Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Outdoor notes:
*Ice is never completely safe. Avoid areas with vegetation, moving water, pressure ridges, and springs. Check conditions as you go along on the ice.
Tournaments:
*Jan. 13: Lake Ashtabula.
Fishing:
*Devils Lake elevation, Jan. 2: 1,449.73 feet above mean sea level (MSL).
*Stump Lake elevation: 1,450.1 MSL.
*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,840.63 MSL; 20,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
*N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: More seasonal weather helping anglers to pattern fish better on Barnes County area lakes. Look for perch in 8 to 12 feet. Try Swedish pimples, or tear drops. Walleye not as easy to find and catch, though. No Lake Sakakawea reports.
*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Use caution with variable ice conditions. 4-wheelers recommended even with better ice conditions after the cold snap. Good walleye success in northern feeder lakes in 3 to 6 feet. Try East Devils Lake or Black Tiger Bay for perch in 18 to 45 feet.
*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: A nice perch bite in about 35 feet along the east end of Devils Lake. Try Lake Alice and other northern feeder lakes for walleye.
*Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Some activity but look for more anglers on the ice with warmer weather.
*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Improving ice conditions. Try plain hook and minnow for walleye with most walleye and perch activity on East Devils Lake.
*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: More anglers on area lakes but overall success somewhat slow.
*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: More anglers moving about with warmer weather. Perch success generally slow yet. Jamestown Reservoir producing crappie.
*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Increasing activity with warmer weather. Look for crappie and walleye success from the Jamestown Reservoir.
*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: Bait shop open Wednesday through Sunday.
*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Anglers moving icehouses onto the lake but success still somewhat slow.
*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Some activity on Lake Audubon with fair walleye success. Ice conditions extremely variable, however, so use caution and test ice depths as you venture out. No reports from Lake Sakakawea or the Missouri River.
*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Little to no activity on the Missouri River.
*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: Area lakes generally producing nice walleye and perch success, including Clear Lake, Stober, and Hinsz lakes and Lake Richard. Even though lakes are gaining ice, it’s still best to test conditions and walk on before venturing with 4-wheelers or pickups.
*Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Fair pike spearing success.
*Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No new reports.
*Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No new reports.
*Spiritwood Lake, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No reports.
Hunting:
*Predators: Better weather conditions should help predator hunters for calling and finding coyotes.
Downhill skiing:
*Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 8- to 18-inch groomed base. 1 chair, 2 carpets, and 1 handle tow with 7 ski runs and 7 tubing lanes open.
*Buena Vista Ski Area, Bemidji, Minn .: 12- to 24-inch machine groomed base with several runs open.
*Frostfire Ski Area, Walhalla: 18- to 24-inch machine groomed base. Tube, beginner ski, and terrain park with Magic Carpet open.
*Huff Hills Ski Area, Mandan: 12- to 18-inch base with blue lift, bunny tow, and 3 groomed runs open.
*N.D. Parks & Rec. Dept. trails:
*Turtle River, Arvilla: All trails open for hiking, fat tire bicycling, snowshoeing, and ungroomed cross-country skiing. Wind limiting grooming opportunities. Sledding hill and warming house open. New 2018 annual passes now available.
Snowmobile N.D.:
*All trails closed until more snow available for grooming.
Numbers to know:
*N.D. Game and Fish Department, main Bismarck office: (701) 328-6300, website: (http://gf.nd.gov).
*N.D. Game and Fish Department, Devils Lake office: (701) 662-3617.
*N.D. Game & Fish Department, Jamestown office: (701) 253-6480.
*Report All Poachers:(800) 472-2121 or (701) 328-9921.
