Dakota Recreation Report

Outdoor notes:

*Beware of blue-green algae on area lakes and wetlands with weather and water conditions prime for the deadly toxin growth. Keep dogs out of any questionable water because it’s deadly and death can occur rapidly.

*No baiting allowed on Fish and Wildlife Nat’l. Wildlife Refuges and Waterfowl Production Areas or Game and Fish Dept. Wildlife Mgmt. Areas.

*Be careful of upland species identification with immature pheasants yet.

*Look for fewer wetlands across much of N.D., which could concentrate waterfowl and hunters.

*Sept. 30: Elk and moose archery seasons close (lottery licenses).

*Oct. 5: Pronghorn gun season open (lottery licenses).

*Oct. 6: Pheasant season opens.

*Oct. 6: N.D. Birding Society fall meeting, Lisbon.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, Sept. 25: 1,448.52 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.4 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,844.13 MSL; 31,000 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Devils Lake starting to produce some larger walleye in shallow water. Some Red River catfish activity but anglers must deal with low water and lack of current. Larger catfish becoming more active and aggressively feeding. Try softer side of current or shallow areas adjacent to deeper water. Move after about 20 minutes, though. Frogs are the bait of choice but don’t neglect fresh or frozen suckers. No Missouri River System reports.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Continued working bridges in the morning and evening for small walleye. Try jigs and slip bobbers with minnows. Some white bass mixed in.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Lots of small walleye but move around to locate larger fish.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Continued good small walleye success. Try jigging deep water around the highways, poles and bridges.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Little activity on area lakes.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: A few anglers out and about with a little bit of a fall walleye bite across some area lakes.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Activity slowed but a few anglers still out on Jamestown Reservoir with limited reports.

*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: No new reports.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Some bass success continues but overall activity is light with slow walleye activity.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Not many anglers on the water. Limited reports from Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon with cooler weather.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Missouri River continues producing some walleye down river using Lindy rigs with plastics. Also try crankbaits. Chutes fair for a mix of species, mostly salmon, with walleye and occasional trout. Try trolling crankbaits. Some activity at night from shore. Look for trout from shore during both day and night hours. Most salmon shore-fishing activity is around Government Bay but also try Scoria Bay or the intake area using crankbaits or spoons. Also try salmon eggs from shore. Some success downrigging yet in deeper water. Work deep in 50 feet for walleye using jigging Raps.

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: Look for a bit of a fall walleye bite from Wells and Sheridan County lakes.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Pioneer Bait & Tackle, Jamestown: A few anglers out but no new reports.

*Pipestem Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Few reports.

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

*Spiritwood Lake, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity.

Hunting:

*Cranes: Look for cranes to start trickling into pockets of northwest N.D. in areas with shallow alkali wetlands.

*Doves: Fewer birds with cooler weather moving them out.

*Waterfowl: Fair to good numbers of local ducks and geese. Scattered numbers of lesser Canada geese could start to meander into some areas. No new reports from central N.D.

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.