Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
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Outdoor notes: *April 27: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory board meeting, Devils Lake Elks Club, Devils Lake, 7 p.m. *April 27: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory board meeting, Pekin Rod & Gun Club, Pekin, 7 p.m. *May 1: Paddlefish season opens. Go to the Game & Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for details on open areas and harvest, and snag-and-release days. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, April 20: 1,448.51 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.43 MSL. *Lake...
Dragging my jig over the subtle pull of the shifting river bottom, I felt a dead weight sensation and lifted the rod tip to see the slight bend confirm what my cold and glove-covered hands could barely detect. I completed the raise with all due haste, and the point of the hook on my parrot-colored jig found its place in the upper jaw of the walleye at the other end. Soon the splashing, flipping, golden-sided fish made its way to the net under the gray early-afternoon skies, like the one a few...
The 2020 closing of the paddlefish take season (a limited catch and release was offered), was one of the few outdoors cancellations I recall over the past year. Game and Fish Fisheries Chief Greg Power said safety of snaggers, caviar processors and data collection staff were a major concern. “Paddlefish snaggers concentrate in large numbers in a small area, and often participate in snagging while shoulder-to-shoulder,” Power said. “There is no realistic way to maintain proper separ...
With lakes and rivers in the southeastern portion of North Dakota coming down from record high water levels in the fall and winter of 2019-2020, fishing for a variety of species in the region should still be good according to BJ Kratz, North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F) District Fisheries Supervisor. Across a wide range of species, he advises anglers that these may be "the good old days" for the district from the small lakes within it which are stocked with walleye,s to good...
As the Red River Lake Sturgeon Restoration Program closes out the first phase of its efforts in 2021 and 2022 fisheries biologists and staff are eyeing up new goals of establishing natural reproduction for the fish which were once extirpated from the border water between North Dakota and Minnesota. With a reproductively mature population now existing and turning up in the sampling efforts of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and tribal partner surveys each spring, opening more...
Outdoor notes: *April 27: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory board meeting, Devils Lake Elks Club, Devils Lake, 7 p.m. *April 27: N.D. Game & Fish Dept. public advisory board meeting, Pekin Rod & Gun Club, Pekin, 7 p.m. *May 1: Paddlefish season opens. Go to the Game & Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for details on open areas, and harvest and snag-and-release days. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, April 13: 1,448.56 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.45 MSL. *Lake...
I can't tell you what I was reaching for in the boat when I set my rod down. Likely, in the chill of the start to an otherwise perfect Saturday, it was the blue coffee tumbler I had borrowed from my mom, when meeting my brother and a buddy for a drift down my home flow of the Sheyenne River. It could have been one of the tiny, krystal flash jigs I had been taking from the small pile for the soft-biting walleyes we were pursuing, which had required me to downsize to that ultralight rod with...
Hunting and fishing license sales by the North Dakota Game and Fish Department (NDG&F) increased by more than 10 percent across the board in the most recent licensing year of Apr. 1 2020 to Mar. 31 2021. With the addition of approximately 5,000 firearms deer tags and about 800 spring turkey tags, total purchases were up by over 45,000 when compared to the same time frame a year ago, according to a recent report issued by the agency. While part of the increase was due to more people looking to ge...
Each year sportsmen and sportswomen look forward with anticipation to hunting season. Even in spring we wait with hope for the email from Game and Fish notifying that we were drawn for one of the "big three:" once in a lifetime tags for moose, elk, and bighorn sheep. Later we hope that our number gets called for the deer tag in our favorite unit. For most, that excitement drops when they read "your application was not drawn." It's easy to gripe at Game and Fish when our name in the hat doesn't g...
Coming over the rise and down the gravel road to the boat launch, the early morning sun reflected off the sprawling lake, which was only slightly dappled by a light and variable breeze. It was the first time I had arrived at the water this season where a chop wasn't already rolling across the surface. I knew the two or three hours my buddy John and I would have to cast, to what remained of the spawning crappies with our fly rods, would be prized in what has been a windy spring, and one that has...
Outdoor notes: *New 2021 fishing, hunting and trapping licenses now needed. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, April 6: 1,448.52 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.4 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,836.62 MSL; 21,800 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: No east-central area lake reports. Most lakes south of U.S. Highway 2 in central North Dakota have open water with some activity, but limited...
The challenges of the past year have impacted all jobs and North Dakota game wardens were no different. In a similar way to how virtual conferences and online shopping were suddenly more popular than ever due to the reduced contact and concentration, so too was time in the outdoors. Fresh air and wide-open spaces replaced indoor concerts and sporting events in many cases. The outdoors was open, and more hunters and anglers took to the fields and waters. About the only outdoor activity canceled...
