Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Well, I’m pretty sure I completely jinxed myself with my last report talking about my boat puller “Old Blue.” Unfortunately, Old Blue is no longer with us today and I’m looking for a replacement. Thank goodness my dad letting me borrow his vehicle until I can figure something out. What I really want to get is a full-size AWD or 4WD van, which is not an easy find. I think for as much as I fish, both summer and winter, this would be a match made in heaven, so if anyone knows of one for sale, p...
Outdoor notes: *Fireworks not allowed on N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Wildlife Mgmt. Areas or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges or Waterfowl Production Areas. *Check local fire restrictions when camping, etc. *Leave baby wildlife alone, especially fawns because their mothers are likely nearby. *July 14: Leftover deer gun license application deadline. Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for details and application. Tournaments: *July 10: Devils Lake,...
Spring Pheasant Count Similar to Last Year North Dakota’s spring pheasant population index is about the same as last year, according to the North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s 2021 spring crowing count survey. R.J. Gross, upland game management biologist, said the number of roosters heard crowing this spring was up about three percent statewide. “The statewide number might be a bit misleading since we are notably down in the southwest, while most of the state benefitted from good reproduction in 2020, and a mild winter,” Gross said. T...
While drought conditions persist across much of North Dakota, with severe levels in the west-central portion of the state around Lake Sakakawea, much of the state has received some badly needed rain which is not only good for foliage and farming, but hopefully this year's crop of pheasant chicks as well. While some downpours - like a mid-June storm near Steele, N.D. that dropped more than 5 inches of rain in a localized area - may have hampered nesting efforts, gentler rains have helped hedge a...
Could there be a fish more American than a bluegill? From sea to shining sea, these panfish span the width of the country, from the lakes of California to the backwaters along the Gulf Coast to the impoundments of Maine and those within the upper Midwest's amber waves of grain. Their readiness to get down to business and hard charging demeanor whether chasing after what they want or while on the line, reflect the mindset of the anglers that pursue them. Certainly, this time of year, photos of a...
Outdoor notes: *Fireworks are not allowed on N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Wildlife Mgmt. Areas or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuges or Waterfowl Production Areas. *Check local fire restrictions when camping, etc. *Leave baby wildlife alone, especially fawns because their mothers are likely nearby. Tournaments: *July 10: Devils Lake. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, June 22: 1,447.95 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,447.99 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea...
In the grasses, along the ditch that drains to the small trout creek down the road from the family cabin, grows a reminder of the summer solstice. While I'm not always there to see them in full bloom, and sometimes they're not yet at that stage due to seasonal timings and conditions, I often look back on the find I made one chilly and damp summer, while moving some shoreline weeds out to the pickup area along the road. Amidst the curls of green swamp grass, the purple-and-white bulbs of a patch...
My truck has 275,000 miles on it, and I hold my breath every time I have to make the journey from Devils Lake to Lake Sakakawea. So far, the limp back and forth has gone okay, and old blue is still grinding. I have a bunch more to go this summer, so my fingers are crossed. The good news is, I am able to bring you fishing reports from both bodies of water. This week, I'll start with Devils Lake. Simply put, the fishing has been absolutely fantastic. The quality and quantity is really solid right...
To Do Today Jack to Baseball 5:30 Jack to Golf Course 6:30 MR CTL Mtg 6:45 Summertime means an uptick in fish activity, and it also means fish are looking up for food. Frogs, small mammals, insects and even ducklings find themselves on the surface this time of year along with growing young of the year fish, providing easy targets for both largemouth and smallmouth bass. The warmth of the season and the abundance of prey offers up an opportunity to connect with one of the most exciting moments an...
Recruit, Retain, Reactivate, or R3, is a nationwide effort aiming to increase participation in various outdoor recreation activities like hunting, fishing, nature photography, hiking, and many more. Focusing on hunting, R3 efforts aim to increase accessibility, education, and support to facilitate new hunters to dive into the world of hunting, ensure current hunters stay engaged, and encourage lapsed hunters to become active participants again. Efforts can be anything from hosting events that te...
Water levels on the northern Red River are beginning to get really scary now. Below the Grand Forks and Drayton dams it is getting very close to the lowest I have ever seen. If you go in these sections of river EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION! The catfish are showing signs of the spawn ending. There are some post spawn fish showing up this week as expected with the hot temperatures. There are still some fish on the nest that will be coming out soon. Find any current you can and work the current seams....
Outdoor notes: *Check local fire restrictions when camping, etc. *Leave baby wildlife alone, especially fawns because their mothers are likely nearby. Tournaments: *June 18: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park. *June 19: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson Sate Park; Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay. *June 20: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park. *June 26: Red River, Grand Forks. *June 25 & 26: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, June 15: 1,448.08 feet above mean...
Through the valleys and hills of the sporting clays course east of town, we tracked the movements of our five high school shooters, who were logging their final rounds of the season. Sunday’s rounds were different, in that they comprised the last 100 targets of the year, and the first to be entered into the tournament scoring system for the USA High School Clay Target League (USA CTL), with the inaugural season nearing its completion. Five participants from two schools put on a shooting c...
