Dakota Recreation Report: Oct. 25, 2021

Outdoor notes:

*Go to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website, (gf.nd.gov) for information regarding North Dakota’s new electronic posting regulations and assistance.

*Please submit wildlife mortality observations, such as a dead deer, to the N.D. Game and Fish Dept. website reporting form, (gf.nd.gov) to help track EHD and CWD. However, do not possess any antlers or heads without a Game and Fish Dept. permit.

*Oct. 23: Mink, muskrat, and weasel trapping season opens.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, Oct. 19: 1,447.14 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,447.14 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,830.95 MSL; 13,300 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: No reports from small area lakes, Missouri River System, or Devils Lake.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Fair perch and walleye success in East Bay. Try jigs along the bridges for walleye on the main lake.

*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Weather permitting, anglers continue finding fair walleye success working structures.

*Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Limited activity with anglers transitioning to hunting and ice-over.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Continued fair walleye success, weather permitting. Try jigs and minnows around the bridges, towers, or rock piles.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Area lakes quiet.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait and Tackle, Jamestown: Weather permitting, anglers finding some pike and a few walleye on smaller area lakes.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Not much activity throughout area lakes.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Continued bass success, but fewer anglers on the water as weather turns more fall-like.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait and Tackle, Garrison: Better success is farther west around Deepwater Bay and farther on Lake Sakakawea. East end spotty for walleye.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Limited activity on the Missouri River tailrace with overall slow success. Lake Sakakawea also slow, including walleye and salmon.

*Lonetree WMA area lakes, Harvey: No activity on area lakes. Coal Mine Lake closed to small game hunting and fishing from Sept. 25 through Nov. 30.

Hunting:

*Predators: Coyotes starting to get into prime. Look for average fur prices this winter.

*Upland: Be careful with pheasant identification with lots of young broods. Fair numbers along the east end of the Missouri River System. Scattered pheasant success with some northwestern areas holding pockets of birds. Fair partridge numbers.

*Waterfowl: Light geese and some Canada geese moving into northeast, north-central, and northwest N.D. Good numbers of pintails, mallards, and increasing light goose numbers around N.D. Highway 200 in east-central N.D. Look for better duck numbers in areas that recieved rain, with some wetlands holding a little more water. Birds are concentrating on any areas with water and along the Missouri River System.

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: (701) 328-9921.