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…

By Mike Peluso I reluctantly left Lake Sakakawea earlier this week to travel east to Devils Lake, and all the discussion as of late has been regarding how good the fishing has been on both of these waters. I’m here to tell you Devils Lake is holding its own. Both bodies of water have been…

By Nick Simonson The summers of my junior high school years were memorable ones, punctuated with week-long trips at the lake cabin spent with cousins, classmates and friends from the small houses that lined the sandy shores.  Among all the contests we held – paddle boat races, sand fights, pick-up football games that spanned the…

By Nick Simonson While preparing for the upcoming salmon season, and tying a few extra spinners for summer walleye trolling, my fingers began to find the smoothest of patterns on the various rigs coming together at my desk.  The turns and twists of line around the metal of the hook shank and gentle tug that…

NDG&F Department Release More than 3,500 deer licenses are still available in seven units for North Dakota’s 2022 deer gun season, and will be issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning July 27 at 8 a.m. Central time. Residents and nonresidents who have not already received a lottery or landowner license are eligible to apply…

By Brad Durick Catfishing continues to be good on the Red River in and around Grand Forks but has slowed some over the past week. The heat and a water color variation have made fishing a little tougher but it is still outstanding. There are still many big fish around to be caught with many…

By Mike Peluso The walleye bite at times is absolutely insane for both numbers and quality fish on Lake Sakakawea this past week, with overall fishing success continuing to be good. Walleyes on most days have been trending deeper in the 16-to-20-foot range, but if wind and water clarity are right fish can still be…

By John Bradley Most hunters and anglers understand the important role they play in conserving the habitat of the fish and wildlife they pursue. Most know the phrase “hunting is conservation” made popular by the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and other hunting groups over the years. Sportsmen and women know it’s more than just the…

By Nick Simonson The neat thing about labs is they never want to quit. Whether it’s in the field or on a summertime swim, it most often comes down to their owners to know when to say when.  On about the twenty-seventh stick thrown from the end of the dock yesterday morning, the mounting blue…

By Nick Simonson With the lottery application process wrapped for this fall’s firearms deer season, many hunters’ minds are already turning to the cool days of autumn, despite the confirmation from a warm, sweaty suggestion that summer has just started.  In this time of preparation, no other tool is more important in the process of…