Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883
Outdoor notes:
*Be mindful of parking when accessing area lakes; not blocking roadways or snow removal operations.
*Reminder that it’s illegal to chase, harass, or pursue any wildlife species with motorized vehicle.
*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.
Tournaments:
*Jan. 28: Devils Lake, 6-Mile Bay.
Fishing:
*Devils Lake elevation, Jan. 17: 1,449.38 feet above mean sea level (MSL).
*Stump Lake elevation: 1,449.32 MSL.
*Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,829.22 MSL; 23,600 cubic feet per second average (CFS) Garrison Dam daily releases.
*N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: Fair amount of activity on Devils Lake but overall somewhat for walleye and perch. Area lakes still have difficult access in many locations. Lake Sakakawea hit-and-miss for walleye. Lake Audubon spotty for walleye with improving access on and around the ice. Crooked Lake has some pike spearing activity.
*Devils Lake, Ed’s Bait Shop, Devils Lake: Best perch success remains in East Devils Lake. Beware of water on ice and under snow
*Devils Lake, Lakeview Lodge, Minnewaukan: Continued fair to good for walleye with better perch success on sunny days more so than cloudy. Perch are moving deeper.
*Devils Lake, Woodland Resort, Devils Lake: Access remains challenging on Devils Lake unless on plowed trails. Those going out are finding fair walleye and perch activity with occasional pike.
*Foster County area lakes, Dry Dock, Carrington: Activity on some area lakes with most anglers fishing the crossings on Pipestem Reservoir and Lake Ashtabula.
*Jamestown Reservoir, Sooper Stop, Jamestown: Lots of activity on area lakes with most walleye success coming with jigs and minnows.
*Lake Ashtabula, Bayshore, Valley City: Sun and warm weather settling snow with some trails plowed on the ice on Lake Ashtabula so pickups can now access the lake and move around better. Best success is for some nice perch activity with occasional crappie. Walleye and pike remain slow.
*Lake Sakakawea, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Garrison: Some walleye success on the east end of Lake Sakakawea in Steinke and Douglas bays. Try 12 to 28 feet with jigs and minnows. A few pike mixed in with some spearing success, although water is somewhat muddied up. Lots of activity on Lake Audubon but overall walleye success is spotty.
*Lakes Audubon & Sakakawea, Hwy. 83 Lawn & Leisure, Garrison: Lake Audubon hit-and-miss for walleye with best success at night. Some pike spearing success in Steinke and Centennial bays on the east end of Lake Sakakawea. Work the mouth of Douglas Bay, Camp of the Cross, or Rattlesnake for walleye but overall success still somewhat slow.
*Lake Sakakawea/Lake Audubon/Missouri River, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Pick City: Warmer weather bringing more boat anglers onto the Missouri River tailrace but limited reports. Best Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon walleye bite in the early morning and early evening hours but overall success is spotty.
Downhill skiing (conditions can vary):
*Bottineau Winter Park, Bottineau: 12– to 24-inch base with good conditions. 2 Magic Carpets and 1 lift, 3 runs, and tubing park open.
*Buena Vista Ski Resort, Bemidji, Minn .: 12 runs open with Terrain Park set up on Bear Track.
*Huff Hills Ski Area, Mandan: 20- to 35-inch machine groomed base with all runs, 2 lifts, and Green Lift Terrain Park open.
Snowmobile N.D. (conditions can vary):
*Cattail (Barnes, Cass, Steele, & Traill counties): 16- to 20-inch base. Trails open. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*East-central Valley (Cass & Richland counties): 12- to 16-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Lake Region (Nelson & Ramsey counties): 10- to 14-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Missouri Valley (Emmons & Burleigh counties): 16- to 22-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings. Beware of 2 areas with deep holes where groomers got stuck.
*North-central (Benson, McHenry, Pierce, Ramsey, & Towner counties): 8- to 12-inch base. Trails open and in good condition but large trenches on portions of the Rush Lake Trail to Towner.
*Northeast (Cavalier, Pembina, & Walsh counties):8- to 12-inch base with trails open except for Moonlighter Gorge and NESCA trails. Trails in fair condition.
*Peace Garden (Bottineau & Rolette counties):12- to 16-inch base with trails 7, 7A, 7B, and 7C open but poor ice conditions on areas where slush is on top of thin ice.
*Red River North (Walsh & Pembina counties): 12- to 16-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Red River South (Grand Forks & Walsh counties): 8- to 10-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Sakakawea (McLean & Ward counties): 8- to 12-inch base. Trails open. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Sargent County (Richland & Sargent counties): 10-inch base. Trails open. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Sheyenne Valley (Barnes, Dickey, LaMoure, Ransom, & Stutsman counties): 16- to 25-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
*Sno-trails (Bottineau, McHenry, Renville, & Ward counties: 8- to 15-inch base. Trails open and in good condition.
*Southern Valley (Richland County): 12- to 20-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Watch for snow piles along approaches and road crossings.
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: (701) 328-9921.
