By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   Once ice starts to inch away from shorelines each spring, the business of managing North Dakota’s fisheries hits full stride rather quickly. Nets go in select waters for pike and then walleye spawning. Distribution of catchable trout to community fisheries begins, and the development crew hits the road to…

STARTING LINE UP.  As you get ready for the weekend and more great fishing, it’s time to inspect your reel and update your line.  We’ve got the info in our Outdoors Roundup on what spools to stash in your tacklebag to help keep you on fish. Featured Photo:  FRESH.  A recently spooled reel filled with…

AWESOME.  Grab today and run with it as calm and temperate conditions take hold before gusts rise again.  We’ve got all the numbers on that plus a scary forecast, how to give fish the slip and what NWF has for getting people back to work.  That’s all part of today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  CALM. …

GRAY & WHITE.  Expect some cloud cover today, as rain chances move in this afternoon but it won’t be a washout. We’ve got more on that along with fun games for kids and a look at a couple rare regional fish species in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  WHITE & BRIGHT. A white crappie falls…

MONDAY MEMORIES.  Warm temperatures, easy breezes and overall good conditions will highlight the start of the week.  If you’re at home teaching classes, or working, consider this your field day!  If you can’t get out, we’ve got some fun web wanderings including ways to socially distance on the water, how to do it quickly and…

SUNDAY MAGIC.  Make it happen today as mixed skies and south winds warm things up to 70 degrees.  We’ve got updates on access to ND’s lakes and rivers along with fishing pier conditions from the NDG&F, increasing daylight and a pretty good looking week ahead in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  Color/BW. A rainbow trout…

By Nick Simonson   Spring is the time of the year that many die-hard anglers have in the back of their mind as the opportunity to catch the biggest fish of the season and possibly their lives.  Regardless of whether they’re on the tail end of the pike bite through the ice or the first…

SPLIT SATURDAY.  We’re working through a little morning rain and getting setup for a good weekend.  In the meantime we catch up with organizations across the nation to see what’s happening in conservation, preservation and protection of wildlife and wild places in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  WAITING ON GREEN.  Grass is starting to grow…

By Nick Simonson   Wedged into the narrow corner under the removable jumpseat in the big boat which had just come out of storage this weekend, I struggled to aim my headlamp and balance the beam from my phone light at the connectors on top of the battery terminals, the snap of electric sulfur and…

WELCOME TO THE WEEKEND!  Things will cloud up and some moisture is in the mix tonight and tomorrow but it won’t be a wash out. Sunday is looking great for time outdoors or on the water. We catch up with state, national and world conservation updates in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  A MIX. There’s…

WHAT’S NEW?  Besides the moon, which will help with your fishing exploits here at the end of the week, there’s lots of news from around the region including stopped spawning efforts in South Dakota, grizzly bear interactions in Montana and some tips to keep trespasssers at bay from QDMA.  All of that is part of…

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   My first North Dakota bear observation was in the Turtle Mountains north of Dunseith, in an area where it likely would not surprise you to see a black bear. The first eagle I witnessed in the wild was years ago in Logan County, at a time when you’d stop…

PICK UP MAN.  Make today about gathering garbage, cleaning up your neighborhood and helping make things better for people and wildlife – because it’s the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day.  We cover that, NASP numbers and some big awards for conservation efforts in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  KEEP IT CLEAN.  A clean flowing stream…

PLAY HOOKY.  Literally.  As in bait your hook and get out of whatever you’re supposed to be in today, because it is going to be nice.  We’re talking “best day of the year” thus far. We’ve got more on the fantastic forecast below, plus some great funding news from the NDG&F, non-lead options from NWF…

MONDAY MOVING.  The wind will pick up again today bringing gusts of 40 mph or more to the region. We check in on big pike, a unique deer hunting option and a sure sign that spring is here to stay in our Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  VERDANT. While we’re a month or so off from…

