By Nick Simonson August provides some welcome downtime and a transition period from fishing to hunting.  With deer archery seasons in some areas just days away, the final preparations (or perhaps the scramble) in assessing tree stand location for both the upcoming bow and later firearms seasons are underway.  But beyond the process of assembling…

By Brad Durick At the time of this report things are up in the air as it pertains to the catfish down in the waters of the Red River. We had a huge cold front last weekend that has slowed the bite some. The pattern remained mostly the same as during the warmer days before,…

NDG&F Dept. Release The fall turkey season is set with 4,545 licenses available to hunters, 110 more than last year. Applicants can apply online by visiting the North Dakota Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. The deadline is Sept. 4. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply in the first lottery. The fall wild turkey season…

By Doug Leier The Western meadowlark is North Dakota’s state bird but did you know one of it’s closest relatives is the less embraced common blackbird? Yes, meadowlarks are members of the blackbird family, which also includes orioles and bobolinks. A couple of other interesting facts: One nestling meadowlark consumes one-third pound of insects during…

By Nick Simonson Agents of the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) are putting increased funding and manpower to use, as members of the agency’s Private Lands Initiative (PLI) added 36,000 acres to the state’s Private Land Open to Sportsmen (PLOTS) program over the past year, according to Kevin Kading, PLI Section Leader. “We…

By Mike Peluso I split my time again last week fishing walleyes on both Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. There is still a lot going on with the change in weather and a massive bug hatch on Devils Lake, and that’s where I’ll start. The walleye bite has been fairly tough on Devils Lake and…

By Nick Simonson August cold fronts are a strange and jarring occurrence.  One week it’s near 90 degrees, humid, and every largemouth bass is living the good life in the warm shallows of the lake around the docks on the south shore.  Suddenly overnight, it feels like pheasant opener as a chill north wind riles…

By Brad Durick A small storm last weekend pushed the catfish more out of the current on the Red River. Sit times have not been affected much but if you are not in the right current you may not catch as many fish. Right now, stay set up for about 10 minutes to get that…

By Nick Simonson Springtime drumming counts of ruffed grouse in Minnesota benefitted from a mild winter, resulting in 2024 tallies hitting fifty-year highs throughout much of the woodland birds’ range in the state.  In the northeastern portion of Minnesota, surveyors counted an average of 2.7 drums per stop, the highest average since 1981; statewide counts…

By Mike Peluso There’s a lot to talk about in this week’s fishing report as I fished both Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea over the last seven days. Also, the National Walleye Trail (NWT) and Casino Cup tournaments were held on Sakakawea and there’s plenty to talk about there. On Devils Lake, the walleyes are…

By Nick Simonson The rocky outcropping on the lip of the weedy flat shielded the shallows from the northeast wind, and the pods of four-to-six-inch perch dissipated as we drifted up the rise into the reef.  Steadily, I raised and lowered the tip of my baitcasting rod at the back of the boat, feeling the…

By Doug Leier In the most basic of explanations, the lack of snow this winter and late arrival of spring rain was not as helpful for ducks but better for pheasants. But let’s take a closer look. The number of rooster’s heard crowing during the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2024 spring pheasant crowing…

By Brad Durick A big rain upstream in the Red Lake River this past week has some water pushing through the Grand Forks area right now, but it won’t cause any interruptions in the currently good catfishing. The Red River should only come up a couple feet as a result and the rise will be…

By Nick Simonson Thanks to a milder winter and good fawning conditions this spring, North Dakota’s pronghorn populations have rebounded from a drop evidenced in the tallies of 2023.  As a result, the number of tags issued to hunters in the state for the upcoming fall season have tripled, as the herd on the northeastern…

By Mike Peluso This week’s walleye fishing report is once again from both Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea. I am fortunate enough to have fished both of these bodies of water this past week, and next week will be the same I’ll start with Sakakawea where there lots of walleyes! They may be a tad…

By Nick Simonson When I used to commute, I was fortunate to have a job that started and ended at earlier hours, which worked well for an early riser like me and made traffic all the lighter outside of normal rush hours.  Then, when I walked to work at my next place of employment, the…

By Doug Leier I have tremendous respect for all our North Dakota game wardens. Their work is under-appreciated and most invaluable to all who spend time outdoors. Long days in remote locations, nights, weekends and holidays. And while you may take every opening day of deer season off, they likely work every deer opener their…

By Brad Durick The water on the Red River has stabilized, greatly increasing the quality of catfishing in the past week.  Last week I said “I have seen more fish moving into the outside seams and faster water.”  This week the fish are in those mid-river holes with faster current and it is game on…

By Nick Simonson The summer feeding frenzy is on, and when fish are biting things can get downright competitive, even if the alleged piece of food being contested is an imitation made of salt-impregnated plastic polymer.  The survival of the fittest fuels one of summer’s feistiest fish – the smallmouth bass – to duke it…

By Mike Peluso I’ve been a bit of a road warrior since leaving Devils Lake to get to Sakakawea this week, but the first thing I want to do is congratulate everyone who participated in the ND Governors Cup on the east end of the big lake. It sounded like the walleye bite over that…

By Nick Simonson This day and age, we trade a screen at home or in the office for one in the boat.  I’d argue the latter is an upgrade, as the only incoming media an angler gets bombarded by on a sonar is a report of what’s below or off to the side of the…

NDG&F Dept. Release Walleye fingerling stocking wrapped up with Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery setting a record with just short of 12 million fingerlings produced. Distribution trucks traveled more than 12,000 miles over a two-week period to stock the fish, according to Jerry Weigel, North Dakota Game and Fish Department fish production/development section supervisor. When…

By Nick Simonson While midsummer brings its share of weeds to front lawns and gardens requiring some time on the hands and knees cleaning things up, or at least a quick buzz of the tiller in a skillful weaving around those tomato plants, there’s other weed work that can be much more enjoyable.  This time…

By Doug Leier Count me among the anglers who have lived through the drought of the 1980s and witnessed firsthand the 25-plus years of booming fisheries of North Dakota, which few will argue began with the 1993 drought busting and continues to a lesser degree today. Anglers recall when North Dakota fishing waters were fewer…

By Brad Durick Catfishing on the Red River is picking up with the spawn mostly over on the flow. Water temperatures are now in the low 80s, and as far as I know all ramps except Drayton are open as of this week. Fishing has been best tight to the submerged tree stumps and root…

By Nick Simonson It’s been said that little changes add up to big results.  Adjusting fishing line, sharpening hooks, tweaking fly patterns, and other little fixes can end up being the reasons behind some great angling and some memorable catches.  So too with hunting as adjusting form, getting a bit fitter, or working an extra…

By Mike Peluso The next two weeks after this report will be combo reports for both Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea. I’ve been on Sakakawea the last 30 days and now my back and forths between the two lakes will begin. What’s happening on Sakakawea? Well, it finally lit up! The water warmed up and…

By Nick Simonson The heart of July brings with it many things.  Notably larger readouts on the bathroom scale following an extended holiday week (or weeks) of barbecues are just one sign of the feasting that’s going on.  In the water too, fish are getting their grub on as walleyes set up in summer patterns,…

NDG&F Dept. Release More than 1,900 deer licenses are available in four units for North Dakota’s 2024 deer gun season, and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning July 24 at 8 a.m. Central time. Residents and nonresidents who have not already received a lottery or landowner license are eligible to apply online by visiting…

By Brad Durick Catfishing has been a little spotty on the Red River over the past week, but the fish and the flow are showing signs that the spawn is wrapping up.  Water levels are back to where they were at this time last week; up five feet and down five feet, but the river…