Dakota Recreation Report: May 7, 2018

Outdoor notes:

*May 13: Light goose season closes.

*May 20: Turkey season closes.

Tournaments:

*May 19: Devils Lake, Creel Bay.

*May 20: Lake Audubon, Totten Trail.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, May 1: 1,449.81 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.74 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,842.27 MSL; 32,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: A few Devils Lake feeder coulees starting to see some activity, but look for limited success with little runoff coming in this spring. Anglers waiting for open water on Devils Lake with some open water along the bridges. Success is slow so far. East-central area lakes opening along the shorelines with limited activity. Sheyenne River starting to produce some nice-sized walleye with some pike mixed in. Try down river below any of the area Sheyenne River dams.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Anglers finding a mix of walleye and pike along the open water edges of the bridges on Devils Lake. Some activity in northern feeder coulees.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Look for some activity in feeder creeks and coulees but runoff is below normal. Devils Lake ice dangerous with anglers waiting for open water shorelines.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Anglers finding nice pike numbers from shore with some walleye starting to show up.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Some activity starting on area lakes but limited reports yet.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Area lakes open but windy conditions limiting activity on small lakes and the reservoir, alike.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity and no reports from area lakes or the reservoir.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Lake generally ice-free with limited activity yet.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: East end of Lake Audubon producing a nice early walleye bite but access is sketchy at best. Look for open water activity. Lake Sakakawea opening along the shorelines with some shore-fishing activity for pike. Try a variety of presentations.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Missouri River remains slow for walleye from boats. Little activity from the wing walls. Some pike success from shore with limited walleye activity from shore at night. Lake Sakakawea producing pike from shore in the back bays. Try Wolf Creek, Scoria Bay and areas with open water using frozen smelt, herring, spoons or crankbaits.

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: No reports.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No reports.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity.

*Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Quiet.

*Spiritwood Lake, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No reports.

Hunting:

*Few reports of any snow geese trickling through with little to no hunting activity.

*Turkeys becoming more active. Hunters still seeing more jakes, but patience when calling is garnering some success on nice toms.

N.D. river canoeing/kayaking elevation & streamflow:

*James River, Kensal: River stage, 4.68 feet; streamflow, 191 CFS.

*Pembina River, Walhalla: River stage, 3.14 feet.

*Red River, Grand Forks: River stage, 23.9 feet.

*Sheyenne River, Warwick: River stage, 3.94 feet.

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.