STAY FLY.  By the time this is over, you’re going to be SOOOO prepared for spring fishing that the walleyes, pike, bass and other species aren’t going to have a prayer!  Of course we’ve got to get through today.  With a trio of spring prep tips, we do just that in today’s Three Things. Featured…

CARPE DIEM! Seize the day today, as tomorrow brings yet another snowy mess as Mega-March continues into April.  Speaking of carp (were we?), while viewed predominantly as a nuisance species, the process of bow fishing has become increasingly popular, and we talk about targeting these big nasties in today’s Three Things by that method and…

By Nick Simonson Stocked trout are known as the eat-anything additions to their foster flows, and they probably aren’t as sharp as their more naturally occurring cousins.  However, they can still be a challenge and are definitely a lot of fun as the openwater angling season gets going, whenever this spring decides to show up…

TOTALLY TUBULAR. We keep thinking spring, weather be darned.  When we do, our thoughts turn to those shallow largemouth bass under emerging lily pads in muddy brown bays in late May under a warm and sunny sky.  Nothing gets those staging bass going like a tube, and we talk tactics and tricks for these quintessential…

By Nick Simonson With the snow piling higher and higher and gusts sending each new wave of the white stuff sideways across the picture window in the first gray light of day, thinking about spring was all I could do to keep cabin fever at bay.  I erased penciled-in fishing trips for April and booked…

MINOR MELT.  Yesterday’s temps spurred a little melting of snow cover across the region, just in time for not only colder conditions today and tomorrow, but another dumping of snow scheduled for Sunday.  I don’t know about you, but we might have to force spring’s hand with a trip to somewhere warm! In the meantime,…

WINTER BREAK!  Things warm up on light winds mostly out of the south, lulling us into the idea that spring might be just around the corner. But be forewarned, a system is setting up to give us another (last?) wake up slap of winter.  The first non-flowing places to open up in spring will be…

TUESDAY TRIVIA.  Looking for something to pass this chilly time? Of course you are, otherwise you wouldn’t be here!  We’ve got some fun videos, some baseball trivia and hints for circle hooks in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Spring Green. Largemouth Bass love slow-moving stickbaits in spring.  Wacky rig them for a different look and…

SPRING SHOVELERS. While you’re probably thinking of the soon-returning waterfowl, it’s actually you who’ll be doing the shoveling today as another quick-hitter of a system drops your daily workout once again.  Expect four or more inches across southern ND.  To get you through, we address the turn of the calendar (or lack of it) in…

NO JOKE.  While we’re fresh out of the Winter Severity Index (WSI) season, it seems like spring just doesn’t want to arrive. It’s an April Fools joke that will play out over the next two weeks, and those colored eggs should be easy to find today in the white drifts remaining. We look at the…

By Nick Simonson The North Dakota State High School Clay Target League (ND CTL) has expanded its reach by 55 percent this spring, bringing in a total of more than 1,400 participants, up from a little over 900 last spring.  The league now includes teams from 50 different schools in the state, up from 38…

SPRING COLOR.  Blue moons. White drifts. Red Robins. That’s what the weekend is bringing in this mash-up of late March and early April which Old Man Winter tightens his grasp around for a while longer.  In the meantime we keep an eye on the outdoors in today’s  Three Things. Featured Photo: A dozen bright woolly…

OPEN WIDE!  Some added flash is all it takes to kick it up a notch for crappies in springtime. We offer up some suggestions for the coming openwater season  (whenever that gets here) for adding some flash for all of your speckled pursuits in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: This black crappie took a Road…

By Nick Simonson Throughout the winter, things were looking good for the start of the new season of the High School Clay Target League this spring.  Calls and emails poured in to our coaching staff about how to get kids signed up and school resource centers and cafeterias were packed wall-to-wall with students and parents…

SNOWY RESURGENCE.  The winter-like weather returns to make Sunday’s egg hunts a bit chilly.  On the bright side your ice fishing season is prolonged and late ice has been extended indefinitely.  We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: A trio of rooster pheasants take cover from Wednesday’s gusts in a…

DIPPING DOWN.  Did you enjoy your one day of spring?  We hope so! Temperatures drop and winter returns to the region for another stretch, with a hit of snow possible in the near-term and a cold Easter Sunday on tap.  With the cold, we think spring and some of our favorite packable panfish baits in…

CALL IT UNSEASONABLE! A quick warm-up today will bring on spring fever after March has given us so much snow and a prolonged white season.  To get you through it we go around the horn in the outdoors in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: A variety of Lefty’s Deceivers sit on deck for some spring…

AWESOME ADDITIONS. As you get ready for spring (yes, we promise it’s coming) gear up your bass arsenal (and those presentations for other fish too) with a few little adds that help up the odds. We talk about that and more in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: A nice bass caught on a tube with…

SNOW TRAP.  An icy finish locked snow down on the area yesterday, and many found themselves digging out.  After a relatively nice season for snowfall, winter has made up for what it lacked in the last three months, in just the last three weeks.  Looking ahead to this week, we’ll find out just what March…

MARCH MAULING.  Another slug of more than six inches of snow across the central stretch of North Dakota keeps winter hanging on.  More snow on the ground means more trouble melting the stuff, as cool ground cover restricts easy upward temperature movement. We talk about those trends and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:…

By Nick Simonson This time of year, as meltwater starts flowing and rivers begin opening up, many anglers’ eyes turn to that moving water as a first opportunity for spring fishing.  Often running high, dirty and fast with the increasing melt, even the smallest rivers present an extra element of concern along with those conditions,…

ANOTHER SHOT! More snow rolls in around sunrise and totals are expected to top half a foot – and more farther north.  Batten down the hatches and keep telling yourself we’ve turned the corner.  Remember, this is the second of three snowfalls after the first robin! We go potpourri in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo:…

MORE WHITE ON THE WAY?  While today’s seasonal and partly sunny conditions don’t tip Ma Nature’s hand, the hint on the growing east wind points to a snow-to-rain-to-yuck system that will make its way across the upper plains.  Get in whatever outside time you need today, because Friday will be…interesting.  Speaking of interesting, we’ve got…

NDG&F Dept. Press Release North Dakota anglers, trappers and hunters are reminded that new licenses for the 2018-19 season are required starting April 1. Licenses can be purchased online at the North Dakota Game and Fish Department website, gf.nd.gov. Once the license is processed, users will have the option to print a hard copy and/or download…

SPRING HAS SPRUNG.  With the equinox under our belts, we look ahead to upcoming fishing adventures on open water with tips, forecasts and additions to tackle as part of the day’s discussion in our Three Things. (Featured Photo: Having a stash of clip-on spinners helps add some flash and vibration to smaller jigs. Simonson Photo)…

NDG&F Press Release The North Dakota Game and Fish Department reminds hunters that 554 spring turkey licenses remain in six units. These remaining licenses are issued on a first-come, first-served basis beginning March 20. Applications must be submitted online at the Game and Fish website, gf.nd.gov. Only North Dakota residents are eligible to apply. The governor’s…

THE MARCH CONTINUES. In every-other-Monday fashion, Ol’ Man Winter sneaks in another punch to the gut, as totals from around the region reached nearly five inches of heavy, moisture-laden snow.  While the melt was back on by Monday afternoon, this continued sloppy pattern looks to continue to stick around for a while.  Speaking of sticking,…