North Dakota Game and Fish Department offices, except for Riverdale, are open to public access after being closed to walk-in traffic since last spring due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Riverdale office will remain closed to walk-in traffic since it does not have an administrative assistant. Individuals will need to call ahead and make an appointment or contact the Bismarck office for assistance. Following the North Dakota Smart Restart guidelines, outdoor enthusiasts must sign in upon entering for contact tracing purposes, and face...
As spring turkey hunting season kicks off across North Dakota, the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is looking through its Save the Habitat, Save the Hunt program to continue advancing its missions of improving habitat for the birds in the state, putting more hunters on the landscape and increasing their access to those huntable acres. According to Clayton Lenk, NWTF District Biologist for North Dakota, along with Minnesota, Wisconsin and South Dakota, the organization is blowing its...
With the early spring and a fast ice out this season, fishing options are opening quickly, and trout angling provides a chance at bigger holdover fish from last year's stockings. Those trout that remain in lakes across the upper Midwest are active in cold water and they're usually quite a bit bigger than they were when they were stocked last spring. What follows are some tips to locate these April opportunities before this season's stockings start and get a chance at some big rainbows and browns...
Outdoor notes: *New 2021 fishing and trapping licenses now needed. *Spring turkey hunters need new 2021 hunting licenses prior to receiving their turkey license and tag. *April 8: Valley City Ducks Unlimited raffle & game night, Valley City Eagles, 5:30 p.m. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, March 30: 1,448.64 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.43 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,837.88 MSL; 18,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases....
The past week has been my busiest in the outdoors, more than it has been for the last eight years. There’s been more to get done than just loading up for pheasant opener at the farm. The checklist is far longer than the one leading up to the start of firearms deer season. Fishing, now simply the grabbing of a rod and a handful of tackle, and maybe towing the boat somewhere (compared to all the forethought I used to pour into the process), pales in comparison to the efforts I, and several d...
The great underwater mystery - despite all science and biology can tell us about what fish see, smell, taste and sense in ways that humans can't – remains as to what sets them off and turns on their instinct to feed. While the modern tackle industry has reached a new apex in providing both those lures that imitate nature to trigger that feeding reaction and those forms and colors that stray far from it yet still entice a strike, the mystery continues. Each season, each outing, even each h...
There's a curlytailed grub that's getting tougher and tougher to find, to the point where I have to order it directly from the manufacturer's site to ensure I have enough for the season. While it comes in standard white and yellow, two must-have colors for my spring fishing, along both sides of the twisting plastic tail of the thread-on body are three black dots. My theory is that these dots symbolize eyes underwater, and based on my research, serve as a predatory cue built into all aquatic...
As anglers, we proudly display our passions on our sleeves, quite literally. Sweatshirts emblazoned with Rapala, Vexilar, Huk and Humminbird logos are a standard issue amongst our ranks, as camouflage is within the armed forces. Whether it's due to brand loyalty, or just some clothing picked up with a purchase, or as part of a rebate program - these well-known names in the outdoors, stand out in the photographs we take along springtime shorelines. Against the vast open waters of summer, with...
Outdoor notes: *April 1: New hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses needed for the 2021 season. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, March 23: 1,448.57 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.44 MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,836.99 MSL; 18,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases. *N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Anglers advised to stay off area lakes with slushy and open water conditions in many areas. *Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, D...
If you drew a spring turkey license and haven’t received the tag in the mail yet, it could be because you haven’t purchased a new general game and habitat license, or combination license, for the 2021 hunting seasons. The general game and habitat license is required for pretty much all hunting of game species in North Dakota. This requirement became law in the 1960s. The transition to electronic licensing and all-electronic applications now allows the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to...
North Dakota's Outdoor Heritage Fund (OHF) may be the best conservation tool in the state, yet if you stopped any hunter or angler at your favorite outdoor store, they would probably give you a blank stare if you asked them what the Outdoor Heritage Fund does. It's understandable as projects are not highlighted well on the landscape. When you drive down a gravel road you might see a brood of pheasants run into some quality habitat, but you likely won't see signs on that property like you do...
With this weekend's news of the N.D. state walleye record falling, and the conditions aligning for early angling opportunities, it is a picture-perfect time to catch some huge spring fish. If you plan to take some photos of your angling success this spring, or any time during the open-water season, here are some tips for ensuring a safe release for your subject matter, and for getting some quality pictures to detail the event. Fish handling Before the fish is even landed, proper care should be...
Outdoor notes: *Use extreme caution with deteriorating shorelines and ice conditions, especially around areas with flowing water, bridges, and culverts. *March 24: Elk, moose, and bighorn sheep applications due. *April 1: New hunting, fishing, and trapping licenses needed for the 2021 season. Fishing: *Devils Lake elevation, March 16: 1,448.55 feet above mean sea level (MSL). *Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.43 feet above MSL. *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,836.8 feet above MSL; 18,700 cubic feet per...
