Jamestown Sun
Dakota Recreation Report
Nov. 26, 2010
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Today: Muzzleloader deer season opens.
Wednesday: Darkhouse spearfishing season opens, except for Spiritwood Lake, which opens Jan. 1.
Dec. 5: White-fronted goose, duck, snipe, and coot seasons close. Arrowwood, Audubon, J. Clark Salyer, Lake Alice, Long Lake, & Tewaukon (pheasants only).
National Wildlife Refuges now open for upland bird hunting.
Fishing:
Ice is never completely safe. Use caution, especially around bridges and areas with vegetation. Check local conditions before venturing onto ice.
Devils Lake elevation, Nov. 24: 1,451.33 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, Nov. 24: 1,451.2 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, Nov. 24: 1,842.9 msl; 22,000 cubic feet per second average Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: No reports from Devils Lake or southeastern lakes. Look for ice fishing to start on small lakes soon. No activity on the Missouri River, Lake Audubon or Lake Sakakawea.
Coal Mine Lake, Anamoose: No activity.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Lake is still ice-free with some back bays gaining ice depending on the wind.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: No activity as anglers wait out the transition to ice-fishing.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Creel Bay icing over but no fishing activity yet.
Goose Lake, Harvey: No activity until lake ices over.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No activity with anglers waiting for better ice.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Lake mostly iced over but unsafe for walking access. Snow will slow the good ice-making process.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Boat activity mostly done for the season on the Missouri River except for the tailrace.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No reports.
Red River, Riverkeepers, Fargo: Watch ice conditions as the river ices over.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No activity with anglers waiting for better ice.
Hunting & Migration:
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: Overall fair deer success. Rut is on so look for a potentially active muzzleloader season. Cold weather moved remaining waterfowl onto big water of Lake Sakakawea, Lake Audubon, and the Missouri River. More pheasants continue to pop up in the southeast but birds could be jumpy — or hold tight in the snow. Look for more waterfowl to continue moving out as cold weather continues to set in. Any remaining birds will be feeding in open fields in areas with less snow and resting on large bodies of water.
Lonetree WMA, Harvey: Geese remain on the open water of the bays around the east of Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon but many moved out.
Arrowwood Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Pingree: Most lakes and wetlands iced over with waterfowl moving out.
J. Clark Salyer NWR, Upham: Cold and snow moved most birds out.
East-central N.D.: Wetlands and lakes icing over with waterfowl moving out.
North-central N.D.: Little activity with at least 6 inches of snow in most areas.
Northeast N.D.: A few divers and other ducks remain on open, larger bodies of water but most waterfowl moved out with cold weather and snow.
Southeast N.D.: Most waterfowl moved out in the cold and snowy weather.
West-central N.D.: Look for good muzzleloader deer season but numbers are down. Geese remain on the open water of the bays around the east of Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon but many moved out. Good waterfowl numbers on the Missouri River but birds are on the move.
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, fishing, hunting
More from around the web
RSS Feeds