Dakota Recreation Report: Oct. 18, 2021

Outdoor notes:

*Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance.

*Please submit wildlife mortality observations, such as a dead deer, to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website reporting form, (gf.nd.gov) to help track EHD and CWD.

*Do not release any fish caught from water 25 feet and deeper because their swim bladder likely won’t allow them to survive when coming up from deep water.

*Oct. 23: Mink, muskrat, and weasel trapping season opens

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 12: 1,447.09 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.02 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,830.88 MSL; 13,400 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: No new reports from area lakes, Devils Lake, or the Missouri River System.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Weather permitting, anglers continue working East Bay or the bridges. Try jigging Raps or jigs and slip bobbers for walleye.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Angler numbers and success slowed with weather change.

*Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Limited activity.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Weather slowing activity.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Area lakes quiet.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait and Tackle, Jamestown: Area lakes remain quiet.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity across area lakes.

*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: No new reports.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Angler numbers slowing but those going out continue finding a mix of species with overall fair success.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait and Tackle, Garrison: Not many anglers on the east end of Lake Sakakawea with limited reports. Try Douglas or Garrison bays working 17 to 25 feet for walleye with scattered success at best.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Missouri River tailrace producing salmon with better success in early morning hours, especially around sunrise. Try jigging Raps, spoons and crankbaits. Overall success slowing, though. Use extreme caution on the river with low Garrison Dam releases. Good catfish success from both boat and shore. Government Bay remains the best area for salmon on Lake Sakakawea using spoons from shore. Some success on the west side of the dam from shore. Overall success is limited. Slow walleye activity. Try 18 feet for small walleye, working deeper for walleye on the east end. Better success seems to be west towards Beaver Bay.

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: No new reports with little activity across area lakes

Hunting:

*Upland: Weather limited activity on the pheasant opener across many areas of the state. Fair success around the Lonetree area, though.

*Waterfowl: Fair waterfowl success for local birds around the Devils Lake and east-central N.D. areas. Numbers of cranes migrating over eastern Lake Sakakawea as well as around the Williston area over the past weekend. Nice mallard numbers in the northwest. Some northern waterfowl movement starting to come into the state around north-central and central N.D. Look for more activity with colder weather moving in.

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 and Fish Department, Jamestown office: (701) 253-6480.

*Report All Poachers: (800) 472-2121 or (701) 328-9921.