By Nick Simonson When making it through a long and chilly week like the past one, I often find myself debating…myself.  Perhaps it’s a symptom of cabin fever here at midwinter, but the inner dialogue (monologue?) at the lure-making bench does tend to get interesting.  One of my favorite debates raged on in the negative-20s…

TIED UP.  Welcome to the heart of winter, as we spend much of the next week below zero – for highs and lows.  Don’t fret though, it gives you the perfect opportunity to get your gear in order for spring and complete those tackle projects.  We talk about those tips and more in today’s Three…

By Nick Simonson One of my earliest memories is of that misty kind shrouded in the fog of early self-awareness. I am looking up to see a man sitting beside me in a boat.  The lake is calm, reflecting gray skies above, his head is bent over what he holds in his hands.  The boat…

ANOTHER SHOT. A second wave of winter in as many weeks will hit the region, with heavy snow dominating the day over much of the state, and the highest piles will fall in the northern two-thirds.  We check out what’s in the forecast and go around the horn in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:…

By Nick Simonson Along the lure-making learning curve, the trout spinner is a versatile bait that’s easy to create and fun to customize for salmonids in any lake or stream.  A dressed treble hook and a few components come together for an easy-casting compact lure that triggers brutal reaction strikes and covers water to help…

HEY! HEY! HALFWAY!  Congratulations!  You made it to the halfway point of meteorological winter! While we haven’t had much, save for the last two weeks, it’s still time to check in on where we’re at with those conditions that stress wildlife in the Peace Garden State as part of our Winter Severity Index update. Today’s…

By Nick Simonson With a two-year-old and a just-turned-five-year-old running my house now, things go missing, particularly the remote lovingly named “Alexa” that connects to the Amazon-based lifeline of twenty-two minutes of peace and quiet in the form of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, which for those of my generation without kids is an animated spin on…

TAKE TOMORROW OFF! Put your vacation request in today! Afterall, you’ve earned it getting through this slippery, bone-chilling stretch.  Temps begin to rise today and light winds will make afternoon outdoor events tolerable.  The big thaw comes tomorrow, and we size it up as part of today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Sunset.  We’re putting…

LAST NASTY ONE. We make our way out of the deep freeze, and the climb starts today.  We go around the horn in today’s Three Things to keep your mind off the cold…sorta.   Featured Photo:  Have a crappie day! Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Wed 1/30 – A struggle. Hi -10, Lo -27…

BONE CHILLING.  Brutal wind chills take hold for the next 48 hours, with some areas seeing lower than -40 degrees in their real feel temperatures. We look at what’s in store, what’s ahead and what you can do to catch more fish this time of year in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Active lures…

SLIP SLIDING.  Slick conditions will persist after yesterday’s rain/snow mix that hit much of the state, and our temperatures will be in freefall through Thursday.  In the meantime we’ve got some inside outdoors-related journaling tips for you in today’s Three Things to help you make it through the deep freeze!   Featured Photo: Download the…

TAKE COVER!  A snow-rain-ice mix descends on ND today as warm air meets cold.  Things deteriorate rapidly after lunch and wind gusts increase to 55 mph by midnight.  Strap everything down and be off the ice before things get bad.  We talk about that and what’s to come in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: …

ENJOY TODAY!  Tomorrow is going to be a wild one, but Saturday’s conditions will be perfect for a trip on the ice or out on the landscape for predator hunting.  We check out your weekend forecast and other fun topics in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Put on the Gloves!  Get ready to duke…

FIRED UP. ND’s biggest ice fishing tournament is up tomorrow as SB 2315 hits the committee today – don’t forget to EMAIL the committee and request a “DO NOT PASS” recommendation.  We talk about that and a few items of “lighter” note, in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Hole-y Cow!  Ice Tourney season starts…

AW SNAP.  A couple of cold days stand ahead of a snowy weekend and a serious bottoming out next week.  We keep an eye on that and developments at the legislature along with a sign of spring in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Winter with a touch of spring. A pair of wild turkeys…

