Jamestown Sun
Dakota Recreation Report
July 8, 2011
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Usable Devils Lake ramps: Round Lake, Pelican Lake, 6-Mile Bay (Schwab), Creel Bay, Spirit Lake. Grahams Island State Park ramp usable but day-to-day. Call (701) 766-4015 for updates.
Marginal Missouri River ramps: Steckel, Fort Rice. All other 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. No boating in that same section from sundown to sunrise.
Usable Lake Oahe ramps: Hazelton, Beaver Bay, Walker Bottoms, Cattail Bay, Langelier’s Bay.
Tournaments:
Saturday: Devils Lake, Lakewood; Stump Lake; Lake Sakakawea, Wolf Creek; Lake Sakakawea, Sakakawea State Park.
Sunday: Beaver Lake.
July 15 & 16: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park.
July 16: Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay.
July 17: Devils Lake, East Bay.
July 18: Devils Lake, Woodland Resort.
Fishing:
Devil Lake elevation, July 6: 1,454.31 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, July 6: 1,454.28 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, July 6: 1,854.4 msl; 140,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. Game Wardens: Stable, warm weather is offering more fishing consistency. Rivers are also starting to drop, although the Red, Maple and Sheyenne are still above normal elevations. Catfish seem to be improving. Try cut bait, goldeye, suckers or even a ball of nightcrawlers upstream of snags or outside the main current. Anglers are finding a mix of eater-sized fish with bigger ones mixed in. Remember, east of N.D. Highway 1 only one 24-inch or bigger catfish is allowed. Lakes and reservoirs are busy with recreational boating but try early morning and evening in back bays for a variety of pike and walleye. Panfish slowed somewhat. Weed growth is slowing shore and pier fishing success. Try spinners or Lindy rigs outside of the weed line on Lake Ashtabula for walleye along with steady white bass and perch success. Look for openings in the weed beds for pockets of panfish on smaller Cass, Richland and Ransom County lakes. No reports from Devils Lake or small area lakes. Lake Sakakawea fair for a mix of species on the east end. Work shallow. Lake Audubon fair for small with and smallmouth bass. Success still fair but slowing somewhat.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Fair to good for walleye with fish moving deeper into 15 to 20 feet with warmer water temperatures. Try crankbaits, jigs or slip bobbers around Old Mil or New Mil bays from boats or Mauvais Coulee or 6-Mile Bay from shore. Good for northern pike and white bass.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Continued good for small walleye throughout much of the lake. Bigger fish are scattered in the weeds or trolling deep. Move around. Good for northern pike.
Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Good numbers of small walleye. Try Pelican Lake or Minnewaukan Flats.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Continued fair to good for walleye with lots of small fish in shallow water. Move deeper for bigger fish trolling with bottom bouncers. Try Pelican Lake, New Mil or Old Mil bays or Round Lake. Some white bass success from shore.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Lots of activity but walleye success is still somewhat limited. Only 2 docks in place yet on the reservoir.
Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Increasing activity with fair walleye success.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Warmer weather bringing more anglers on the water with lots of small, 8- to 10-inch walleye with fair numbers of keepers mixed in. Occasional northern pike but good numbers of perch and white bass. Perch are in a variety of sizes.
Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Improving walleye success from 3 to 6 feet on Lake Sakakawea. Work the back bays on the east end, as well as Parshall Bay or Van Hook Arm. Lake Audubon fair for walleye but work a variety of depths.
Lake Sakakawea, Indian Hills Resort, Garrison: Some nice walleye starting to come in from shallow water using nightcrawlers. Work the islands but there isn’t much of a pattern yet. A few sauger mixed in.
Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: Lake Audubon continues producing walleye with sporadic, but good, bite at times. Try nightcrawlers, leeches or some plastics. Some success with minnows yet, too. Lake Sakakawea producing a few walleye with more northern pike, perch and bass success. Look for a breakthrough in success soon as water temperatures continue warming. Try shallow in 6 feet in the bays, pitching jigs towards shore. Also try 14 to 20 feet with Lindy rigs or spinners using a slow presentation. Try the face of the dam for salmon using crankbaits or flashers and squids.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Best reports from Lake Oahe are coming from Mobridge, S.D. Lots of activity on Lake Audubon but no reports on success. Some northern pike success at Lake Etta. Try spoons, spinner baits or smelt.
Red River, River Keepers, Fargo: Anglers finding some catches of small fish on the Red River but high water continues making ramp access a little challenging. River levels are dropping, however.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No docks in place but anglers are going out.
Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Fair for walleye, crappie and northern pike. Several of the walleye are nice-sized.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Fair for a mix of small fish. Not many keepers.
Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Continued fair to good for walleye and smallmouth bass.
North Dakota river levels and streamflow, July 6:
Baldhill Creek, Dazey gauge: Creek stage, 7.55 feet; streamflow, 156 CFS.
James River, Jamestown gauge: River stage, feet; 11.88 streamflow, 19.10 CFS.
James River, Grace City gauge: Streamflow, 177 CFS.
Pipestem Creek, Pingree gauge: Creek stage, 6.65 feet; streamflow, 163 CFS.
Red River, Fargo gauge: River stage, 18.95 feet; streamflow, 4,110 CFS.
Sheyenne River, Cooperstown gauge: River stage, 12.59 feet; streamflow, 1,010 CFS.
Sheyenne River, Valley City gauge: Streamflow, 1,720 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, fishing, hunting, recreation
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