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…

By Nick Simonson   With the recent passage of the Farm Bill by Congress and its execution by the President, three million more acres have been added to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), bringing the total under the set-aside system’s cap to 27 million acres to be phased in by 2023.  Stuck at around 24…

IT’S COOL. But not cold! Keeping bait fresh in the winter and alive is key to good fishing, whether it’s waxworms, minnows or spikes, maintaining temperature and conditions are all part of the process. We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Chuck ‘Em!  Dead or pupated spikes (the dark…

WHIRLWIND!  Yesterday’s gusts weren’t the only news in the outdoors, as a mountain lion entered Bismarck city limits and was shot by authorities.  We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Crushed. A black crappie smacked a purple UV-flash jig on Nelson Lake. Simonson Photo.   WEATHER (Bismarck Forecast): Today: Wed…

WHOOSH!  High winds will dominate today as an obvious transition occurs, making it an ideal inside day.  We go around the horn in today’s Three Things with news and notes with some light reading and tying tips.   Featured Photo:  Tail Tales.  Long pheasant tail feathers from 2018 hunts adorn the wall at DEO HQ….

By Nick Simonson In every water where fish swim and survive, there’s something for them to eat.  Knowing what’s on the menu and how to imitate it – whether on the fly, with standard tackle or through the ice – is a great first step to success.  Creating or purchasing those lures which imitate available…

SPRING CALLING.  A gusty day today with temps in the low 30s, and potentially a shot at 40 tomorrow make it feel more like spring than the dead of winter.  Take advantage of the conditions which allow for mobility and get after it!  We dial it up for the passing of another season, get tips…

By Nick Simosnon In the first part of this tutorial, we tied up a gray and white 5/0 bucktail treble hook as part of a project to develop a customizable option for pike and muskie fishing. In this second installment, we’ll assemble the lure which will provide enough flash and vibration to trigger the wariest…

WHAT’S NEW?  Besides the moon, there’s much to look forward to in this new year. Between a warmer-than-average forecast (we won’t pay for this in spring, right?), a new season of shooting sports, and new chances for hunters, there’s lots to celebrate, starting with today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Crush the new year! Students…

ENJOY IT! Temperatures soar into the mid-40s today and the melt will be on before things cool off some, but still stay temperate into the weekend. We look at the long-term forecast and find some helpful gear for all your winter pursuits in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  After feeding, resident geese make their…

By Nick Simonson   The end of the year and the start of a new one heralds not only a time to look forward at goals to be accomplished, but also to celebrate the seasons that have wrapped and analyze what went wrong, what went right and what lessons were learned to be relied upon…

THAWING OUT. We’ll take it when we can get it, but it looks like the early-January warmer-than-average conditions will stay with us into the weekend, opening things up for better access on the ice and in those last few pheasant fields. We go around the horn with news and updates in today’s Three Things.  …

WE’RE ON IT!  Tips and events for the new year highlight today’s Three Things as conditions improve for getting out there on the ice or in those last deep sloughs for the last pheasant hunting of the year (and possibly your first rooster of 2019?). Above-average temperatures return to make things feel mild.   Featured…

HAPPY NEW YEAR. May 2019 bring you many new experiences in the field and on the water with good friends and family.  It will certainly bring warmer conditions than we’ve had the past two days as things start to warm tomorrow and a January thaw comes early. We look back on the first month of…

SO LONG 2018!  We lament the chilly end to the year but celebrate all the good things 2018 brought in the outdoors – including a new state record walleye. We talk about those and more as we look forward to the next 365 days in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Give him a year. …

READING THE LEAVES.  It’s tough to tell what’s coming in the next 365 days, but there are a few guarantees in the North Dakota State Legislature which kicks off in just a few. We delve into what sportsmen need to be aware of and how to tell their legislators to vote yea, or let them…

By Nick Simonson The cold weather season presents an opportunity to put together new color combinations and tried-and-true favorites for fish of all stripes, including today’s subjects – pike and muskies.  Learning to tie a simple dressed-treble bucktail spinner serves as the base for all forms of toothy-critter creations in the future – flashabou in-lines,…

ON THE UPSWING (For Now). Temperatures moderate for the weekend, but we dip again for the New Year’s holiday as sportsmen set out on the ice once again during ND’s free fishing weekend, and those upland hunters look to close out their season on the penultimate weekend (go deeeeeep!).  We cover those topics and more…

By Nick Simonson   With the turn of the calendar, many look to take on new pursuits, including those in the outdoors.  Among the many options to explore is fly fishing, a pastime which melds art, physics and biology into a passion on the water. When most people think of fly fishing, they think of…

THINK SPRING!  If you’ve just completed your shoveling projects, we’ve got some ideas for warm-weather plans you can kick back with as we work our way out from under the blanket of white.  We talk about how to improve habitat and considerations for wildlife planting in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  We thought you…

By Nick Simonson It’s played out in a similar fashion over the past several hunts, an early-flushing rooster pheasant rises unexpectedly at the start of a walk, cackling into the air with wings whirring, shocking me into shooting mode.  In the slightly warmer days that have passed into the recent history of this year’s hunting…