dakotaedgeoutdoors

Daily Edge for Sat. June 10

WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT. Summer conditions (for better or worse) are settling in. Target those staging areas off spawning grounds for pre-summer walleye, go deep for trout, and start planning on setting up the perfect shot for the approaching archery deer season. DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER: Winds drop and shift S to NW with chance of…

Daily Edge for Fri. June 9

HOW ‘BOUT THIS HEAT? Sorry, but really we only get to say that for about 6 weeks out of the year in this neck of the prairie, right? Plus, it’s just for today as temps moderate tomorrow, but the weekend should be fantastic for any outdoor activity, including fishing. DAILY CONDITIONS: WEATHER: Heat and humidity…

Summer Water Safety Starts with Life Jackets

NDG&F Press Release Failure to wear a personal flotation device is the main reason people lose their lives in water recreation accidents. North Dakota law requires all children ages 10 and younger to wear a personal flotation device while in boats of less than 27 feet in length. The law also requires all personal watercraft…

Daily Edge for Thu. June 8

DID YOU GET YOUR DEER APP IN? Like that recurring high school nightmare of being late for that class you had the test in that meant repeating 9th grade or moving on (plus running in slow motion to it in your underwear), you might be waking up this morning feeling like you forgot something. The…

Check Nuisance Species Off Your List

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. Traveling isn’t much of an obstacle these days when it comes to a good day of walleye fishing. The past couple of years, the combination of lower fuel and transportation costs along with good walleye, pike, panfish and bass fishing expectations, means more anglers than ever are apt to wet…

Daily Edge for Wed. June 7

HEY! HOT SHOT! Summer is the time to get your shot in shape in between those fishing trips. Whether you shoot trap, skeet or sporting clays, there’s a fun way to get your aim down well ahead of any hunting season. We break down the basics of all three forms of recreational shooting in today’s…

Dakota Edge Outdoors Show – 02 – Upland & Waterfowl Preview – RJ Gross/Johann Walker

Welcome back to the Dakota Edge Outdoors Show! In our second weekly installment, we talk spring previews of pheasant, grouse and partridge populations along with their spring nesting biology with RJ Gross, Upland Game Biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Then, we flip the script and talk waterfowl with Ducks Unlimited’s Director…

Daily Edge for Tue. June 6

The countdown is on – and not just for the days left until deer firearms lottery applications are due – as we talk about three neat things in the outdoors! We get a bit of a cooldown over the next few days, but warmth looks to make a return for the weekend which is sure…

Our Outdoors: Go Fishing

By Nick Simonson It’s fitting that this week is “National Fishing and Boating Week” because we need it now more than ever. I don’t know what last week’s title was, but it was awful. With the world still reeling from a bombing of a concert for tweens and teens across the pond which left 22…

Daily Edge for Mon. June 5

A CRANKED UP APP, AN OLD PANFISH & MORE BLIND MELON Coming off the nicest weekend of the summer, fishing reports are blowing up with more time on the water (and fish coming out of a post-spawn funk across much of the state) resulting in better catches throughout the region. The Minnesota muskie opener produced…

Monster Minnesota Muskie

Andrew Mulso of Marshall, Minn. started the Minnesota muskie season off with a bang with this 54-inch muskie out of Lobster Lake near Alexandria, Minn. With warm weather settling in after a small front, reports of a good start to the season are coming in from across the border with a number of fish seen…

Daily Edge for Sun. June 4

SUMMERY SUNDAY Winds subside for the weekend’s most ideal day – you might want to make it a long evening and call in late to work on Monday – as moon overhead and sunset align for a great night of fishing. Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the DU Fun Shoot at Capital City…

Daily Edge for Sat. June 3

WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND! After some rumbles in the east Friday night, warm conditions will facilitate a good deal of fishing statewide this weekend, as 80s dominate the highs across the Peace Garden State. We get word from Devils Lake in today’s Three Things and apparently it IS easier (fishing) being green up on old…

Daily Edge for Fri. June 2

HATCHING BIRDS, DRY CONDITIONS AND AN INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY! Who’s up for starting the weekend early? Bail on work this morning with a case of walleye fever and hammer some pre-frontal fish, as summerlike conditions persist until a cool swipe comes along and shifts the winds later this afternoon. If you can’t get loose, check out…

Dakota Uplander: Crowing Counts Nearly Done, Nesting Underway

By Nick Simonson With the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) wrapping up their spring crowing count surveys for pheasants, agents are able to provide some insight into conditions meeting nesting birds, and what awaits hatching chicks. While some winter mortality of pheasants and other upland birds is expected after a tough start to…

