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…

By Doug Leier I’m not a professional angler. When it comes to tips and tactics on how to land a lunker walleye or fill a stringer in short order, I’ve got more questions than answers. In the not so recent past I casually referred to myself as the human cold front because of a perceived…

By Nick Simonson The month of July, from its start around the Independence Day holiday to its warm nights as the heart of summer settles in, has plenty of burger flipping, tent pitching and perhaps some skipping out of work early to do some angling throughout it. So too, the techniques of flipping, pitching and…

By Mike Peluso Lake Sakakawea is definitely one of my favorite places in the world to fish for walleyes. I’ve been fortunate enough to have spent well over 40 years learning about the water. This season has definitely been the one with the most new discoveries. I’ve learned more about her this summer so far…

By Nick Simonson My first boat was a canoe that my dad purchased when I was young – or perhaps even before I was born, I can’t quite recall.  I do remember it nearly fell from the top of our minivan going to the lake while driving on the interstate and  I only recollect using…

By Doug Leier  I took a little good-natured ribbing from fisheries chief Greg Power for a column a little while back referencing his connection to our North Dakota fisheries dating back to Jimmy Carter, bell bottoms and disco music. While it’s all in jest, the truth is history is one of the best teachers we…

By Nick Simonson I’ve heard stories of men being mauled to death by grizzly bears on moose hunts in the Yukon and trail runners being stalked by mountain lions on the North Shore of Lake Superior. And while those tales and similar stories of death and near-death experiences in the outdoors rank near the top…

By Brad Durick It’s a new week on the Red River of the North, with new high water on the way and the catfish spawn is in full swing. With those conditions right now, catfishing is a grind for sure. We are now on our fourth high water in just over a month so the…

By Nick Simonson If you’re my age, you remember the Rocky and Bullwinkle show as being your parents’ cartoon that was on in re-runs as a youngster.  If you’re a little younger than me, you likely don’t recall it at all because it phased out shortly after my morning cartoon viewing years.   The adventures of…

By Mike Peluso The past week has once again brought lots of change to the walleye fishing up here on Lake Sakakawea. All of that change has been a great thing, however! Lots of fresh mountain runoff has been pouring into the lake. What a blessing, considering we weren’t supposed to get much of a…

By Nick Simonson If you’ve ever been on that classic pretend bear hunt with a three-year-old, you know that in most instances, you can’t go over it, you can’t go under it, and you can’t go around it; you have to go through it.  Whether you’re fording the river, or rustling through the grass, or…

NDG&F Dept. Release Hunter success during the spring turkey hunting season was 49%, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. The department issued 8,137 licenses for the 2024 spring season, and a record 6,847 hunters took 3,336 birds, the highest spring harvest on record. RJ Gross, upland game management biologist, said spring turkey…

By Nick Simonson The heat of summer often means fast fishing, and with that comes added stress to all the things that help us catch fish.  Line gets nicked by sharp teeth and structure, knots shift and slip, reels require maintenance and all sorts of other little things can get overlooked as fish after fish…

By Doug Leier  There’s never enough time and space to cover all the common questions anglers have. Some are in-depth and the Department does its best to answer these questions via North Dakota OUTDOORS, videos, podcasts, all of which can be found for free on the Department’s website at gf.nd.gov.  Many topics warrant deep discussion…

By Seth Owens For many of us, pheasants only exist in the fall, when we can chase them behind our four-legged companions. We often see a rooster crow from a gravel road, or a pair strutting through a stubble field in May, but the birds pretty much drop off our radar. Though our minds turn…

By Mike Peluso Is summer finally here for our walleye fishing in North Dakota? We have gotten a couple warm days in a row and the water temperatures are climbing out of the 50s and hitting the 60s, which is actually still really cold for this time of year. Since my return to Lake Sakakawea,…

By Nick Simonson I just finished re-reading J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series, the first set of real books I can recall reading on my own as a young teenager.  In between that time and now, Hollywood managed to turn out nine hours’ worth of award-winning films covering the trilogy, and, though a bit…

NDG&F Dept. Release The number of roosters heard crowing during the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2024 spring pheasant crowing count survey was up 37% statewide from last year. “This is really good news but expected, considering we had such great production last year and the mild winter we had certainly wasn’t hard on…

By Nick Simonson This far into my fishing experience, the numbers don’t matter as much as the memories.  Where 20 years ago I’d brag about a 28-inch walleye or a 19-inch smallmouth caught on the little river running through my hometown and throw the fish’s estimated weight in for good measure; nowadays, the only number…

By Brad Durick The water is rising yet again on the Red River. This time appears to not be as bad as the previous two but it is still changing things when it comes to angling for channel cats.  The catfish have moved back from the middle break line to the shoreline or the drop…

By Doug Leier The fish and wildlife variety in North Dakota is truly impressive. From paddlefish and pallid sturgeon in the Missouri River, to trophy catfish and the recent repopulation of sturgeon in the Red River. We’re home to mountain lions, moose and elk, also the unique furbearers including river otters, fishers, bobcats and American…