Jamestown Sun
Dakota Recreation Report
July 1, 2011
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Usable Devils Lake ramps: Round Lake, Pelican Lake, 6-Mile Bay (Schwab), Creel Bay, Spirit Lake Casino. Grahams Island State Park ramp usable but access is day-to-day. Call (701) 766-4015 for updates.
Marginal Missouri River ramps: Steckel, Fort Rice. All other river ramps closed.
Idle speed only from 1,000 feet south of the Steckel boat ramp on the Missouri River to MacLean Bottoms, including MacLean Bottoms. Area also closed to night boat activity from sundown to sunrise.
Usable Lake Oahe ramps: Hazelton, Beaver Bay, Walker Bottoms, Cattail Bay, Langelier’s Bay.
Fall turkey applications due July 9.
Tournaments:
Saturday: Devils Lake, East Bay.
Wednesday: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park.
July 9: Devils Lake, Lakewood; Stump Lake, Lake Sakakawea, Sakakawea State Park; Lake Sakakawea, Wolf Creek.
July 10: Beaver Lake.
Fishing:
Devils Lake elevation, June 29: 1,454.35 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, June 29: 1,453.92 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, June 29: 1,854.3 msl; 145,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: Don’t cross flooded roads because they could be undercutting, which could include some fishing access roads. When bow-fishing please bury or properly dispose of carcasses. Fireworks prohibited on Game & Fish Wildlife Management Areas. Several reports from southeastern lakes are favorable but river fishing remains suspect with swollen rivers and some flooding. Maple, Red and Sheyenne rivers are outside their banks and higher than normal for July. Anglers fishing the rivers are finding slow results and while Casselton and Brewer Lake in Cass County provide local fishing, the results have been less than stellar as well. Try slip-bobbers along the weed lines on some of the mid-sized reservoirs in Barnes, LaMoure and other southeastern counties for a mixed bag of perch, walleye, small northern pike and bullheads. White bass active in the late evening, pre-sunset hours on Lake Ashtabula. Shore-fishing is still viable and the weeds seem to be slowly gaining ground but a late spring should keep fishing piers and shore anglers ahead of the growth for a few weeks.
Coal Mine Lake, Anamoose: Continued fair northern pike success.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Most activity centers around Pelican Lake and East Bay of Devils Lake. Work shallow weed beds, pitching crankbaits in 4 to 5 feet or live bait in weed pockets. Try Brown’s Bay, Routen Bay or Jerusalem Bay in East Bay using the same techniques as Pelican Lake. East Bay also producing northern pike using any large bait, including Huskee Jerks or smelt. Look for white bass along the southern side of Jerusalem Bay.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Continued good northern pike success. Fair for walleye. Try trolling spinners. Crankbaits are producing larger fish but success is more scattered.
Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Fair to good walleye success on the Minnewaukan Flats. Lots of northern pike.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Continued fair walleye success. Try slip-bobbers in 11 feet or work deeper with crankbaits. Most activity is on the south end d of Minnewaukan Flats, Pelican Lake or Mauvais Coulee. Work shallow for northern pike and white bass.
Goose Lake, Harvey: Fair to good for northern pike and walleye. Sheyenne River continues producing pike where accessible.
Harvey Dam, Harvey: Slow.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Improving walleye success with warmer water temperatures although access remains limited to 2 ramps. Water levels are starting to drop, however.
Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Anglers moving around to various local lakes and finding a mix of walleye, perch and crappie. 2 ramps now open on the reservoir but limited reports.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Good numbers of small walleye and perch with some bass mixed in.
Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Lake Audubon remains fair to good but spotty for walleye. Try variety of depths from 5 to 30 feet as well as various presentations. Lake Sakakawea starting to produce occasional walleye from the east end of the U.S. Highway 83 embankment to Douglas Bay. Try 6 to 23 feet using jigs or Lindy rigs with minnows. Try nightcrawlers for perch, some of which are nice-sized keepers. Activity remains light on Sakakawea but a few more fish are showing up.
Lake Sakakawea, Indian Hills Resort, Garrison: Improving fishing success with a mix of northern pike, walleye, sauger and smallmouth bass. Work west of the beacon or mouth of McKenzie Bay. Try Lindy rigs and nightcrawlers in 12 to 14 feet.
Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: Lake Sakakawea remains somewhat slow for activity. Try jigging in shallow water or working 28 feet with Lindy rigs along the north shore for walleye. Good numbers of northern pike. A few salmon taken along the face of the dam. Lake Audubon has lots of activity with fair but inconsistent walleye success. Try shore-fishing as well as from boat. Work 12 feet with spinners and bottom bouncers with a variety of bait or crankbaits.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Some walleye activity south on Lake Oahe with anglers working from Walker Bottoms to the south. Mobridge, S.D. area also producing walleye. Access Alkaline Lake from the south, however, anglers are finding northern pike success. Rice Lake and Dry Lake by Ashley OK for walleye and pike. Round Lake producing small pike. Lake Etta has activity on the west side of the highway. Try smelt or herring for small pike. McDowell Dam producing bass and bluegill using flies. A good place for fly-fishers.
Red River, River Keepers, Fargo: More Red River flooding continues making boat access difficult but not impossible. Look for muddy ramps as river falls again.
Cut bait is producing some catfish. In Wahpeton, fishermen are having good success catching eating-size walleyes and catfish from shore using nightcrawlers, although recent rains may also cause the river to rise.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: More boats on the water with improving success.
Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: More anglers on the water with fair crappie success.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Continued walleye and northern pike activity with best success in the evening.
Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Continued smallmouth bass success.
North Dakota river levels and streamflow, June 29:
Baldhill Creek, Dazey gauge: Creek stage, 7.98 feet; streamflow, 279 CFS.
James River, Jamestown gauge: River stage, 11.92 feet; streamflow, 1,920 CFS.
James River, Grace City gauge: Streamflow, 356 CFS.
Pipestem Creek, Pingree gauge: Creek stage, 7.17 feet; streamflow, 231 CFS.
Red River, Fargo gauge: River stage, 22.62 feet; streamflow, 6,130 CFS.
Sheyenne River, Cooperstown gauge: River stage, 12.21 feet; streamflow, 869 CFS.
Sheyenne River, Valley City gauge: Streamflow, 2,080 CFS.
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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