NDG&F Release North Dakota’s 2026 deer season is set, with 39,100 licenses available to hunters, down 3,200 from last year, the lowest total in over a half century. Muzzleloader licenses were also reduced, and antlerless deer gun licenses are not available in several units. A total of 240 nonresident any deer archery licenses are available,…

By Nick Simonson One of the greatest transformations in fishing over the past four decades in the upper Midwest has been the lakes in west central Minnesota, including those along the Pelican River watershed.  While positive efforts such as the installation of city sewers and riparian and shoreline vegetation conservation efforts have helped clean up…

By Brad Durick Oh, what a weather change can do for catfishing on the Red River. We went from highs in the 50s with water temperatures in the mid-50s waiting for some heat, to the 90s and as of this writing, water temperatures rocketing up to 70. This is a worst-case scenario for a prespawn…

By Doug Leier Every year about this time, questions start rolling in about the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s lottery system. Hunters wonder how bonus points work, whether they need to apply in the same unit each year, and how the drawing happens. The short answer is that the system rewards persistence while still…

By Mike Peluso It has been a roller coaster of a ride this past week for the walleyes on Devils Lake.  Between the wind, temperature changes and now throw in a massive bug hatch, the bite has been really grindy.   We were catching plenty of fish, just not always the ones you want.  I’d say…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s 2025 upland bird harvests were down for pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and gray partridge compared to 2024. “We were not surprised by a decrease in pheasant harvest in the fall of 2025 based on decreases of chicks in our late summer roadside counts. Chick production was negatively impacted by the cool, wet…

By Brad Durick The big cold front that rolled through the Red River Valley last weekend has set things back when it comes to this spring’s catfishing. The water temperatures on the Red River dropped from 60 degrees down to 56 as a result and the sustained cooler temperatures have put big fish near neutral….

By Doug Leier One of the biggest days of the year for prospective deer hunters occurred Friday afternoon May 8. It’s when the Game and Fish Department released the framework for the 2026 deer hunting season.  This year’s deer gun season will open Nov. 6 at noon and runs through Nov. 22, as wildlife managers…

By Mike Peluso Well, I wish I could say the weather has been phenomenal.  Unfortunately, I cannot, and the fishing has gone just like the conditions have over the last week here in North Dakota: one day good, three days not so much.  If you want consistency, I’ll guarantee you lots of wind!  The Missouri…

By Nick Simonson This spring has afforded us blissful moments of calm weather, sunny skies, and ideal conditions. Unfortunately, it’s usually been only for about four hours on perhaps one or two days out of the week, and usually not on the weekend.  With that brief and beautiful window magically opening on Saturday afternoon, I…

By Brad Durick Not much has changed for spring catfishing on the Red River since my last report – other than the wind has been horrific. I’ve had just one day of not fighting it in the last week, which has made angling challenging. Wednesday was heavenly with the calm conditions as I had to…

By Doug Leier l’ve never been mistaken as a master gardener, and I’m perfectly fine with that. I can borrow the neighbor’s tiller and work up a patch of soil, but somewhere between turning dirt and planting the first spuds, my enthusiasm tends to fade. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the dedication of North Dakota…

By Nick Simonson The wet years of the late 1990s, coupled with considerable drain tiling, slough removal and channeling across the landscape of northeastern North Dakota brought high water levels to Devils Lake, expanding the hypereutrophic water to more than 211,000 acres in 2011.  With that rise of nearly 30 feet over two decades, the…

By Mike Peluso You know I’m getting busy when I can’t remember what day it is to write a fishing report.  So I apologize for this one getting out late this week.   Fishing for walleyes on the Missouri River near Bismarck is absolutely fantastic right now!  If you have kids now is the time…

By Nick Simonson I braced myself against the roaring north winds of Minnesota’s opening day, waves rolling into the south shore so hard their crests lapped at the just-installed dock and sprays of white splashed up between the slats, soaking my tennis shoes.  It was a classic start to the season, and while I knew…

By Nick Simonson Despite a slow start to North Dakota’s spring turkey hunting season with cooler temperatures, wind, rain, and some snow in late April after opener, conditions have improved for hunters in the back half of the season, and more birds and success are being found along with good areas of habitat and improvements…

By Nick Simonson The late spring and cooler water temperatures throughout lakes country in west central Minnesota will likely result in anglers finding walleyes just coming off the spawn for the approaching opener, though this doesn’t mean the bite will be slow, according to Nathan Olson, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Area Fisheries Supervisor for…

By Doug Leier  By mid-May, some North Dakota anglers have had weeks on the water since the new license season of April 1 began. That’s a subtle reminder to purchase your new license if you haven’t already. If your boat registration is expired, it’s time to renew. Both of which can be done efficiently on…

NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department announced today that the state’s 2026 paddlefish snagging season will close Friday, May 8 at 7 p.m. Central time to any additional harvest to provide long-term protection of the paddlefish population. An additional snag-and-release extended season will begin May 9 and run through May 15. Paddlefish…

By Brad Durick A little heat turned things on for the catfish in the Red River in and around Grand Forks over the past weekend, but the water remains in the low 50s with these recent cool days. The river level is stable to a slight rise, and the catfish are responding well. Active fish…

By Mike Peluso It’s been an interesting week for walleyes on the Missouri River. Saturday the flow played host to the annual Big Muddy fishing tournament.  This event marks that point in the season where I’m nearing the end of my spring guiding.  I would love it if the springs would last forever.  It’s one of…

By Nick Simonson The call rang out from one side of the lake and was echoed from the other by a different set of voices as I finished off the morning’s work at the lake cabin.  Having been a long winter, I had seemingly for just a second forgotten what the loud warbling was going…

By Nick Simonson While I’ve always appreciated the fly rod, and made it my go-to when fishing specifically for trout in just about any environment from stocked fish in a reservoir to wild ones in a river or creek, I’ve found that covering water in those larger impoundments and lakes where trout are present requires…

By Nick Simonson This spring, as ice peels back from area lakes and rivers and angling and boating opportunities begin to open up, members of the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) are enlisting the help of those using watercraft of all sorts to help the agency prevent the spread of aquatic nuisance species…

By Brad Durick Here we are in 2026 and already catfishing on the Red River. It feels like this spring is taking forever, yet it is still very early for catfishing. I guess the past two years have spoiled us with warmer, stable starts to the season. With only an outing to go on for…

By Doug Leier  By the time you’re a high school senior, you’ve probably heard it all if you’ve mentioned an interest in wildlife, fisheries, or the outdoors as a career. “That’d be a fun job … but you better have a backup plan.”  I’ve worked in the natural resource field long enough to know there’s…

By Mike Peluso The spawn is on for the walleyes of the Missouri River in and around the Bismarck area.  However, I’m never overly excited about the spawn on the river each spring.  It always marks me nearing the end of my spring river guiding.   The one thing I’ll say however, is that the…

By Nick Simonson I’m a sucker for my favorite lures.  If you want to talk about impulse buying, bags of Dots pretzels and packs of Reese’s peanut butter cups in the checkout lane have nothing on a shiny new stickbait sitting on a tackle aisle shelf in spring. Just picturing the flashy rips through the…

By Nick Simonson At the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers at the start of May, you’ll find a cadre of anglers looking to connect with one of those waters’ most ancient and unique species of fish. However, it isn’t the normal angling tactics that pay off when targeting paddlefish in North Dakota, as…

By Mike Peluso It has been an awesome week for walleyes out here in Bismarck North Dakota getting back on the Missouri River fishing the open water again!  Warm weather helped melt some ice and dried some stuff out a little.   We also saw some boat ramps open up and even a couple of…