By Doug Leier It’s been nearly 20 years since the first legal mountain lion season in North Dakota.   To think there’s a generation that has grown up never knowing a time when there wasn’t a season. It puts into context the label of “new” or “experimental” when describing one of the more recent additions to legal…

By Nick Simonson The modern ranks of anglers throughout the upper Midwest are armed with uncountable lures, amazing watercraft and technology that rides the cutting edge.  As a result, this concentrated core of well-equipped sportsmen is able to make up for the increased pressure that equally-endowed anglers have produced in recent seasons, making fish just…

By Mike Peluso Since my arrival on Lake Sakakawea on June 15, the lake has risen probably 12 feet. Maybe more maybe less. The fact of the matter is, with that much water, the walleyes tend to spread out a tad. The one thing I have noticed a lot this week is how the fish…

By Nick Simonson Second perhaps to the day after New Years, the Sunday following the Fourth of July is one of my most dreaded days of the year.  I know it’s just a number, and I know that health and fitness overall is more than the red-line numerals on the readout in the dim light…

By Nick Simonson With a recharge of wetlands from the winter and spring snows, conditions were improved across North Dakota for returning waterfowl.  While this spring’s survey report from the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) showed a slight increase in breeding duck tallies, behind the numbers, Ducks Unlimited (DU) is finding good indicators…

By Doug Leier I’ll apologize in advance as I’d rather not dig up bad memories, but this past winter started too early and stayed too long. But sometimes as a friend reminded me, “we can turn the page, but don’t forget what you’ve read.” The winter/spring of 2023 lasting impact on deer, pheasants, livestock, landowners…

By Brad Durick Catfish on the Red River are starting to get into the swing of summer.  The post spawn phase now has the fish starting to move to a more summerlike mid-river pattern. The best fishing has continued to be in the holes in or near the main current in the middle of the…

By Nick Simonson Summertime means working soft plastics for both largemouth and smallmouth bass, and more often than not those lures are offered up on a wide gap worm hook.  While this is often the best way to present plastic options, these hooks require a mastery of both their advantages and their shortcomings.  It’s the…

By Mike Peluso As we turn the corner and head toward the back nine of summer fishing, things continue to be incredibly good up here for walleyes on Lake Sakakawea. The fish are being caught all over this body of water at the moment and there is no need to pile into the packs of…

By Nick Simonson There was almost an air of concern in my mom’s voice as I wandered back in from my morning stroll to the end of the dock to watch the sunrise and inspect the shallows.  A few quick casts of the neon green fly line sporting a beadhead pheasant tail nymph connected with…

By Doug Leier Thanks to modern technology you can register your boat and buy a fishing license from your phone. The internet and mobile technology has made the process quicker, faster and more efficient. But as my friend Alan asks, “Have we traded our patience in for conveience?” After spending two Saturday mornings in a…

By Brad Durick There’s good news from the Red River of the North where conditions for catfishing are quickly improving! It appears that the spawn is at its tail end and the region recently got some rain to kick things into gear. Now that we are in post spawn there will be some skinny but…

By Mike Peluso It’s been a week of changing weather with a little of everything up here on Sakakawea. This report may seem off to some and spot on to others who’ve been out on the lake looking for walleyes and depending on what part of the lake you are on this report may seem…

By Nick Simonson As shifty as the weather has been leading up to the official start of summer, it’s no surprise that recently rough conditions have seemingly targeted each weekend of this past month, throwing a bit of a monkey wrench into many anglers’ plans.  Whether it’s a cold front bringing thunderstorms on a Thursday…

By Brad Durick I hate short bites! It seems like the Red River’s big catfish are nearing the end of the spawn but they are not quite there yet.  This week, the trend has been that they will hit the baits but not take the whole hook. The solution has been to get a bigger…

By Doug Leier  Since 1993 when the wet cycle began, the growing and maintaining aquatic habitat has been … natural. If you are under the age of, say, 35 or 40, you’ve never known the impacts of lower water issues. Sure, we’ve had a few short-term drought interruptions during the wet cycle, but anyone who…

By Nick Simonson With the solstice, we’ve reached the official start of summer, meaning there’s about three months of temperate weather and great fishing for active species that should be gearing up for some solid bites in the coming weeks.  Three of my favorite species to angle for in summer are bass, walleyes and crappies,…

By Mike Peluso This week, I’ve got to give a shout out to the ND Game and Fish Department! For a guide like me to be able to guide the Missouri River, Devils Lake and now Sakakawea and to have the excellent fishing we do, all I can say is we are spoiled. Fishing on…

By Nick Simonson Scattered below the bass tube dragging slowly just beneath the surface of the gin clear water was a herd of fish in every shape and size the small water could offer up.  From my view in the seat of my kayak, I watched the lead bluegills eye up the remaining undulating tentacles…

By Cara Greger Making a living on the ranch is tough. Ranchers are in a constant battle with beef prices, weather, invasive weeds, and the developers who look to carve up large tracts into 40 acres ranchettes. The same pressures that ranchers face impact North Dakota’s grasslands. Preserving our remaining grasslands takes partnerships.  The North…

By Nick Simonson Hot on the heels of a strong report by the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) showing a significant increase in 2022 upland hunter participation and overall success compared to the previous autumn, early indicators attained in the recently-completed rooster pheasant crowing count point to a jump of around 30 percent,…

By Brad Durick On the Red River, I am starting to see post spawn female catfish in our catches once again, so I would say we are somewhere in the middle of the spawn. Numbers seem to be pretty good again this week thanks to smaller catfish in the mix. Fish are coming in mid-river…

By Doug Leier The weekend seemingly lasted forever. Remember last summer? It just wouldn’t end. A couple of phrases rarely uttered across North Dakota. We’re more likely to hear how the weekend flew by and summer never lasts long enough. The reality is where we live, winter is the driving season. It can, and has,…

NDG&F Dept. Release North Dakota’s 2022 pheasant, sharp-tailed grouse and Hungarian partridge harvests were up from 2021, according to the state Game and Fish Department. Upland game biologist RJ Gross said the overall harvest was likely a result of more hunters and good production. “We were somewhat surprised that harvest was up despite slight declines…

By Nick Simonson With the heat of summer finally settling into the region, those cold-water loving trout which were stocked in area lakes and reservoirs are seeking out the depths, and aside from some cooler hours in the morning and evening, are a bit tougher to target on the fly rod and likely will remain…

By Nick Simonson The approach of summer means active predators under the water feeding on bait and young panfish, getting their fill while the getting is good.  In response, anglers match the hatch and utilize openwater trolling methods to key in on those aggressive walleyes that are on the feed, and trolling crankbaits is an…

By Brad Durick Currently on the Red River, the water temperature is at 79 degrees and the cotton is falling from the trees surrounding it. This means the spawn for our channel catfish is on a full two weeks early in comparison to previous years. Big cats have been spotty but they are there if…

By Doug Leier  I went to college with Brett Wiedmann at North Dakota State University back in the early 1990s. I’ll be the first to admit he was one of the smart guys. He was a curve buster. I was a curve survivor.  There was no doubt in my mind whatever path Brett chose, success…

By Nick Simonson The change from spring to summer this year was almost instantaneous; in fact, it could be argued the upper Midwest went almost straight from winter to summer with about a week of acclimating in the middle.  While most spring activities are wrapping up, goslings are hatching, pheasants are nesting and fish are…

By Mike Peluso The secret is out! North Dakota fishing right now is absolutely bonkers pretty much everywhere you wet a line. As most of you who follow my reports know, I’m currently up here on Devils Lake, and it’s no secret this water is always a top producer in the world of walleyes, and…