Dakota Recreation Report - June 11, 2018

Outdoor notes:

*Remember to purchase any live bait only from licensed retail bait dealer.

*Please report active bald eagle nests to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. to help them track population, (gf.nd.gov).

Tournaments:

*June 16: Devils Lake, Creel Bay; Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park; Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay.

*June 16 and 17: Devils Lake, Grahams Island State Park.

*June 17: Tolna Dam.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, June 12: 1,449.78 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.73 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,840 MSL; 40,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: A few north-central area lakes, including Goose Lake, producing some walleye. No reports from east-central area lakes. Most anglers continue working Devils Lake with fair walleye success for nice 15- to 18-inch walleye, mostly on the west end. Main lake slower, but producing some white bass with continued pike success. Dry and Mike’s lakes producing good walleye numbers. Smaller catfish remain active on the Red River. Don’t stay in a location longer than 30 minutes, though. Try working structure and current edges with variety of bait. Improving walleye success on the east end of Lake Sakakawea with continued good activity on the west end.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Somewhat improving walleye and white bass in the main lake as water temperatures gradually warm. Try a variety of presentations. Bridges remain fair for walleye with consistent pike bite throughout the lake.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Despite inconsistent weather and weather fronts moving through, anglers finding nice walleye. Continue working shallow warm water with a variety of presentations.

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

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Best walleye success in the northern feeder lakes. Try slip bobbers with leeches or jigs. Work spinners in 20 feet in choppier waters. Look for pike along any weedy shorelines.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Activity on area lakes with some success.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Fair to good for a mix of species from Jamestown Reservoir with continued activity throughout area lakes.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Increasing activity on area lakes. Try leeches or minnows.

*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: Fair to good for bass with some bluegill and crappie mixed in. Improving walleye success. Work the weed lines along the shore, not much farther out than 15 feet.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: The earlier bass run remains slow with overall mediocre success at best. Windy weather limiting activity.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Improving bite on Lake Sakakawea’s east end for a mix of species, including walleye, bass, and pike with some salmon in the shallows. Move around and mix up depths and presentations from shallow in 3 feet out to 20 feet. Lake Audubon remains good for walleye on the east end.

*Lake Sakakawea, Indian Hills Resort, Garrison: Improving walleye success around Deepwater Bay. Look for success to continue moving east as water temperatures warm. Try 14 feet with jigs and minnows. Some success starting with nightcrawlers.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Somewhat improving walleye reports from Lake Sakakawea around Douglas Bay along with a few walleye now showing up along the south shore. Try casting jigs towards the shore in shallow water or pulling crankbaits in 30 feet. Continued pike success. Missouri River remains fair with a variety of fish. Bigger fish coming from the chutes or cable crossing with smaller fish in the Spillway Inlet. Try jigs and minnows or nightcrawlers with 3-way swivels in the chutes. Also try crankbaits. Shore success remains somewhat slow.

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: Limited reports but look for some perch and walleye success from area lakes.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: Fair crappie success.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Increasing activity.

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

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

N.D. river canoeing/kayaking elevation & streamflow:

*James River, Kensal: River stage, 2.58 feet; streamflow, 24.9 CFS.

*Pembina River, Walhalla: River stage, 2.88 feet.

*Red River, Grand Forks: River stage, 17.05 feet.

*Sheyenne River, Warwick: River stage, 4.05 feet.

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 and Fish Department, Jamestown office: (701) 253-6480.

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