Jamestown Sun
March 16, 2012
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Saturday: Sakakawea Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) banquet, Bismarck.
Monday: Lake Region Pheasants Forever banquet, Devils Lake.
March 24: Central Dakota RMEF banquet, Jamestown; Pothole Paradise Ducks Unlimited (DU) banquet, 6 p.m., Kulm Community Center.
March 28: Elk, moose & bighorn sheep applications due.
March 30: Prairie Potholes DU banquet, 6 p.m., Woodworth Community Center.
March 30 & 31: Future of Hunting in N.D. conference, Bismarck.
March 31: James Valley Pheasants Forever (PF) banquet, Jamestown.
April 1: New fishing and furbearer licenses due.
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, March 14: 1,453.46 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, March 14: 1,453.41 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, March 14: 1,837.8 msl; 22,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Warm weather largely eliminating ice fishing options but some people starting to open water fish at small dams on area rivers.
Antelope Lake, Esmond: Fair to good for walleye and perch.
Clear Lake, Pierce County: Fair to good for walleye and perch.
Coal Mine Lake, Anamoose: Fair for pike but ice conditions are rapidly deteriorating.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Wind and warm weather rapidly deteriorating ice conditions. Walking access, at best. However, if access remains available, anglers are still finding walleye around Pelican Lake or west side of Minnewaukan Flats. Some perch activity at Black Tiger Bay or East Devils Lake.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Water is on the ice and shorelines are starting to deteriorate. Conditions could change daily.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Ice conditions deteriorating rapidly and no ice-fishing recommended.
Goose Lake, Harvey: Fair to good for walleye, perch and pike. Watch shoreline conditions.
Harvey Dam, Harvey: Fair for pike. Look for water along the shoreline.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Ice conditions deteriorating rapidly with open water in some areas.
Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Icehouses off area lakes with water along the shorelines. Anglers fishing the river and areas where they can access along the shore. Try the bridges where there’s open water.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Ice conditions deteriorating with anglers waiting for open water. A few perch were biting prior to warm spell.
Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Missouri River remains fair for walleye from both boat and shore. Lake Sakakawea ice is honeycombing and walk-on only access is recommended. Those venturing out are finding a mix of walleye, perch, sauger, smallmouth bass and pike at Douglas Bay. Not many reports from Lake Audubon.
Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: Missouri River slow to fair for walleye from both boat and shore. Try jigs, even from shore. Good numbers of pike with a few trout. Lots of boat activity.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Some activity on the Missouri River, including Washburn, Wilton and Bismarck-Mandan.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No activity with open water now showing up.
Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Ice conditions rapidly deteriorating.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: No activity with ice conditions deteriorating.
Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Warm weather deteriorating ice.
Open Missouri River ramps:
Tailrace, Stanton, Washburn, Sanger, Steckel, Little Heart, Kimball (slide-in metal ramp), Graner’s Bottoms (limited parking) and Fort Rice. Docks are in at Grant Marsh and Fox Island.
Downhill Ski Areas, March 13:
Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 10- to 8-inch base with powder conditions. All runs and lifts open with 3 Tube Park runs and several jumps and rails in the Terrain Park.
Buena Vista Ski Area, Bemidji, Minn.: 24- to 38-inch base with 12 runs open.
Frostfire Ski Area, Walhalla: All runs still open but warm weather is deteriorating the base. Tentatively open Saturday and Sunday. Call in advance for snow update.
Huff Hills, Mandan: Closed for season.
Light goose migration:
North Dakota: Snow geese moving into southeastern N.D. and could move quickly with warm weather. Some birds reports in central N.D. early in the week. Birds starting to trickle into the Devils Lake region and west around Minot and Upper Souris Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Not much for open water except for scattered wetlands.
South Dakota: Biggest push of birds likely moved through S.D. although big flocks remain around Sand Lake NWR and along U.S. Highway 12 from Aberdeen to Shelby and the Scatterwood area.
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).
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