Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

Dakota Recreation Report: Dec. 13, 2021

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.

*Keep hunting dogs away from ice on wetlands and lake shorelines with thin ice conditions in many areas yet.

*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.

*Check area U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge hunting regulations for potential late season upland game hunting opportunities.

*Dec. 15: Registration opens for Wild Outdoor Women (WOW) Weekend, Lake Metigoshe State Park via Eventbrite, (https://bit.ly/WinterWOW2022).

*Dec. 18: Devils Lake Christmas Bird Count. Beginning birders and feeder watchers welcome. Contact Colleen at White Horse Hill Nat’l. Game Preserve, (701) 766-4272, ext. 428, for details.

*Dec. 18: Eastern Canada goose zone closes.

Fishing:

*Devils Lake elevation, Dec. 7: 1,447.06 feet above mean sea level (MSL).

*Stump Lake elevation: 1,447.06 MSL.

*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,829.36 MSL; 12,700 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.

*N.D. Game and Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: No reports from east-central area lakes or Devils Lake, although bays are icing over along with the Minnewaukan Flats. Some walk-on activity on the back bays of Lake Audubon, but use caution and test the ice with springs in some areas of the lake. Scattered walleye success. Back bays of Lake Sakakawea icing over, but no activity yet.

*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Continued walk-on activity on some of the small northern lakes, including Lake Alice and Lake Irvine.

*Devils Lake, West Bay Resort, Minnewaukan: Some walk-on access along the Minnewaukan Flats, but no new reports on success.

*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Bays are icing over, but main Devils Lake was still open earlier in the week. Some walk-on activity on Lake Alice and Lake Irvine for walleye. Try jigs and minnows.

*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Some walk-on activity on area lakes, but no reports of success yet.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Pioneer Bait and Tackle, Jamestown: No new reports.

*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Little activity throughout area lakes with anglers generally waiting for better ice conditions.

*Lake Ashtabula, Ashtabula Crossing, Luverne: Some walk-on activity, but use extreme caution with flowing water around the bridges.

*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: No activity on the main lake with some new snow on top of the ice. Use caution with the snow insulating the ice and possibly slowing its formation.

*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait and Tackle, Garrison: Back bays on the east end of Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon icing over, but anglers should give the ice more time. Use extreme caution if venturing out with variable ice depths and potential springs.

*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: No new activity on the Missouri River tailrace or Lake Sakakawea back bays as they ice over.

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

Hunting:

*Pheasants: Look for birds to bunch in heavy cover with colder temperatures and snow.

*Waterfowl: Nice numbers of waterfowl on the east end of Lake Sakakawea and farther downstream on the Missouri River, but the bays on the lake are icing over which could move the birds out.

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.

 
 
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