland Resort on Creel Bay, said of the 4-foot rise the National Weather Service predicted in January. "It's already past the peak now, as far as the upper basin surge. We'll be lucky to get to 2 feet, which would be perfect.
"We can't wait to get into May; we're going to be busy. I think our fishing is going to be outstanding. Everything looks great, and we're really excited for the summer."
Fish like water, of course, and the wet cycle that has caused the closed basin lake to rise about 30 feet since 1993 has helped put Devils Lake on the map as one of the country's premier fishing destinations, Blanchfield said. "Fourth and long" is how he describes Devils Lake's dire water scenario before the rain started in 1993.
"You think about it, and it's incredible," Blanchfield said. "We went from 56,000 acres of lake to over 200,000 acres."
No one could have predicted that, he said.
"It was fantastical," Blanchfield said. "It would be like, 'Are you kidding me?' You know, unicorns are going to fly in. It's about the same deal, seriously, from a logical thought process."
Blanchfield said the lake's big perch boom of the 1980s was winding down when he started Woodland Resort in 1988. Walleye fishing, while good, wasn't anything like it is today, at least in terms of numbers.
"It was pretty darn good, but right now, walleye fishing is just dumb easy," Blanchfield said.
Randy Hiltner, northeast district fisheries supervisor for the North Dakota Game and Fish Department in Devils Lake, said anglers can expect plenty of 13- to 18-inch walleyes this year. Walleye catch rates during last year's annual July adult fish population survey were above long-term averages, and pike were near record highs.
The influx of new water also will flood vegetation conducive to spawning perch, Hiltner said.
"I think we're sitting pretty well for this upcoming season," he said. "In terms of fish habitat, a 2-foot rise will certainly be favorable for the fish."
Still to be seen is whether the lake will come up enough to reopen the boat ramp on Pelican Lake, which was closed last summer because water levels were too low.
"If we do wind up coming up 2 feet or more, you could certainly get a smaller boat through there if you took your time," Hiltner said. "If there's enough water, it would be opened."
