Dakota Recreation Report: Dec. 28, 2020

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 and don’t move around at night.

*North Dakota state parks remain open with trails usable for hiking. Check with individual parks for other available amenities this winter.

*Lake Metigoshe State Park Wild Outdoor Women (WOW) registration now open. Go to (https://bit.ly/2021WinterWOWInfo) for more information and class descriptions for the Feb. 19 – 21 event.

*Dec. 31: Elk season closes for all units except Unit E1W.

*Jan. 1: Light goose and tundra swan seasons close.

*Jan. 1: First Day Hike, Fort Stevenson State Park, Garrison, 6 p.m. Contact the park, (701) 337-5576, for details on the lighted hike.

*Jan. 3: Upland game, archery deer, and elk unit E1W seasons close.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, Dec. 21: 1,448.47 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,448.42 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,838.74 MSL; 16,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Not much activity on area lakes other than a little pike success on Goose Lake. Dry Lake slow.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Ice conditions difficult, extremely variable, and dangerous with walk-on access at best recommended, including northern feeder lakes that had better ice conditions earlier.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort: Extreme caution advised if venturing around Devils Lake bays and northern lakes, including Lake Alice, Lake Irvine, and Pelican Lake. Try shallow water with jigs and minnows for walleye.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Some activity on area lakes but ice depth varies. Check conditions along the way.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop: Anglers testing ice conditions on small area lakes but use extreme caution with variable and changing ice conditions. Look for some perch and walleye success using jigs and minnows.

*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: Ice depth varies on the main lake. Use caution along the shorelines and drill test holes but anglers are walking on and finding a mix of walleye, perch, and pike. Try jigs and minnows or wax worms along channel breaks for 7- to 10-inch perch and 15 to 20-inch walleye. Try smelt for pike.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Spotty walleye success on Lake Audubon’s back bays. Try variety of depths with jigs and minnows. Look for some perch success on small area lakes around Turtle Lake. Main lake of Lake Sakakawea remains open with back bays icing over unsafe for access yet.

Hunting:

*Upland: Good pheasant numbers remain in areas with good cover but birds are flighty.

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.