Dakota Recreation Report: January 22, 2018

Outdoor Notes:

 *Ice is never completely safe. Avoid areas with vegetation, moving water, pressure ridges, and springs. Check conditions as you go along on the ice.

 *Jan. 20: Ducks Unlimited state convention, Gladstone Inn, Jamestown.

Tournaments:

 *Jan. 27: Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay, Buffalo Lodge Lake.

Fishing:

 *Devils Lake elevation, Jan. 16: 1,449.71 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

 *Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.61 MSL.

 *Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,839.63 MSL; 25,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

 *N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Black Tiger Bay remains good for perch with some success on East Bay. The rest of Devils Lake is spotty. Ice conditions remain variable, so use caution. Not much activity on east-central area lakes. Hit-and-miss pike success on Barnes County lakes. Try dead sticks or smelt with tip-ups off the edges. Best Barnes County success is on smaller lakes for perch and walleye. Try mixing Swedish pimples, jigs, or plain hooks but the trick is to move around and locate fish first. Ice conditions vary on Lake Sakakawea so use caution, even with colder weather. Some activity on Lake Audubon.

 *Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Lots of activity around Black Tiger Bay, East Devils Lake, and Creel Bay. Try 15 to 20 feet for walleye or 30 to 40 feet for perch. Best walleye success remains on the northern lakes such as Lake Irvine, Pelican Lake, or Lake Alice.

 *Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Overall fair success on Devils Lake when weather allows anglers to get outside.

 *Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: No new reports.

 *Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Best perch success remains in East or Black Tiger bays working flooded trees. Try 20 to 40 feet. Try Doc Hagen’s for walleye. Northern lakes such as Lake Alice or Irvine remain good. Try tip-ups for pike.

 *Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Some activity on area lakes, but limited reports.

 *Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Continued crappie success with occasional nice walleye from Jamestown Reservoir.

 *Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Lots of anglers out with overall fair success throughout area lakes.

 *Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: North end still somewhat slow.

 *Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Look for more activity with warmer weather. Some anglers out but, overall success remains slow.

 *Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Continued good walleye success on Lake Audubon but it’s a case of quantity rather than quality – lots of small fish. Some activity on the back bays of Lake Sakakawea, but no reports on success.

 *Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Weather continues limiting Missouri River activity. Limited reports from Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon.

 *Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: No new reports.

 *Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Continued fair success.

 *Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Fair.

 *Spiritwood Lake, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: No new reports.

 *Spiritwood Lake, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Not many reports.

Downhill skiing:

 *Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 8- to 18-inch groomed base. 1 chair, 2 carpets, and 1 handle tow with 8 ski runs and 7 tubing lanes open.

 *Buena Vista Ski Area, Bemidji, MN: 12- to 24-inch machine groomed base. 8 ski trail and Bear Track open on the Terrain Park.

 *Frostfire Ski Area, Walhalla: 18- to 24-inch machine groomed base. Tube, beginner ski, and Terrain Park with Magic Carpet open.

 *Huff Hills Ski Area, Mandan: 18- to 25-inch base with 2 lifts, bunny tow, and 8 groomed runs open.

Snowmobile N.D.:

 *Red River North (Pembina & Walsh counties): Trails in process of opening.

 *All other trails closed until more snow is available for grooming.

N.D. Parks & Recreation Dept. trails:

 *Grahams Island, Devils Lake: Trails open and in good condition.

 *Lake Metigoshe, Bottineau: Trails open and in fair condition.

 *Turtle River, Arvilla: Trails open and in fair condition.

Numbers to know:

 *N.D. Game and Fish Department, main Bismarck office: (701) 328-6300, website: (http://gf.nd.gov).

 *N.D. Game and Fish Department, Devils Lake office: (701) 662-3617.

 *N.D. Game & Fish Department, Jamestown office: (701) 253-6480.

 *Report All Poachers:(800) 472-2121 or (701) 328-9921.