Daily Edge for Thu. June 1

A SHOT OF HOT, A NEW SHOW AND A CASE OF THE CRAWLS While it isn’t quite a summer pattern yet, this mid-week warm up will help get fish moving. Don’t forget to get your deer rifle applications in to the NDG&F Dept. by June 7. Friend of the site and G&F Outreach Biologist, Doug…

Go Online for Deer Lottery

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. With North Dakota’s deer gun season license application deadline fast approaching, it’s a good time for a reminder to prospective hunters that the fastest and easiest way through the process is online via the state Game and Fish Department’s website. This is especially true for people who are eligible for…

Daily Edge for Wed. May 31, 2017

Welcome to the Daily Edge for Wednesday, May 31 – the last day of meteorological spring, which means summer is here (sort of)! You can turn that lucky fishin’ cap around, as winds are finally relenting over most of North Dakota and things will start REALLY heating up tomorrow! Not that you’re counting (we know…

Dakota Edge Outdoors Show – 01 – Muskies – Ben Simonson/Scott Gangl

Welcome to the first installment of the Dakota Edge Outdoors Show! Each week is an audio tour de fish (or hunt) with the personalities and experts from around North Dakota on timely topics to help you get the most out of each season! This week we focus on the upcoming Muskie Opener just over the…

Daily Edge for Tue. May 30, 2017

SHARPEN UP WITH THE DAILY EDGE – FREE FISHING DAYS & TAKE A KID TIPS Welcome back to the Daily Edge! Here you’ll find everything you need to get the most out of your hunting, fishing and outdoor adventures in North Dakota and beyond! We’ll start with daily conditions and times each day, and go…

Daily Edge for Mon. May 29, 2017

GET YOUR EDGE AND STAY SHARP EVERY DAY! Welcome to the Daily Edge! As part of Dakota Edge Outdoors’ effort to help you get the most out of whatever you do in the great state of ND, these daily blog posts will focus on the conditions, times and news that drive your success on the…

Our Outdoors: Krystal Crappie King

By Nick Simonson The art of lure making and fly tying results in a good deal of B flies and seconds that, after a few tries on the water are relegated to the bottom of the box, and are filed away for future reference, simply because they failed to connect with the trout, walleye…

Boat Ramp Courtesy is a Must

With the Memorial Day weekend underway, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F) reminds boaters to be patient, courteous and ready when launching or removing boats at the many launches in the state. North Dakota boaters are reminded to exercise patience and plan accordingly when heading to a lake or river this summer. The NDG&F receives…

Early Season Muskie Advice

By Nick Simonson While the true muskie hunters are already fishing the handful of muskie lakes in North Dakota, the eyes of many die-hards will shift eastward in the coming days for the Minnesota Muskie Opener on Sat. June 3. With that date circled on their calendar, many are wondering what baits they’ll offer up…

Shorebirds a Spring Highlight in ND

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept. North Dakota’s prairie potholes get a lot justifiable credit for their role in helping sustain the continent’s waterfowl populations. What we don’t often hear about is the equally important role that prairie wetlands play in the life cycle of more than 30 shorebird species that either pass through in spring…

2016 Early Canada Goose Harvest Tallied

NDG&F Press Release For the sixth consecutive year, North Dakota early Canada goose season hunters bagged more than 36,000 birds, according to a recent harvest estimate released by the state Game and Fish Department. This is the combined harvest from the August Canada goose management take, and the September Canada goose hunting season. While the…

It’s Important to Protect ND Waters

NDG&F Press Release Outdoor water recreationists are gearing up for another season on the open water. With that in mind, boaters and anglers are once again reminded to help prevent the introduction and spread of aquatic nuisance species in North Dakota. State Game and Fish Department ANS coordinator Jessica Howell said as other states continue…

Our Outdoors: Give ‘Em the Slip

By Nick Simonson There’s a sort of silent excitement in watching the chartreuse top and orange spindle point of a slip float slide under the surface of the water, knowing (or maybe not knowing) exactly what comes next. The sweep of the rod tip to set the hook, the protesting pull on the…

First Mature Sturgeon Found in Red River Basin

By Nick Simonson Twenty years ago, a collection of biologists and fisheries scientists set out to reestablish a population of lake sturgeon in the Red River basin straddling the North Dakota-Minnesota border; just this week members of the cooperative group began seeing their vision, which started with the stocking of fish two decades ago,…

Paint It Black – Springtime Crappie Colors

By Nick Simonson With the first green leaves starting the spring canopy above the lake shore, our boat glided over the shallow stretch of mud bottom along a backwater lobe just off of the main lake. Through the glare-cutting view provided by a pair of polarized sunglasses, it was tough to miss the schools…