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…

By Nick Simonson As a kid at Boy Scout camp, I watched the large leopard frogs leap from the grass as my troop wandered around the stock ponds at the fish hatchery’s rearing facility located near our day camp location north of town.  A trio of us jumped back in surprise as the water swirled…

By Mike Peluso I’ve split my time this week between Devils Lake and Lake Sakakawea. I’d say the walleye fishing has been good on both, but I still feel like we are a little off from a rockstar bite on either. Devils Lake proved itself as a top walleye fishery this week while casting shallow…

By Nick Simonson I relate best to animals when I anthropomorphize, that is give them human qualities that help explain, at least in my mind, how they react to the world around them in a way that I might better understand those reactions.  It makes sense at first, because like fish, or deer, or pheasants,…

Through a partnership between Pheasants Forever (PF), the property mapping application company onX, and the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks agency (GFP), hunters will find greater access to prime pheasant habitat this fall.  Thanks to the cooperative effort between the three groups, more than 11,000 acres of public-access hunting have been added to the…

NDG&F Dept. Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 77th annual spring breeding duck survey conducted in May showed an index of about 2.9 million birds, down from 3.4 million last year. The 2024 breeding duck index was the 30th highest on record and stands at 17% above the long-term (1948-2023) average, according to…

By Brad Durick We are back in the business of chasing big channel catfish on the Red River! Grand Forks ramps are open. East Grand Forks ramps are just a few days away. Fargo and south will be about a week yet as will the towns north of Grand Forks. The river has fallen nicely…

By Doug Leier Even if you don’t hunt, I hope you’ve at least heard about chronic wasting disease. If you haven’t, let’s start today. Chronic wasting disease is a fatal disease of deer, moose and elk that can cause long-term population declines if left unchecked. There is no treatment or cure, and once established in…

By Nick Simonson Bluegills are America’s fish.  They’re found in freshwater from sea to shining sea and provide fast fishing all summer long. They don’t discriminate based on bait, as they’ll take a gob of nightcrawler speared on a gold hook as readily as they’ll inhale the finest fly.  They taste great coming out of…

By Mike Peluso Now I’m definitely starting to sound like a broken record when it comes to walleye fishing on Devils Lake. Wind, windy, hurricane, and more wind has been the story of this past week. I’m honestly getting super tired of it. I’m not going to lie. So, I’ll start with Devils Lake. This…

By Nick Simonson While flipping a small jig for some panfish this weekend, I looked over the slightly faded orange wrappings on the tip of a favorite light action rod as I worked the offering back and elicited the strike of a few willing bluegills.  So many seasons had passed since I conducted the impromptu…

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…