Jamestown Sun
Dakota Recreation Report
Dec. 3, 2010
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Sunday: White-fronted goose, duck, snipe, and coot seasons close.
Dec. 11: High Plains Duck Unit opens.
Dec. 12: Muzzleloader deer season closes.
Darkhouse northern pike and nongame spearfishing now open. See fishing guide for open lakes and be sure to register.
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, Dec. 1: 1,451.34 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, Dec. 1: 1,451.29 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, Dec. 1: 1,842.4 msl; 19,000 cubic feet per second average Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: Southeastern lakes iced over but with some activity but ice on most lakes is still days away from safe ice. With new snow, access and ice conditions aren’t the best. A few anglers walking onto the ice on Lake Audubon with fair success at best around Nelson Bay and Velva Point.
Coal Mine Lake, Anamoose: No activity.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Limited activity with the lake just iced over.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Lake iced over but no activity yet. Ice is rough along the edges.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Lake iced over but no walking activity recommended yet.
Goose Lake, Harvey: No activity.
Harvey Dam, Harvey: No activity.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Some anglers walking onto the back bays but no reports on success.
Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Limited activity yet.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Lake didn’t freeze over in good condition with snow during ice-over, although wind blew much of the snow off. Look for better conditions with colder temperatures.
Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: North Lake and back bays of Lake Audubon iced over but ice is cloudy and extreme caution is needed, even when walking. Missouri River tailrace producing walleye trolling with crankbaits in late afternoon and evening, weather permitting. Water is dirty.
Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: No activity on Lake Sakakawea. Missouri River also has limited activity with weather slowing shore-fishing.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Colder weather limiting Missouri River tailrace activity.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: A few anglers walking out but limited reports.
Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Not many anglers walking on the ice.
Red River, Riverkeepers, Fargo: Red River is starting to ice over but it has large, floating chunks and nothing solid yet.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Some anglers walking onto the back bays but no reports on success.
Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: No reports.
Hunting & Migration:
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: Remember to avoid stressing and harassing wildlife with snowmobile activity now underway. Snow is helping muzzleloader and pheasant hunters spot animals but both deer and birds are skitty-ish. Some pockets of migrating ducks and geese remain on larger lakes and wetlands where they can keep the water open. Look for feeding in harvested corn fields and open water. Fair upland bird success in east-central N.D. Some goose hunting activity yet with birds still on the open water of Lake Sakakawea and the Missouri River.
Lonetree WMA, Harvey: Look for fair to good muzzleloader deer success if access holds up. Deer will likely start keying in on winter food sources. Fair upland success but waterfowl moved out with lakes and wetlands iced over.
West-central N.D.: Fair muzzleloader deer success. Canada geese still hanging on the open water of Lake Sakakawea and the Missouri River but snow geese moved out. Good pheasant numbers remain with lots of activity but birds are getting spooky.
Downhill ski report, Dec. 1:
Bears Den Mountain, Fort Ransom: Ski area closed yet but snow making continues in preparation to open.
Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 8 to 15 inches man-made snow with 4 inches natural snow. Limited jumps and rails yet on the terrain park with 2 tube runs open. 3 ski runs, chair lift, and 2 handle lifts open. 3 additional ski runs open but with hazards in some areas. Open Thursday through Sunday.
Frostfire Ski Area, Walhalla: Ski area now open with 6 runs on 15 – to 25-inches machine-made snow base plus 15 inches natural snow. Snowmaking continues. Open Saturday and Sunday until Dec. 18, then open daily through Jan. 2. Closed Christmas Day.
Huff Hills, Mandan: 5 runs open with 8 to 18 inches base and 5 inches new snow. Blue Lift and Bunny Tow open with 5 runs available.
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
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