Jamestown Sun
Sept. 21, 2012
Patricia Stockdill
Outdoor Notes:
Beware of high fire danger and don’t drive on trails with high grass.
Saturday: Resident waterfowl season opens.
Saturday: Woodcock season opens.
Sunday: Youth deer season closes.
Sept. 28: Watchable Wildlife Photo Contest deadline. Visit N.D. Game & Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information.
Sept. 29: Nonresident waterfowl season opens.
Sept. 29: Tundra swan season opens.
Fishing:
Devils Lake elevation, Sept. 19: 1,451.8 feet above mean sea level (msl).
Stump Lake elevation, Sept. 19: 1,451.62 msl.
Lake Sakakawea elevation, Sept. 19: 1,833.3 msl; 19,500 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Devils Lake slowed but anglers still finding some fish. Not many anglers on area lakes but those going continue finding good success. Lake Sakakawea fair at best for walleye. Try the back bays along the south shore for salmon. Missouri River has fewer anglers with somewhat slower walleye success.
Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait & Tackle, Devils Lake: Work deep rock piles or bridges with jigs and minnows, leeches or nightcrawlers along Pelican Lake, Minnewaukan Flats or main lake structure. Also try spinners and bottom bouncers or crankbaits in 20 to 25 feet.
Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Devils Lake: Some larger walleye are showing up. Try along the Golden Highway or areas with structure in 12 to 15 feet using live bait.
Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Continued good walleye success but many remain on the small side yet.
Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Creel Bay, Devils Lake: Cool weather slowed walleye success slightly but overall activity remains good. Trolling seems to be the best technique but move around and experiment with a good bite lake-wide.
Jamestown Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Not much activity.
Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Fewer anglers on the water but perch success remains fair to good. Not many walleye and no pike success. Good numbers of bass with some whoppers still coming in on consistent basis.
Lake Sakakawea, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Pick City: Lake Sakakawea continues producing salmon although fewer numbers of fish are reported. Salmon seem to be transitioning towards shallower water. Try Scoria or Government bays or longlining along the face of the dam but try downrigging during the day. Walleye slower but anglers still finding some success. Try jigs and minnows or nightcrawlers along Steinke Bay or northeast of Mallard Island. Missouri River tailrace remains good from both boat and shore for a mix of species. Try nightcrawlers for the best walleye success down river. Lots of small walleye.
Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: Coal Mine Lake fair for pike. Hurdsfield Lake good for walleye, fair for perch. Goose Lake fair for walleye and pike. Antelope Lake fair for walleye and perch. Harvey Dam fair for pike.
Missouri River, Dakota Tackle, Bismarck: Continued walleye activity in the Missouri River tailrace. Salmon transitioning from deep water into more shallow water so try a mix of long-lining in a variety of depths.
Pipestem Reservoir, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Limited reports.
Red River, River Keepers, Fargo: Cooler nighttime temperatures resulting in upsurge in walleye shore-fishing. Some activity around the Otter Tail River confluence north of Wahpeton, as well. Property owners pulling docks or piers for season should check for zebra mussels and alert N.D. Game and Fish if anything is detected.
Spiritwood Lake, Dan’s Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Not much activity.
Hunting:
N.D. Game & Fish Dept. game wardens: With hunting seasons now under way, remember to identify targets and watch for anything beyond the target. Look for strong waterfowl opener in southeast and south-central N.D. with Canada goose numbers strong for local birds. Flocks are building in size. Good numbers of teal remain in the region along with gadwall and mallards. Many wetlands are drying up. Hunters found more deer movement across Cass, Barnes and Ransom counties with cooler weather and more beans and corn harvest. Grouse hunters continue reporting a few more birds than in recent years. Try working edges of lighter CRP and adjacent alfalfa fields. Dove numbers may have peaked with cool night temperatures moving birds south. Fair early season archery and youth deer success.
Arrowwood NWR, Pingree: About 500 Canada geese, 850 mallards, 700 pintail and 1,300 teal on the refuge but few divers. Look for divers and swans to take advantage of the refuge’s sago pondweed production later this fall. Most wetlands with water are holding fair to good numbers of ducks but most are dabblers. No big flocks of geese off the refuge or any big feeding flocks heading out to feed. Seasonal wetlands are dry or at least in significant drawdown.
Lonetree WMA, Harvey: Archery deer hunters reporting fair success due in part to warm weather. Most upland bird hunters report seeing fair bird numbers with fair to good success. Good numbers of local ducks. Larger wetlands still holding water but small wetlands are dry or nearly dry.
Northeast N.D.: Look for good numbers of local ducks and geese for the waterfowl opener.
Northwest N.D.: A few grouse hunters are out and finding decent numbers. Wetlands drying up significantly. Good duck numbers but many teal likely left.
West-central N.D.: Fair numbers of local ducks and geese. Light grouse hunting pressure.
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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