By Nick Simonson Hunts are best viewed in hindsight.  The thrill of the flush and the clamor of the shot often overpower the memory of the longer, quieter stretches of the walk leading up to those moments. But it is in that prologue to the excitement where we begin to realize what came together to…

By Doug Leier Pretty much everyone who hunts and fishes in North Dakota knows they have to buy a license first, and most of those people understand that license dollars go to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. What is less understood, despite decades of promotion by state and federal agencies across the country,…

By Brad Durick It has been a good week for channel catfish on the Red River once again. There are lots of fish that are willing to play. Fish right in the middle of the river at the heads of holes or back in the middle of them. The catfish seem to not be liking…

By Mike Peluso Walleye fishing up on Lake Sakakawea remains insane this week, and Devils Lake also remains good. I keep waiting for a major slow down, but it just hasn’t happened yet. Like I’ve talked about in past reports, the bulk of the walleyes are deep on Lake Sakakawea. Not all, but a vast…

By Nick Simonson A winter filled with heavy snows across southeastern North Dakota is a distant memory, as the moisture packed in those drifts gave way to growing fields of grass and a greening landscape following the drought of 2021.  This, along with spring and early summer rains, helped provide nearly ideal fawning habitat for…

By Nick Simonson Excitement is building for the upcoming hunting seasons, from archery deer and grouse just around the corner, to pheasant opener and the firearms big game seasons starting later in the autumn, and anticipation grows for these fall events that cannot be contained by the four lines which bound their square on the…

By Doug Leier I’m a fan of numbers and statistics to a point where they fascinate me. Not just what the numbers say but how the numbers are generated. When I took my college statistics course, I knew going in I was about to experience a learning curve in the most real time. Thankfully, the…

By Mike Peluso It is hard to believe it’s late August already. Kids are back in school, football season is starting, and the seasons are about to change. This means a few things for me. One, I don’t stop guiding. In fact, I’m guessing since I guide for walleyes on the Missouri River in spring…

By Brad Durick Not much has changed with catfishing on the Red River since last week’s reports.  Water temperatures remain in the mid-70s and catfish are still in the middle of the river for the most part. If the weather is stable, they are in the heads of the holes and in the faster water….

By Nick Simonson While lusher and greener conditions this year may be considerably different than the dry and arid elements of last summer’s drought which greatly impacted pheasant populations across North Dakota, the read at the halfway point of the North Dakota Game & Fish Department’s (NDG&F) annual roadside survey which estimates populations of partridge,…

By John Bradley “How do you want to push these cattails,” my uncle asked me on a bluebird day in Central Montana. My uncle already knew the answer as he had been hunting this section of state land for years. He knew where the pockets and bends were that always seemed to produce a flush….

By Nick Simonson Past performance is not indicative of future results. If you’ve ever caught the last five seconds of an investment commercial on the radio promising big returns in real estate, or how profitable opening your own franchise might be, you’ve likely grabbed that phrase out of the disclaimers crammed in a fast-talking, Micro…

By Brad Durick This past week on the Red River has been a little bit slower for catfishing, but overall it is still very good. The big change has been the water levels and flows are falling. Some rain going down the stretch would be great. The bite is steady with the catfish mostly hanging…

By Doug Leier Much of my work as an outreach biologist is understanding the point of view hunters and anglers are coming from. It’s important to appreciate the context of a young angler expressing interest in stocking new bodies of water when I think of how we have more bodies of water with more fish…

By Mike Peluso I split this week between fishing for walleyes on Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. I’ve talked about this in the past how guiding on three different bodies of water help make me a better fisherman and guide. You cannot get complacent and must stay on top of things, especially during the dog…

By Nick Simonson The steep bank of the small lake’s southern shore was first guarded by a stand of green pencil reeds.  An overhanging willow covered the pocket of water behind the verdant sentries and a tangle of sticks and other wooden debris denied entry to the hole which had “largemouth bass” written all over…

By Nick Simonson Late summer brings the bling on big baits and small ones too, and for any angler in just about any realm of fishing, flashy blades are a part of every late season arsenal.  From big double-bladed bucktails cast for muskies, to crawler harnesses trolled for walleyes, to spinnerbaits burned for bass of…

By Nick Simonson The last time I was fishing in a kayak, I was lazily rolling down the canal which connected the back of our VRBO south of Ft. Meyers, Florida to the intercoastal waterway, where flounder, sailcats and the seatrout that I hoped most of all to connect with waited along the drop off…

By Brad Durick Catfishing on the Red River has been quite stellar this week. We have had lots of big fish coming in. If you know where you want to fish, things have been pretty easy as the catfish have been hanging out in the mid-river holes toward the front. One thing that has been…

By Mike Peluso I’m back on Lake Sakakawea this week and the walleye fishing certainly isn’t a letdown. This lake has been on fire since the very beginning this year and it hasn’t let up a bit. The walleyes are moving around some. You can still find some really nice fish up shallow. You just…

By Nick Simonson The hustle and bustle of summer is expected. Between holiday weekends, road trips, fishing adventures and a million family duties ranging from coaching baseball games to Thursday night lawn mowing, the season is here and gone in the blink of an eye. Made more of a blur by a spring that was…

By Nick Simonson There are many good adages that come from and apply to angling.  From “wind from the north, don’t venture forth” to “ninety percent of the fish inhabit ten percent of the water,” big and little lessons alike are summed up in quick catchphrases that are easy to remember and applicable in most…

By Nick Simonson About this time of year, the young loons on the calm morning water of the lake begin to become more apparent. Half feathered and not quite yet the sleek black-and-white of their parents, they flex their independence or congregate in hangouts in front of the dock which rival teenagers getting together on…

By Doug Leier Most hunters don’t apologize while spending summer fishing, camping or enjoying any number of outdoor activities if the conversations drift to the coming fall hunting season. We’re prone to keep one eye on the bobber and another on the calendar while our imagination thinks of what the fields and skies might hold…

By Brad Durick The big news this week for catfish anglers on the Red River is that both boat ramps in Drayton are open. That means that all ramps on the Red River are now open and usable. Fishing this week has shifted to a full-on summer pattern. The fish are spread out and doing…

By Mike Peluso The walleye fishing has been good on Devils Lake this past week! Bug hatches, tons of new food like baby perch and white bass, and lots of freshwater shrimp give fish plenty to eat, yet the walleyes on Devils Lake just continue to bite! What’s working? Well, it’s Devils Lake, and it…

By Nick Simonson North Dakota’s recently released sharptailed grouse counts are a strong predictor of what hunters will encounter each fall in the field. This year’s tally of birds seen on spring mating grounds, called leks, showed an overall decline across the Roughrider state and early nesting attempts were likely hampered by late April blizzards…

By Nick Simonson It was by far the biggest walleye my ten-year-old eyes had ever seen.  Back in those days at the lake cabin, when septic fields slowly filtered their way into the water, and weeds grew thick this time of year from the warm, fertile shallows out into the depths, walleyes were a bit…

By Doug Leier I’ve loosely compared some of our fisheries division work to farming.Planting, stocking and growing fish is parallel to farmers planting crops. You need the right soil, right conditions and weather to grow thecrop. Wheat or walleyes. It’s not too far off when you think about it.So, this spring when farmers were battling…

By Brad Durick It appears we had a second spawn or late spawn this year. It really doesn’t matter but it is noticeable this week that we have a bunch more beat up and skinny fish. The bite continues to be good if not great up and down the Red River. Water levels are down…