ROLLING ON.  Today straightens up as the afternoon settles in and tomorrow is a good one as well.  Despite being a few degrees below normal, both should be perfect for honing your post-frontal fishing skills as the low pressure system meanders east. In the meantime, we’ve got some challenges for you in today’s Three Things.

(Featured Photo: A pop-up cloud rolls over the Missouri River valley.  Simonson Photo)

DAILY CONDITIONS:

WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast):
Today: Thu 8/10 – Clouds move out early. Hi 75, Lo 55, Winds N @ 8.
Tomorrow:  Fri 8/11 – Clouds come back late. Hi 77, Lo 54, Winds S @ 7.

SOLUNAR (Bismarck Times):
Sunrise: 6:36AM Sunset: 9:00PM
Moonrise: 10:39PM Moonset: 9:36AM
Overhead: 3:04AM Underfoot: 4:13PM
Moon Phase: Waning Gibbous (91% Full)

EDGE HOUR.   6:00-7:00AM.  Cloud cover will help extend the low-light bite into early morning.  Sunrise will be the best hour of the day, as a shift comes later in the afternoon and things brighten up a bit.

DAY RATING:

THREE THINGS.

UPLAND SLAM. Think you can pull this off this autumn:  harvest a rooster pheasant, a sharptail grouse, a Hungarian partridge and a ruffie?   While conditions might be challenging, opportunities for all four birds still exist in ND.  And if you wanted to cheat a bit – head east to get your ruffed grouse!

FRESHWATER SLAM. Here’s another challenge for a season on North Dakota’s waters. Catch a pike over 40 inches, a walleye over 28 inches, a largemouth over 20 inches and a smallmouth over 18 inches.  Or go for the panfish slam and catch a perch over 14 inches, a crappie over 14 inches and a bluegill over 10 inches.  Or, make up your own– bullhead slam (yellow, brown, black) anyone?

20/20.  Want a real challenge?  Catch a 20 inch trout on a size 20 fly.  You may have to look west for stream options, but if you find a few of the right stocked lakes in ND, completing this challenge can be a reality as well.

Stay Sharp!