SUPERB SUNDAY.  Winds build throughout the day, but it won’t be as gusty as yesterday as temperatures climb into the mid-50s to finish out your weekend.  We’ve got updates on an upcoming PLOTS survey, movements of a small upland bird and what the week ahead has in store in today’s Outdoors Roundup. Featured Photo:  SPRING…

By Nick Simonson   The continuous fishing season in North Dakota and South Dakota coupled with warming weather and rumors of a hot bite in any given location can bring anglers out in droves, particularly in those combat fishing areas along spawning creeks and channels from Devils Lake to the Missouri River basin to smaller…

BUILDING SOMETHING.  On the other side of the weekend lies the spring week you’ve been waiting for! In addition to the build up toward a beautiful stretch, we cover all the excitement of the final NDG&F fishing preview, the approaching Earth Day celebration and a look at the winter that was in our Outdoors Roundup…

By John Bradley, NDWF Executive Director   When the alarm went off, I had already been awake for 15 minutes.  I easily popped out of my bed in the back of my 4Runner and started layering up. I was off hiking with my pack and shotgun slung on my shoulder in a matter of minutes. …

BRING THE WARMTH! We get out of the trough and start moving up the slope with temperatures headed into the 50s on southwest breezes to get your spring fishing back on track. Things should feel more springy again in the coming week or so as well.  We cover that forecast, updates on NDG&F meetings an…

By Nick Simonson   Seeing a fish come in behind a lure is one of the most exciting moments in angling.   When the water is clear and the shadow of a pike or muskie becomes a distinctive, magnified image of what I’d imagine Leviathan looked like in legend, few things in the outdoors get the…

BOOSTED.  We’re stealing spring back from Ol’ Man Winter with a continuous climb toward a warmer weekend.  We’ve got more on what to expect for your end-of-week outdoor activities plus fisheries news from the NDG&F and more on the expanded access to Federal Lands coming in 2020 from the US FWS in our Outdoors Roundup….

By Doug Leier, NDG&F Dept.   Most Vikings and Twins fans can remember how their last season ended. In general, each team lost in the playoffs, but you’d probably have to stop and think about the details, such a which team the Vikings beat in the first round of the playoffs (Saints), and which team…

AGENCY UPDATE.  In this chilly stretch that feels more like February than mid-April, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes – particularly with regular spring updates and those not-so-normal ones coming out.  We’ve got an eagle watch from NDG&F, a surprising stocking decision by the MN DNR and a slew of updates from the…

SNOWED OUT.  After the scattering of snow across much of the state for one last jab from Ol’ Man Winter, we slowly make our way up and out of the chill zone.  Northerly winds prevail until Friday when a warm-up comes our way. In the meantime we’ve got bear watch, fish finder history and a…

BACK TO IT.  It’s Monday again and we’ve got a slog through some cold weather but good news is on the horizon, despite a dusting of snow on the ground.  In the meantime we take a stab at vulnerable state records, the growing regional trend of out-of-state closures for hunters and anglers and a look…

By Nick Simonson   Spring walleyes – especially those river fish that offer up some of the season’s first opportunities as ice takes its time peeling off area lakes – are a predictable lot insofar as the locations they use when staging for the spawn.  In those holes and riffles below obstructions, shallows or mating…

COLD BOILED EGGS.  It’ll be a challenging Easter egg hunt today as conditions stay cold and winds stay high. In today’s Outdoors Roundup got simple and inexpensive adds for better angling, hunting and exploring – all of which could probably fit in one of those plastic eggs for your favorite outdoors aficionado! Featured Photo:  FAMILY…

STRONG SHIFT.  A chilly weekend sets in on the region as winds kick up from the north overnight and don’t really let up for the next four days or so. To get you through this stretch we’ve got a big game update from the NDG&F Dept., a cool fundraiser from PF and  in our Outdoors…

By Nick Simonson   While crappies aren’t known for adrenaline-inducing strikes or heart-pounding battles, they’re often some of the earliest angling excitement in spring as they stage to spawn and hang on the edge of shallow northern bays and other areas where they’ll beget the next generation of slabs.  While an EKG might not register…