By Nick Simonson One of spring’s first fish that anglers find schooling up in the shallows, rushing reed beds and staking out structure for spawning is the crappie.  Whether black or white, these fish are synonymous with fast spring fishing, and knowing what to use for them can help heat up any chilly day.  From…

SO LONG WINTER! Welcome to the last day of a season which has challenged outdoorsmen and wildlife alike, we’re glad you made it this far with us.  Spring starts tomorrow, and nothing major is showing up on our mid-term forecasts and the melt looks to be slow and steady, at least for the next week….

By Nick Simonson The average male lifespan in the United States is right around 78 years.  That puts me at about halftime, assuming I have the average game clock allotted to me, and if I have less, this midpoint message is all the more important.  Because, caught up in the madness of March, I’m recharged…

BLAST AWAY!  We’re less than two weeks out from the start of the North Dakota State High School Clay Target League spring season, and all around the state young shooters are getting ready for competition.  We walk through some spring shooting prep in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: Shooters take aim at a new clay…

By Nick Simonson The prototype for the Pheasant Tail Nymph was created by British river keeper Frank Sawyer and combines the weight and flash of copper wire and the bugginess of pheasant tail fibers.  While not as famous as the PTN he would go on to create, the Copper Sawyer is still widely used, particularly…

LIKE A LION.  We review our Winter Severity Index today, focusing on the continued cold and snowy conditions that the back half of winter has brought.  We also turn our eyes to the end of the month and predict whether March will leave like a lamb as wildlife feel the sting of winter at the…

THAT’S ALL FOLKS! The last of the big low has shot out of the region, leaving up to 17 inches of snow in some parts of SE ND.  With it goes what may be the last real dose of winter, as long-range forecasts show a spring-like shift! We get you geared up for the season…

By Nick Simonson A person never knows what’s lurking in various waters.  I’ve seen tiger muskies caught in lakes where they’ve never been stocked and read reports of eels somehow making it hundreds of miles up small rivers and drainage ditches to waters far from their origin point.  Gar have snapped at the orange foam…

BLOWING & SNOWING.  Winds rise in the back half of the day as you (and wildlife) get one more shot of snow tonight before things take on a more springlike feel.  We check out what’s to come, barbless hook tips and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: Keep the angle on fish and manage…

LOOKS WARM. Our first day near 40 in over a month will continue the melting process as we move into mid-week.  One more storm stands between us and spring (the “back breaker” we needed to shift the pattern). We talk about that, monarchs and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  This year’s ND park…

SUN’S OUT.  A mostly clear day will help get a start on melting the weekend’s dumping of snow.  We look ahead to spring, open water and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  The sun sets over a snowy Missouri River valley. Simonson Photo   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Mon 3/11 – Begin Melting – Hi…

By Nick Simonson There’s something special about taming a charging bull bluegill on line as thin as a spider web.  Few fishing sensations are wilder than a white bass tearing up the sunset reflecting off the surface of a lake.  Even a ten-inch trout brings a wondrous battle as it twists and turns in the…

SNOW WAY.  The southern stretch of ND found itself dumped on again, as totals from 6 to 12 inches blanketed the region yesterday.  We review those numbers and have some spring ahead tips in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  White Wall.  Drifts of snow grow following yesterday’s storm. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Sun…

SO…MUCH…SNOW.  Can’t type…without using…ellipsis.  Just kidding.  On the bright side, models have backed off next week’s weathermaker totals, so if you make it through today…well, you know the drill!  We talk about cats, big game and a long-range hope for spring in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  GET OUT OF HERE! A rooster pheasant runs…

ON TARGET.  While the next snow system has the upper Midwest in its sights, we choose to look ahead and key in on those things that predator fish seek out in their prey and talk about top targets in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  The Eyes Have It.  Spots on lures and plastics help simulate…

FEVERISH. If you don’t have spring fever yet, you don’t have a pulse! We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but next week’s snow storm is looking to tell Saturday’s squall to hold its coffee cup and watch.  Early reads are coming in at 10 inches or more for the region next Wednesday. …

IT’LL FEEL NICE!  With the wind not howling and temperatures in the teens (we’re on a 30-degree watch for Friday!) today and tomorrow will feel like spring.  Don’t get comfortable though, as we haven’t seen the last of Ol’ Man Winter. We address that in the forecast and other near term outdoors events in today’s…

GUSTY.  Winds continue today, though not as strong as Monday’s coat-grabbers. The week stabilizes in the back half and we continue to plug along toward spring.  We keep your mind sharp with money, moon phases and moose, in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  Bully!  A young bull moose stakes out a small slough near a…

A KIND OF WARM? This week will bring a steady increase in temperatures which by the end of the week will only be a few degrees below normal for highs.  Let’s consider that an improvement in our slog toward spring! We look ahead at that and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  White Collar….

THE BEST MEDICINE.  The sting of winter persists today and tomorrow, but if you’re trying to beat cabin fever, there’s nothing better than a good laugh.  We share some of our favorite outdoors joke sites in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: The Royal Treatment. A kingbird sits on a speed limit sign. More bad puns…

By Nick Simonson   Long before the days where most every deer hunter threw in for both a rifle tag and the muzzleloader lottery and started their season in August with the bow, the sign on the desk at Northwestern Industries in my hometown of Valley City read: “Be A Three Season Hunter!”  Back then,…

CHILLIN’ Temperatures back below zero all day today and tomorrow along with some gusty winds will make this another inside weekend. We should start to see some relief in the coming days, though highs in the teens will remain well below normal. We’ve got some fun outdoor facts and a long-range laugh for you to…

By Nick Simonson Tying the crease fly – a foam and fur baitfish imitator – is one part tackle crafting and one part fourth grade art class, and as a whole, as enjoyable of an experience at the vise as it is on the water. The combination of a bucktail or synthetic hair finish with…

ALMOST HOME(?)  Welcome to March!  It’s the start of meteorological spring, the month of shifting clocks, and hopefully massive melts.  Though not out of the woods, we find ourselves at the three-quarters mark in our Winter Severity Index (WSI) and check out the numbers left in the wake of our bitter February. Featured Photo:  Draw…

By Nick Simonson At this point in the season, it’s almost pointless to check the long-range forecast.  It’s been the same thing on repeat for the past month: cold, wind and a shot of snow, followed by bone-chilling cold.  While the pattern may be disheartening and – don’t look now – continuing over the next…

ADIOS! We say farewell to February today (and good riddance, perhaps?) as relatively mild (though still well below normal) temperatures settle in for 36 hours or so, before another dip into the deep freeze.   We talk about some public land advancement, a bluegill battle and a cool shot in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  A…

LIGHTEN UP!  We’re gaining daylight every day as we make the turn toward March.  Evenings last longer and dawn comes sooner, and we look at how fast things will change as part of today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  Semi-complete Crease Flies await stick-on eyes and epoxy on their way to spring fishing for pike and…

GOOD! MORE SNOW! (Said no one ever.) Sorry for the sarcasm, but another two inches will fall today.  We talk about some scary results of the weekend wind and step closer to spring with turkey tag announcements in today’s installment of Three Things. Featured Photo:  Cold Filtered.  The setting sun shines through a thin bank…