While the Memorial Day weekend has plenty of burger flipping, tent pitching and skipping with joy for the start of summer on land, the techniques of flipping, pitching and skipping that pay off with big fish come on the water.  Including these techniques along with standard angling practices will help catch more fish in close…

HAVE A CRAPPIE DAY! Conditions will be anything but crappy as warm air settles in over the region.  Remember that awful spring we had?  Yeah…me neither!  But with highs north of 90 today, it’ll be the start of a Memorial Day weekend for the memory books.  Speaking of memorable, the shallows are coming alive with…

By Nick Simonson The first insects of the year to emerge en masse are midges.  While most are relatively tiny – less than one quarter of an inch (or size 20 or smaller on a fly hook) – some can be quite sizeable.  Around the water’s edge, it’s common to see swarms of these gray…

CALM CONDITIONS.  After today’s breeze, tomorrow’s conditions will be calm and sunny.  Knowing how to target light sensitive species like walleyes will keep you on fish all holiday weekend, even in the middle of the day.  We lay out some pointers in today’s Three Things. Photo: Smooth sailing.  A pair of grebes cruise the calm…

SHINING THROUGH. A great holiday weekend is setting up, with temperatures having a chance to touch 90 in the area and the only real threat of rain forecasted for when it’ll be time to pack things up and head home on Monday night.  We check the fishing forecast for Memorial Day weekend and get you…

NDG&F Press Release North Dakota boaters are reminded to exercise patience and plan accordingly when heading to a lake or river this summer. The state Game and Fish Department receives a number of complaints every year about overly aggressive behavior at boat ramps. A few simple reminders will help ensure a fluent transition when launching…

MONSTER MIDGE. Summer’s pump is getting primed as the first crops of insects emerge.  Among those winged ones are midges, ranging anywhere from a millimeter or two to almost three-quarters of an inch long, the buzz of the first major midge hatch (going on along a water body near you) is tough to miss on…

NDG&F Press Release More than 50 local fisheries throughout North Dakota now have a fresh supply of catchable trout, as state Game and Fish Department personnel are wrapping up their annual spring trout stocking efforts. Fisheries production and development section leader Jerry Weigel said while the number of fisheries statewide is at a historic high,…

SOAKIN’ IT IN! Warm conditions persist through the week, and wildlife species of all stripes – and shells – are getting active.  We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Painted Turtles rest in the sun on Harmon Lake north of Mandan. Simonson Photo.   DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):…

WE’RE SET! The hookset can be the most exciting moment in angling.  Filled with anticipation of connecting with a fish, having the right technique will help bring more of them to boat.  We go through three common standard tackle hooksets in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: The sun sets on a great weekend of…

HE’S NO DUMMY. Spring time is puppy time and the start of training for fall.  From scent lines to dummy retrieves, there is lots to do and you can never start too early with a young pup, or in conditioning an older dog in getting acclimated to the fun of the hunt.   Featured Photo:…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   Just like everything else this spring, the boating season is a little delayed. But as the air and water temperatures heat up, thousands will head toward the water to enjoy time fishing, boating, on personal watercraft, paddling a canoe or drifting along in a pontoon.   Whenever that first…