Jamestown Sun
Dakota Recreation Report
Aug. 31, 2012
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Salmon anglers are encouraged to submit tagged fish to the N.D. Game & Fish Dept.
Friday: Archery deer and mountain lion seasons open.
Saturday: Dove season opens.
Sept. 4: Fur Harvester Education class begins, Game & Fish Dept. Jamestown office. Register on the Game & Fish website, click “Online Services” and “Online course Enrollment” under “Hunter Education”.
Sept. 7 & 8: Youth waterfowl hunting clinic, Ducks Unlimited office, Bismarck. Call 355-3500 for free registration.
Sept. 7: Missouri River Zone early Canada goose season closes.
Sept. 8: Grouse, partridge and squirrel seasons open.
Sept. 11: Friends of the NRA banquet, West Fargo, Speedway Event Center, 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 14: Youth deer season opens.
Sept. 15 & 16: Youth waterfowl season.
Sept. 15: Sandhill crane season opens.
Sept. 15: Remainder of the state closes for early Canada goose season.
Tournaments:
Sunday: Devils Lake, Round Lake Bay.
Sept. 8: Lake Sakakawea, Beulah Bay; Rice Lake, Missouri River, Kimball Bottoms.
Fishing:
Devils Lake elevation, Aug. 29: 1,452.11 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, Aug. 29: 1,452.31 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, Aug. 29: 1,835.2 msl; 24,500 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Devils Lake remains fair for walleye. Fewer anglers on area lakes and river but those going continue finding a good late summer walleye, sauger and catfish bite from the Sheyenne River below low head dams. Try brightly colored jigs with twister tails or minnows. Some smallmouth bass success in shallow slack water areas with spinner baits. Weeds and low water remain a problem on Brewer Lake and Casselton Reservoir but weeds are starting to die out. Try working off the weed edges or weed-free pockets for bluegill and perch. OK walleye success on the Missouri River. Lake Sakakawea fair to good for salmon. Try the face of the dam over to Deadmans Bay and the old river channel. Lake Audubon fair for walleye.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Locate any type of structure working a variety of presentations for walleye. Some areas to try include the Golden Highway, Pelican Lake, Hali’s Hump, Patience Point, trees around Grahams Island, humps and rock piles around Fort Totten, Penny Bay, any bridges or storm sewer system in 14 to 30 feet. Northern pike and perch mixed in.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Continued good for small walleye throughout the lake. Work windy shorelines on breezy days. Try weeds in 8 feet for bigger walleye and pike with perch, as well.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Continued activity on the reservoir and small area lakes with overall fair walleye and pike success.
Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Fishing activity slowed although anglers still finding some crappie success.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Continued fair walleye success. Not many limits but anglers are still getting nice numbers of small walleye. Perch bite remains good – and is even improving. Anglers are also finding a few sunfish and crappie.
Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Work deeper on the east end of Lake Sakakawea west to Douglas Bay in 25 to 45 feet with spinners, Lindy rigs and deep-diving crankbaits. Missouri River remains fair for walleye with best success still at night or early in the morning. Limited reports from Lake Audubon but move around and try a variety of depths.
Lake Sakakawea, Indian Hills Resort, Garrison: Continued fair to good walleye success with fish scattered in 15 to 30 feet. Try spinners and nightcrawlers working ledges along both sides of the lake.
Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: Lake Sakakawea salmon success remains good with nice numbers of fish taken. Try 80 to 110 feet with flashers and squids or herring with or without flashers. A few are shallower, too. Most success is around Deadmans Bay to the spillway. Look for action to move to the face of the dam in coming weeks. Fish are nice-sized. Continued walleye success but fish are more scattered so move around using Lindy rigs, spinners and bottom bouncers or crankbaits. Try nightcrawlers or plastics. Missouri River walleye success is scattered during the day. Look for a switch to minnows soon but most success is still with Lindy rigs or spinners and bottom bouncers and nightcrawlers during the day. Try down river. Catfish success continues during the day in the chutes with a smattering of trout and salmon. Night bite for a variety of species remains good in the chutes using 3-way swivels and crankbaits or plastics. Shore-fishing success is slower.
Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: Coal Mine Lake and Harvey Dam fair for pike. Hurdsfield Lake fair to good for walleye and perch. Goose Lake fair to good for walleye and pike. Antelope Lake fair to good for walleye, fair for perch.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Lake Sakakawea continues producing good numbers of salmon. Try running as deep as 100 to 110 feet but look for fish to move up soon. Some salmon are up to 12 pounds. Work deep in 30 to 40 feet for walleye on Lake Sakakawea. Missouri River tailrace remains good for walleye. Lake Audubon fair for walleye. Green Lake producing walleye and pike. Rice Lake producing some perch success with nice-sized fish taken along with walleye.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Fair for crappie.
Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Limited reports.
Red River, River Keepers, Fargo: Red River producing eater-sized catfish in the Wahpeton area using stink bait. No Fargo area reports.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Limited reports.
Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait Shop, Jamestown: Continued smallmouth bass success. Try the evening hours.
N.D. rivers streamflow and river stage, Aug. 29:
Baldhill Creek, Dazey: Creek stage, 3.56 feet; streamflow, 1.5 CFS.
James River, Kensal: 2.03 feet; streamflow, 1.9 CFS.
James River, Jamestown: River stage, 3.1 feet; streamflow, 24 CFS.
Pipestem Creek, Pingree: Creek stage, 1.52 feet.
Sheyenne River, Cooperstown: River stage, 11.44 feet; streamflow, 563 CFS.
Sheyenne River, Valley City: River stage, 5.73 feet.
Hunting:
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. game wardens: Strong Canada goose numbers but many are smaller family flocks. Some larger flocks are bunching, though, so scouting could find larger non-breeding, field-feeding birds. Try pea fields. Doves are bunching, although no major concentrations are around northeastern N.D. Look for fair numbers in some areas of west-central N.D.
Devils Lake: Good numbers of local Canada geese remain in the area. Doves are still scattered throughout the region, as well.
Lonetree WMA: Doves are bunching and could move out soon. Good goose numbers but limited hunting pressure. Look for fairly strong archery interest.
West-central N.D.: Doves are bunching and look for continued movement, although some birds will stick around until cold weather snap occurs.
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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