Dakota recreation report for October 29, 2010

Jamestown Sun

Dakota Recreation Report

Oct. 29, 2010

Patricia Stockdill

Outdoor Notes:

Saturday: Dove season closes.

Monday: Woodcock season closes.

Nov. 5: Deer gun season opens.

Fishing:

Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 27: 1,451.47 feet above mean sea level (msl).

Stump Lake elevation, Oct. 27: 1,451.67 msl.

Lake Sakakawea elevation, Oct. 27: 1,846.9 msl; 30,000 cubic feet per second average Garrison Dam daily releases.

N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: No reports from Devils Lake or area lakes. Some docks and fishing piers pulled in for the season on area lakes. Lake Sakakawea, Lake Audubon, and Missouri River slow for activity.

Coal Mine Lake, Anamoose: Fair for northern pike but light fishing pressure even before the weather change.

Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Weather permitting, anglers continue finding walleye along the weed beds or along structure.

Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Not many anglers but those going continue finding fair to good walleye success. Try trolling the Golden Highway or Pelican Lake. Look for fall bite to continue once weather straightens out. Also try the bridges.

Harvey Dam, Harvey: Northern pike success continues, weather permitting.

Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Not many anglers out but those going are finding hit-and-miss walleye success.

Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Prior to this week’s storm anglers found good numbers of walleye with a fall bite possibly underway. Try minnows.

Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: All docks out of the water. Activity is limited due to weather.

Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Limited activity with no reports from Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon.

Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: permitting, most Missouri River activity remains around Hazelton and Fort Rice. Try jigs and minnows or spinners and nightcrawlers or crankbaits in a variety of depths. Steady success in the tailrace. No salmon reports from Lake Sakakawea.

Red River, Riverkeepers, Fargo: Ramps open and in good shape. Good for walleye in the Wahpeton area. River levels above seasonal averages but not an issue for those wanting to get out on a boat or shore fish.

Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Some northern pike success.

Hunting & Migration:

N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Game wardens: Spotty pheasant success in west-central and northwest N.D. Improving pheasant success with more field work done and corn harvest. Some birds still found in lighter cover in the southeast with cattails still wet. Waterfowl now starting to move with weather change with better numbers of lesser Canada geese and migrating mallards coming in. Some local birds moving out and a few more waterfowl coming in.

Arrowwood Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Pingree: No real notable change in duck numbers on the refuge earlier in the week with mostly local birds in the area. No big numbers of mallards yet but there were more mallards and gadwalls north of N.D. Highway 200.

J. Clark Slayer NWR, Upham: A few snow geese moving around but not much waterfowl movement early in the week. Look for activity to change with changing weather patterns.

East-central N.D.: Some snow geese moving through east-central N.D. but duck numbers low earlier in the week. Fair to good pheasant success in the area.

North-central N.D.: Reports of quite a few ducks in the hills with good Canada goose numbers on the prairie. Few snow geese locally.

Northeast N.D.: Local duck numbers remain light early in the week. More divers now showing up on Devils Lake and more snow geese moving in.

Look for improving waterfowl with snow and rain moving northern birds down.

Southeast N.D.: Not many reports of much waterfowl movement.

West-central N.D.: More waterfowl moving into the area with an overall increase in ducks, lesser Canada geese, swans, and a few snow geese. Hunters finding better pheasant numbers with corn and sunflower harvest started.

Numbers to know:

N.D. Game & Fish Department, main Bismarck office: 328-6300; Web site: (http://gf.nd.gov).

N.D. Game & Fish Department, Jamestown office: 253-6480.

RAP, Report All Poachers: (800) 472-2121.

Tags: getting outside, outdoors, recreation, hunting, fishing