By Nick Simonson The preservation of outdoor opportunities and the continuation of the traditions of hunting and fishing in North Dakota are sustained by three things: 1) the people who use and conserve hunting and fishing opportunities; 2) the habitat necessary to provide populations of fish and wildlife; and 3) perhaps most important in the…

DIG IN.  Or is that dig out?  Light snow accumulations over the last 48 hours might have you doing some clean up around home and the ice shack, and our roller coaster continues into the coming day. We hunker down with a hearty recipe in today’s Outdoor Dish.   Featured Photo: A Real ND Slice. …

ON WATCH.  We’re watching the weather and legislation as we tie up some more lures on a blustery January day. We talk about those topics and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo: Box of Fun.  Blades, beads, bodies and hooks are set for an epic afternoon of lure making. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER…

By Nick Simonson For a quick-tying and fun addition to any lure with a treble hook, such as a crankbait, in-line spinner or  spoon, that also ups the odds for catching fish, dressing a few spare treble hooks in colors that set various species off and seal the deal when they come in for a…

By Nick Simonson As we settle into the heart of ice season and the challenges of the middle stretch come to be, there are some little changes that can help up the odds of success and make things easier, when conditions might conspire to make fishing tougher.  What follows are a few tips, tweaks and…

STEP-BY-STEP. We’re working our way through the heart of winter and taking care of those tasks to wrap up fall and get ready for spring.  We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Light snow overnight holds dog tracks on an early morning walk…before the wind fills them back in….

By Nick Simonson   It used to be that the middle of January was a dead time for me, a melding together of quiet post-holiday nights ticking away in front of the tying bench punctuated by frantic weekend searches for perch or walleyes on hardwater in an attempt to overcome the slowing mid-ice bite, all…

SEEING RED.  Nah, we’re not mad (unless things stay cloudy) as we turn our eyes to the skies in preparation for this weekend’s lunar event and talk about staying warm as things turn cold in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  The Super Wolf Blood Moon is coming, watch for a red-shaded lunar eclipse on…

WHAT WINTER?  Just kidding, but still things have been surprisingly mild.  Temps dip today and tomorrow and head for a weekend slide, when we might touch zero again.  In the meantime, we review our WSI score as we sneak our way to the middle of January.   Featured Photo:  There’s not much snow on the…

TUMBLIN’ TUESDAY. Yesterday’s warmth will fade on northwest breezes as we dip into a bit of a trough for a few days.  We talk trauma, records and the difference in the species we see in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: Soak It In.  A rooster and two hen pheasants find warmth on an open, south-facing…

COATED.  Watch as calm conditions, low clouds and temps in the 20s set up an ideal scenario for frost deposits on the landscape.  It won’t last long as Tuesday’s winds will move things around.  We take a look at the week ahead and catch up on a coating of a different kind in today’s Three…

WARM SHOT.  We stop short of saying hot, but relatively speaking it will be nice as temps approach 30 today.  We brace for a cold smack later this week by thinking about spring and planning for CTL with some tips, funding ideas and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Aiming for Spring.  A…

GOOD LOOKIN’ OUT. Calm conditions will make today – the chillier of the weekend pair – tolerable outdoors, so don’t abandon your plans, but maybe pack an extra layer.  We go around the horn with news and notes in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  A walleye lurks under structure. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck…

By Nick Simonson The Yellow Sally is an out-and-out stonefly pattern, designed for those clean trout streams where these insects are common in the warm weather months and the lighter colored versions of the bugs are frequently found.  As there aren’t a whole lot of those locales in the upper Midwest, I’ve found this traditional…

NICE ON ICE.  It’ll be a great weekend to get out on the ice with still breezes and lots of events to draw anglers to the hardwater.  Calm conditions continue, and we take a shot at freezing on Sunday, making access easy and fishing comfortable! We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things…