Dakota Recreation Report, Feb. 24, 2012

Outdoor Notes:

Saturday: Northern Badlands Chapter, Mule Deer Foundation banquet, doors open at 4:30 p.m., AMVETS, Bismarck.

Tournaments:

Saturday: Bader Lake.

Sunday: Silver Lake.

March 3: Devils Lake, Minnewaukan Flats.

Fishing:

Ice is never completely safe. Use caution, especially in areas with vegetation and around bridges. Check conditions locally before venturing out.

Devils Lake elevation, Feb. 22: 1,453.36 feet above mean sea level (msl).

Stump Lake elevation, Feb. 22: 1,453.4 msl.

Lake Sakakawea elevation, Feb. 22: 1,838.2 msl; 24,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Lake Ashtabula water conditions are muddying up. Fair success throughout most small area lakes in Barnes, Stutsman, LaMoure, McIntosh, Sargent and Richland counties with perch and northern pike dominating success. Try jigging with Swedish pimples or buckshot rattling spoons and minnows, wax worms or even perch eyes, working in the mid-range of the lake’s depth. Move around, though, and search for active pockets of fish. Electronics and a willingness to move are key to success. Some bigger perch showing up, however, Try smelt or hot dogs and tip-ups in shallow water for pike working edges of structure, channels or drop-offs, depending on location. Red, Sheyenne and Maple river fishing remains dangerous with warmer temperature and unsafe ice conditions. It’s best to stay off all rivers. Pipestem Reservoir good for crappie. Centennial Bay on Lake Sakakawea is producing some nice-sized walleye with a few northern pike mixed in. Lake Audubon fair to good for smallmouth bass with small walleye biting in some areas. Missouri River spotty for walleye with lots of boat activity.

Coal Mine Lake, Anamoose: Fair for pike but water remains too cloudy for spearing.

Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Pelican Lake fair to good for walleye. Also try the west side of the Minnewaukan Flats, Doc Hagen’s, Grahams Island, Mission Bay, Stromme’s Addition or Penny Bay, working structured areas in 8 - 20 feet using rattling jigs with minnow heads. Continue working East Devils Lake or Black Tiger Bay for perch with some now showing up in scattered areas of the main lake, including the casino, towers or mouth of Creel Bay. Work 30 to 60 feet using small jigs with minnow heads or wax worms. Work shallow water for pike in Lake Irvine.

Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: East Devils Lake remains good for perch. Try around Jerusalem Bay for fish up to 2 pounds in 50 feet using green presentations. Try Stromme’s Bay behind Pop’s in the early morning or late afternoon for walleye using buckshot rattling spoons and minnow heads. Also try Doc Hagen’s. The casino just turned on for perch in 50 feet. Walford’s Bay good for pike in 12 feet.

Goose Lake, Harvey: Continued good perch activity with fair pike and walleye success.

Harvey Dam, Harvey: Fair for pike.

Hurdsfield Lake, Hurdsfield: Continued good perch activity with fair pike and walleye success.

Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Jamestown Reservoir spotty for walleye. Small area lakes continue seeing a lot of activity with fair success.

Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Fair for small walleye with a mix of crappie, perch and pike, as well. Continued fair activity on small area lakes but success slowed somewhat.

Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Activity slowed with the start of a winter lull.

Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Missouri River remains fair for walleye with better success from boat in the tailrace. Lake Audubon continues to have fair activity. A few anglers working the east end of Lake Sakakawea around Centennial Bay and the pumping plant, finding a few nice-sized walleye with some perch and pike mixed in.

Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: Continued fair to good for walleye on the Missouri River using plastics or jigs and minnows with most activity down river around the coal veins and cable crossing. Try anchoring. Live bait working the best from shore for walleye with a few pike mixed in. Lake Audubon spotty at best for walleye.

Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Eckroth Bottoms and 4-Mile Bay on Lake Oahe fair for walleye with best success around sunset and later. Occasional crappie. Try smelt for pike. Also try Beaver Bay. Lots of activity on lakes north of Medina.

Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Continued good crappie success.

Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Fair to good for crappie with a mix of pike and walleye. Best success is in the morning.

Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No reports.

Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Not much activity, although anglers are finding a few small walleye and perch but most are non-keepers.

Downhill skiing, Feb. 22:

Bears Den Mountain, Fort Ransom: Closed due to lack of snow.

Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 8- to 16-inch base with groomed conditions. All runs and lifts open with 3 Tube Park runs and several jumps and rails on the Terrain Park.

Buena Vista, Bemidji, Minn.: 18- to 34-inch base with an inch of new snow. 12 runs open.

Frostfire Ski Area, Walhalla: Some new snow with 25-inch base. All runs open. Open Thursday through Sunday.

Huff Hills, Mandan: 10- to 36-inch base with loose granular, packed powder conditions. 5 runs and 2 lifts open.

Snow goose migration, Feb. 21:

Nebraska: Birds are concentrating along the Nebraska-Iowa border, across Iowa and along the Iowa-Illinois and Missouri-Illinois borders.

South Dakota: No new reports.

Numbers to know:

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

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

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

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bismarck, website: (www.fws.gov/northdakotafieldoffice).

Tags: outdoors, fishing