By Nick Simonson I’ve never been a slow guy.  Slow on the uptake maybe, but never one to just sit around and wait for things to come, or fish to bite, or birds to appear.  I’ve been a walker, talker, doer type with more natural (and thanks to coffee, unnatural) energy than I can manage…

STABILIZING.  The near-term forecast has high temperatures near or above average (about 57 degrees) for the next four days, so get out and enjoy it.  As rivers and streams open up, opportunities for early season fishing will expand. We talk about those high-percentage areas on flowing water in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  Off the…

Ducks Unlimited Press Release The House Committee on Agriculture is expected to consider the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 (H.R.2), more commonly referred to as the Farm Bill, on Wednesday, April 18. After hosting listening sessions throughout the country this summer, the committee markup will represent the first legislative step in the lengthy process…

FEATHER WEATHER.  One more shot of snow heads off to the east before things get on a warming trend.  Use today to take final stock of those flies, lures and other tackle items before spring finally does its thing and expect melting (and the related bite) to start in earnest by the weekend.  In today’s…

ONE MORE SHOT. Snow tonight and into tomorrow should be (fingers really crossed this time) the last round of snow the state experiences for a while.  The two-to-three inches will go quickly as temps begin a steady climb into the weekend, with conditions threatening the sixty-degree mark on Sunday!  With that positive thought, we talk…

FLOCKS!  Snow geese have made their way north, and while much of South Dakota found itself under a blanket of snow, open terrain in the Peace Garden State which was spared the brunt of last week’s storm, is inviting to these migrants. We talk about their movements and more in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:…

By Nick Simonson By this point in the season, the reels have been oiled, the rods cleaned and paired with their line holding partners and new tackle stocked up and readied for the start of open water fishing.  While the wait extends with the delayed warm up, its not uncommon to find antsy anglers at…

SPRING PLANTING. Looking ahead to the arrival of summer (since we’re just skipping spring this year), there’s much to do in the way of planting.  Gardens, food plots, and of course, trees.  When planting the latter for wildlife there’s three types of food-bearing trees and shrubs to talk about in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo:…

WADE TO GO. As we continue the daily slog toward something resembling springtime (maybe 50s next weekend?!) many of those first casts will be taken by wading anglers.  We share our wading tips in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo: From streams to rivers, waders provide a means of accessing breaks and deeper water where spring…

By Nick Simonson With spring on hold, there’s plenty of time to think about what comes when the snow melts.  Of course, the fishing will be fast and furious, but after the solid spring bite and those big fish will come a season of making a difference.  In order to preserve these great opportunities for…

AW, FEATHERS! While we’re sure you have stronger language for tonight’s snow, this is a family-friendly website. But speaking of feathers, we talk through a trio of popular products that make jigs, wet flies, streamers and other creations flow and look all the more natural in today’s Three Things. (Featured Photo: Saddle Hackle Feathers are…

ROD READY.  Now’s the time to look over that collection of fishing rods and be certain each one is ready for spring deployment.  Get the proper leverage on fish this season with tips in today’s Three Things.   Featured Photo:  Have Rod, Will Travel.  The strength to control a running fish comes from a good…

OUT OF LINE.  If it wasn’t for the fact we’re still five degrees below normal for this time of year, today and its warm temperatures would be considered an outlier for what we’ve been under recently.  We talk about temps, drag and a great leader knot in today’s Three Things. Featured Photo:  Lady slippers bloom along…

By Nick Simonson Beyond a few cold stretches, the winter of 2017-18 was looking good for North Dakota’s upland game populations, including ringneck pheasants.  That is until March showed up, roaring in like a lion and leaving a season’s worth of snow on the landscape in a matter of weeks.  With cooler-than-average temperatures, the extension…

EDGING OUT.  Hopefully you did your digging and are ready for a bit of spring once again.  Temps peak in the upper 40s before another storm is predicted to make a dumping of snow one more (last?, seriously, can this be the LAST?!) time. (Featured Photo: Brightly colored shrimp flies pull double duty for trips…

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…