By Nick Simonson The Memorial Day weekend and all its recognition of the past and celebration of a new season’s beginning has come and gone.  In North Dakota, the passing of that holiday and the start of June also correlate with the end of the firearms deer lottery application period.  Now, hunters will anxiously await…

By Doug Leier As a kid growing up in the 1980s, fishing was about opportunity. Thankfully, North Dakota forefathers set up most communities near a waterway for transportation and goods. For me it was less about necessity and more about my ability to ride a bike to the river where I was certain to catch…

By Nick Simonson A number of my favorite crappie lakes are designated “no live baitfish” waters.  Whether that’s in an effort to keep invasive species such as carp or suckers from entering the water, or just to provide an added challenge to anglers on these typically smaller lakes which receive some solid pressure, adjusting to…

By Mike Peluso These North Dakota winds and cooler temperatures have been playing havoc on the walleye fishing on Devils Lake. The water temperatures just won’t warm up to get these fish back on the feed. The story has been over the last week that you can see a lot of fish on the electronics,…

By Nick Simonson I’ve always been fascinated by the hatching of insects throughout the summer season, and it amazes me how varied it is in different locations.  Under the humming lights of Brothers Three in my hometown of Valley City, N.D., some 25 years ago, when I witnessed my first mayfly hatch as big, green…

By Nick Simonson Safety is a key element in enjoying the outdoors, and I constantly wear and preach the need for a life jacket in all my fishing adventures involving a watercraft and setting up a location list and check-in schedule before departure on even the shortest planned trips.  But there are other elements of…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota residents who want to give fishing a try can fish for free June 1-2. That is the state’s free fishing weekend, when all residents 16 and older can fish any North Dakota water without a license. Residents 15 and younger do not need a fishing license at any time of year….

By Brad Durick There’s been a change of plans for the current Red River situation, allowing for some catfishing in areas in and around Grand Forks. NOAA was off on their projection for the river in this area by more than five feet and it remains open to some careful angling. While very high, it…

By Doug Leier “Never wait on safety reminders… it might be too late.” It’s a philosophy I’ve carried personally and professionally. Don’t wait until after the first weekend of deer season for a gun safety refresher. And the same applies for recreating on the water. Truth of the matter is, if you don’t have a…

By Nick Simonson The tick-tick-tick of a rocky stretch against a bottom bouncer, or the jolting carom of a crankbait off a small boulder is a comforting feeling when fishing in summer.  While the sensation may be a bit jarring, it’s a welcome reminder that an offering is in the right place as patterns set…

By Brad Durick Everything was kicking along nicely for catfish on the Red River in and around Grand Forks with a strong spring bite until heavy rains took over the Red River Valley last week. We are currently shut down with guiding river-wide due to flooding conditions resulting from three to four inches of rain…

By Mike Peluso I figured I would wait to put this week’s walleye fishing report out until after the holiday. Hopefully everyone thanked a veteran for their service and was out enjoying time on the water and with family. This week’s report is a general report covering the Big Three here in the state –…

By Nick Simonson My brother, my brother-in-law and I had ground out a Memorial Weekend morning patrolling the back of our charter boat with our captain Eric and first mate Eli on the glassy waters just off Michigan’s Presque Isle. It was one of those “just-too-nice” mornings for angling, where the weather is perfect, and…

NDG&F Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department offers a simple message to the well-intentioned who want to rescue what appear to be orphaned baby animals this time of year: don’t touch them. Whether it is a young fawn, duckling, cottontail rabbit or a songbird, it is better to leave them alone. Often, young…

By Nick Simonson As lowhead dams fall on and around the Red River, hundreds of miles of habitat is becoming reconnected for the benefit of fish in the main stem of the flow and its tributaries.  While lake sturgeon restoration projects beginning in the 1990s have been the impetus for some of these lowhead dam…

By Brad Durick Catfishing on the Red River in and around the Grand Forks area has slowed a little over the past week. All this means is that the crazy numbers of fish we were seeing are a bit more normal. Water levels on the Red remain perfect, and water temperatures are still in the…

By Doug Leier Take it from a fan of the Minnesota Vikings, success is a subjective word. For many, success will only be found in a Super Bowl. Others feel making the playoffs is success and just beating the Green Bay Packers can be considered a success. Deer hunting in North Dakota isn’t much different….

By Seth Owens Pheasants and other upland game birds like grouse and partridge require a variety of habitats to thrive throughout the year. Among these, brood-rearing habitat is especially critical for their survival and population sustainability. Understanding the specific needs of pheasants during this period is essential for effective conservation efforts. Importance of Brood Rearing…

By Mike Peluso Well since we got cancelled on my first day of walleye fishing back up on Devils Lake for the season, I have only one day on the water to report on. My first observation was that the water up here is extremely clean. I mean gin clear in areas. My guess is…

By Nick Simonson When fishing a piece of moving water, whether it’s a small creek in the Black Hills or the swift flow along the grey sand bars of the Missouri River or any stretch of river in between, knowing how to read what the surface and other elements of it present is key in…

By Nick Simonson In addition to those Memorial Day barbecues, graduation parties, and first trips to the swimming pool, the unofficial start to summer likely includes some fishing for one of the season’s most iconic species: the largemouth bass.  This time of year, big, black-striped bucketmouths aren’t hard to find, if you know where to…

By Brad Durick Catfishing remains fast and furious this week on the Red River of the north. Water levels are still near perfect in and around the Grand Forks area with water temperatures in the low-60s. The bigger catfish are moving in, bulking up, and getting ready for the spawn which should still be weeks…

By Doug Leier Twenty years ago I wrote a column about technology. It was inspired by a walk through an early spring hunting and fishing expo. What I wrote then and what I’m thinking about today with forward-facing sonar and even more evolution really hasn’t changed much at all has it? Think back to your…

By Nick Simonson Variety is the spice of life, and like lemon pepper on a walleye fillet, or blackened Cajun seasoning on crappies, it’s also the spice of angling.  With so many fish to catch and so many fun ways to catch them, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) is offering up a…

By Mike Peluso Sorry this Missouri River walleye report is a day late, but I’ve been traveling to get my boat wrapped down in Minnesota, so I’ve been burning the midnight oil. I am super excited to reveal the new look for Mike Peluso Outdoors & Guide Service. Anyway, my days are numbered here on…

By Nick Simonson As I waded deeper and deeper into the waters of angling with my good fishing buddy, we became focused each trip on the fish at hand.  Walleyes in the early goings of the season, then smallmouth when the spring warmed up, crappies in the emergent reeds and then largemouth under the red-and-green…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota’s 2023 pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and gray partridge harvests were up from 2022, according to the state Game and Fish Department. Upland game biologist RJ Gross said the overall harvest was likely a result of more hunters, more trips and more birds in the population. “Despite enduring one of the highest…

NDG&F Dept. Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department completed its annual mule deer survey, and results indicate western North Dakota’s mule deer population is 1% higher than last year but 4% below the long-term average. Biologists counted 2,047 mule deer in 286.3 square miles. The overall mule deer density in the badlands was…

By Nick Simonson Few flies are as hardy and as hard to sink as the foam ant, and while spring has arrived and the real ants now on the ground herald the fact the season is likely to stick around, the social insects are also a harbinger of summer, but in a different form.  On…

By Brad Durick The 2024 catfishing season on the Red River in and around Grand Forks has started off with a bang! It is proof that stable conditions make for great fishing. Water levels have been the same for weeks until this past weekend when it came up a little from rains which will really…