By Nick Simonson Slip floats not only represent a step up for a young angler from the red-and-white clip on bobber, but also a great way of targeting many species of fish.  From walleyes along a breakline or crappies against a developing summer weed edge, floating a live bait offering to any gamefish can be…

By Mike Peluso This week has shown that with just a little wind, the walleye fishing on Devils Lake can really improve!  We haven’t had much wind up here, but the little bit we have had over the past seven days has made a drastic improvement in the mood of the fish.  I won’t say…

By Nick Simonson The window in the attic bedroom at the cabin stays open most summer nights, letting in the night breeze, at times the rumble of distant thunder, and many of the other sounds that come with the season.  Most notably among nature’s noises that filter through the old screen are the varied calls…

By Nick Simonson The added challenge of clear water is universal across all fish species.  Many game fish – from bass, to walleyes, to muskies – all rely on keen sight to find their prey.  This also makes them more discerning as the water gets clearer from the introduction of invasive species such as zebra…

By Brad Durick Our week-to-week changes continue for catfishing on the Red River and this time the rains have brought levels up to light flooding in the Fargo area and just a lot of logs and wood flowing through the Grand Forks are. The water here is muddy and 59 degrees right now. Even with…

By Doug Leier I was compelled to jot down some interesting numbers that pertain to North Dakota’s outdoors as Jeb Williams, Game and Fish Department director, recently addressed the joint Senate and House Legislative Natural Resource committees. Did you know the Game and Fish Department manages 439 fishable waters which make up 851,462 acres? For comparison…

By Mike Peluso A lot has happened since my last fishing report! I’ve made my way over to Devils Lake for a 22-day push before I head over to Sakakawea.  I’ve also accepted a winter job that will take me away from the winter guiding side of things.   I won’t be doing the winter…

By Nick Simonson Through the gin clear waters of Memorial Day weekend came the first of a handful of early morning walleyes.  The deep golden sides of one I brought up shimmered in the rising sun which had just crested the eastern shore’s greening treetops as it slid across the surface and into the black…

By Doug Leier Before you apply for your 2025 North Dakota deer license, with an application deadline of June 4, we should review the 2024 numbers. First let me remind you these are numbers, statistics. What you can’t read in deer “success” are hunters who chose not to squeeze the trigger waiting for a bigger…

By Brad Durick My, what a difference a week can make. We went from air temperatures in the 90s down to the 40s in just a day or so. Water temperatures as a result are back down to 57 degrees as of Monday morning. In the last report I said that the bite had slowed…

By Nick Simonson For a big, meaty, chuck-and-duck kind of fly that sets off huge trout and elicits vicious strikes from smallmouth bass, the slumpbuster lives up to its name.  When water is high and dingy, or when fish are looking for a mouthful, this fully customizable squirrel-based streamer is all but guaranteed to connect…

By Mike Peluso Muddy waters and lots of wind and rain have been the story for this week when it comes to fishing walleyes on the Missouri River in and around Bismarck.  The conditions have caused a few cancellations which has actually kept me off the water for the past couple of days.  However, I…

By Nick Simonson It’s been a while since I’ve experienced weather whiplash like last week.  A hot post-spawn bite borne on unseasonably warm days and stable weather was crushed when things suddenly went from record high temperatures to record low temperatures, all within a span of about 48 hours. The fish, needless to say, weren’t…

By Doug Leier What to Do (and Don’t) if You Find a Baby Bird, Rabbit, Fawn or Duckling Springtime into early summer is when we start seeing baby birds, bunnies, fawn deer, ducklings and goslings making their way into the world. While it’s heartwarming to spot these tiny creatures, many people don’t know what to…

By Brad Durick Catfishing on the Red River has slowed a little in the past week. This is due in part to the water receding and the hot weather we have had. Water temperatures are already pushed to 68 degrees as of this report, which is eight to ten degrees higher than normal for this…

By Nick Simonson Lake sturgeon continue to advance throughout the Red River and its tributaries, as the stocked populations of these once extirpated species from 23 years ago begin to repopulate the main stem and the lakes and tributaries upstream. In addition to an annual stocking program, rehabilitation of rivers and streams and the removal…

By Mike Peluso As I was over on Devils Lake this weekend fishing the AIM Walleye event, this week’s report will cover both the walleye fishing on the Missouri River near Bismarck and also feature a little update from Devils Lake, which is where I’ll start. Things are just starting to get going up here. …

By Nick Simonson The lesser-known opener in Minnesota, which now parallels the traditional start to walleye and pike season in early May involves the catch-and-release seasons dedicated to two of my favorite fish – largemouth and smallmouth bass.  And along the sleepy shorelines of clear spring waters, I patrolled two of my preferred lakes for…

By Brad Durick Catfishing on the Red River is hot and heavy and in full stride already. With rains from last week bringing water levels up a couple feet the fish have really kicked into high gear.  Water temperatures are in the high 50s right now which is perfect for early May. They are still…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota’s 2025 deer season is set, with 42,300 licenses available to hunters, down 7,800 from last year. In addition, muzzleloader licenses decreased by 150 and restricted youth antlered mule deer licenses remained the same. Casey Anderson, North Dakota Game and Fish Department wildlife division chief, said population, harvest and survey data…

By Nick Simonson With the lack of a spring flood, warmer than average temperatures, and stable weather along the Red River valley this spring, angling for the flow’s catfish is already in mid-season form.  While those factors have aligned to kick things off almost a month ahead of schedule, anglers are more likely to be…

By Mike Peluso It is hard to believe how fast this spring is going.  It feels like just yesterday I walking down to the river in front of my house to look at the ice chunks floating and the shorelines still white.  The Big Muddy walleye tournament is always the pinnacle of the spring walleye…

By Nick Simonson “What are you catching them on,” the mother across the pond hollered to me as my youngest boy Jackson landed a feisty stocked rainbow for my older son AJ. With a wave that I was on my way, and a scamper up the embankment of the small community water with my tacklebox…

By Nick Simonson As spring conditions warm and boaters take to the water with more regularity, the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) reminds all watercraft users to clean, drain and dry their boats and jetskis as they depart their favorite lakes as part of the agency’s annual Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) Awareness Week,…

By Doug Leier I’ve long appreciated the fact that in North Dakota we can talk about deer and deer hunting any time of year. While fall discussions typically revolve around the deer numbers and the coming hunt, this time of year there’s plenty to discuss about the state’s deer lottery. Of note, there’s no real…

By Brad Durick Spring is here and we are about two weeks early for catfishing from a normal year. With little to no winter, the water levels on the Red River in and around the Grand Forks area are low and water temperatures are already at 53 degrees. Stable conditions already have the catfish going…

By Nick Simonson With a  temperate spring and generally favorable conditions, turkey hunters in North Dakota have been able to take advantage of the comparatively long hunting season in hopes of tagging a tom.  What’s more, increased tags in 2025 compared to the previous spring have allowed more sportspeople to get out in the field…

NDG&F Release North Dakota’s 2024 pheasant and sharp-tailed grouse harvests were up, while gray partridge was similar to 2023, 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. “The winter of 2023-24…

By Mike Peluso What a week of walleye fishing we’ve had out here on the Missouri River near Bismarck!  I had guide and tournament partner Jason Feldner with me this past week and between guiding and pre-fishing for the AIM Pro Walleye Tour tournament, we logged a lot of hours on the water.  Jason and…

By Nick Simonson I’m a numbers guy.  I’d rather be catching tons of fish than hunting down that one large one that’s going to test my drag and my mettle. I’ll take action over size any day on the water.  At this point in my fishing career, I’ve chalked it up to a combination of…