Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Dakota Recreation Report: March 29, 2021

Outdoor notes:

*April 1: New hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses needed for the 2021 season.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, March 23: 1,448.57 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.44 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,836.99 MSL; 18,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Anglers advised to stay off area lakes with slushy and open water conditions in many areas.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: A few anglers trying open water fishing along the bridges and Sheyenne River, but river is extremely low. No activity on Devils Lake with anglers waiting for open water.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Walk-on only access on Devils Lake at best, with rapidly deteriorating and opening shorelines, although some anglers continue finding pike activity.

*Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Some activity early in the week in Channel A, but more shorelines are opening up. Look for open water shore-fishing opportunities instead.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: No activity on Devils Lake, with ice rapidly deteriorating and anglers waiting for open water. A few anglers shore-fishing along the open water edges of Channel A.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: No activity as area lakes transition to open water.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity with anglers waiting for open water fishing.

*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: Ice breaking up along the lake shoreline. Little activity. Try the creek and area rivers in the shallows for pike.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Spring runoff is virtually over with lake down about 2 feet from normal spring elevations. A little activity around the crossing in areas with flowing water. Open water shoreline along the lake, so no access and activity.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Use extreme caution and walking access only, if venturing onto the back bays of Lake Sakakawea. Look for some pike activity.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Missouri River tailrace slow for walleye with occasional trout. Better success is farther south around Bismarck-Mandan.

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: No activity.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No reports.

*Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No reports.

N.D. Parks & Recreation Dept. trails (conditions can vary):

*North Dakota state parks open with trails usable for hiking. Check with individual parks for amenities now open. New park passes now available.

Migration:

*Light geese: Early in the week, birds were moving into North Dakota, with a few still in the far southeast, spreading out from Tewaukon NWR into Richland and Sargent counties. Another strong push through the western Red River Valley, into the Sheyenne and James rivers region, as well as north into east-central parts of the state. Look for a rapid movement, with continued warm weather and lack of snow cover. A few birds moving into central North Dakota. around Lonetree WMA early in the week, but not feeding. Occasional scattered flock around the Devils Lake area, but limited.

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.