One of the most widely discussed topics and legislative issues this year is commonly referred to as “electronic posting.” In short, the 2021 state legislature passed a bill to allow electronic posting of private land, giving landowners another option for posting private property. This system is currently available to enroll lands, with the law going into effect Aug. 1, 2021. In addition to the current posting laws allowing landowners to post lands with physical signs or leave lands unp...
We have all seen it, the empty beer can in the ditch, the plastic bag that tangled in a branch - anywhere humans go we tend to leave trash behind, including sportsmen and women. While we should all strive to leave no trace when are in the woods and water, we can make a positive impact by cleaning up after each other, and summer is the perfect time to take care of the areas we flock to in the fall. Sure, you can (and should) pick up trash when you see it in the spring and fall, but summer, when t...
Long before I owned a boat, I spent much of my summers in high school, college and law school at my grandparents' cabin on the shores of Detroit Lakes. Between Memorial Day and Labor Day in those later years, as graduations loomed and then passed, and the liberty of post-secondary education waned and reality could only be prolonged by a final summer at the lake ahead of the bar exam, I spent many evenings wandering the shoreline to the east and west of the old green cabin, spinning rod in hand...
On the final day of vacation in the Black Hills, I knew it was possible. Having landed my first brook trout, along with many more, and having discovered swarms of willing and readily-biting large rainbow trout in the same lake-and-stream complex near our cabin over the week; and having staked out a small tributary of Spearfish Creek with browns seemingly tucked under every bank and fallen log, all three targets were in sight. Sure, I’d caught them all over the week we had spent under perfect c...
Outdoor notes: *Check local fire restrictions when camping, etc. Tournaments: *June 18: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park. *June 19: Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay, Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park. *June 20: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park. *June 25 & 26: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park. *June 26: Red River, Grand Forks. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, June 8: 1,448.12 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.06 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation:...
North Dakota boaters traveling to or through other states or Canadian provinces, are reminded to check the aquatic nuisance species regulations of their destination. Mandatory boat inspections may be required along highways or at lakes, based on destination or route taken. In general, to ensure compliance, boaters are strongly encouraged to clean, drain and dry equipment. Clean: Remove plants, animals and excessive mud from trailers, hulls, motors and other equipment such as fishing rods. Drain: Drain all water, including bilges, livewells and...
The North Dakota State High School Clay Target League (ND CTL) will be holding its annual state tournament at the Shooting Park in Horace, N.D., June 18-20, playing host to approximately 1,000 shooters from 60 high schools and showcasing some of the best shotgunning talent in the state over those three days in both trap and skeet competitions. Coming off the pandemic which cancelled the event in 2020, ND CTL Director Joe Courneya is excited to see how this spring's expansion in the number of...
My first experience with wild trout came in Montana, just before my senior year of high school. There, alongside a ditch that we were told was a trout stream by the man at the shop in the nearby town, I wandered out toward the bank and looked down to see a dark, missile-shaped body holding at the bottom of a blue-green run of water. With my flyfishing days far ahead of me, I slashed at the fish deep in the pocket. It barely flinched as my Mepps spinner burned back, time and again, to my...
I'll never be mistaken for a master gardener, and that’s OK. Beyond borrowing the neighbor’s tiller and breaking up the ground each spring, I lose interest in the garden even before the first spuds are planted. So, it comes as no surprise that when a stray rabbit is clipping the greens, I wonder more about whether my son's trapping will produce another grilled cottontail dinner, than if we'll have any lettuce or peas left. Yet, I also fully understand the pride many gardeners take in their sum...
Outdoor notes: *Check local fire restrictions when camping, etc. despite late May rains. Tournaments: *June 12: Devils Lake, Spirit Lake Casino; Devils Lake, Woodland Resort. *June 12 and 13: Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing. *June 18: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park. *June 19: Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay; Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park. *June 20: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, June 1: 1,448.2 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump...
The Devils Lake Basin Joint Water Resource Board and the North Dakota Water Education Foundation are co-hosting a tour of the Devils Lake region on Wednesday, June 16. The tour begins at the Lake Region State College-Hofstad Precision Agriculture Education Facility, 1801 College Dr. North, Devils Lake, at 8:00 a.m. This year's tour will review the infrastructure and flood protection projects constructed to address high water, including the nearly 12-mile earthen levee that protects the City of Devils Lake. The tour will also include visits to...
In the pool before me, on Spearfish Creek, sat so many trout I could hardly contain myself. Having scouted the run the day before, my jaw dropped as brookies, browns and rainbows all sat lazily within a foot of each other, rising and picking off the unseen midges in the surface film or nibbling on the insects that bounced along the bottom. Sleep had been hard to come by, and not just because of the ten family members packed into the cabin deep in the Black Hills of South Dakota, and I had...
