Missouri River Fishing
By Jed Fluhrer The stretch of the Missouri River in North Dakota from the tailrace to the North Dakota South Dakota State line offers anglers a variety of challenges. This portion of the river is know for its exceptional walleye fishing but also offers anglers the chance at northern pike, rainbow trout, brown trout, cutthroat [...]
Fishing Deepwater Crankbaits
February 21, 2009 by admin
Lindy Tackle Team The Lindy Tackle team has put together some tips to help you target and effectively use crankbaits in deepwater situations. On Deep Mud Flats: Many of the country’s reservoirs contain large mud flats. Walleyes will inhabit these flats, especially when insect hatches are coming off the mud. When it’s calm, the [...]
Fishing Rod Building Tips
February 21, 2009 by admin
By Taylor Fitterer Making your own custom fishing rods can be a fun experience. Each rod normally takes about 2-3 hours to manufacture, and the finish drying time can take from a few hours to a few days depending on the type of finish, temperature and humidity. We have learned through trial and error and [...]
No Snag Secrets to Lindy Rigging
February 20, 2009 by admin
By Ron Lindner – Use a lighter line from the swivel to the hook, preferably 2-4lb less than the main line on your reel. – Because of the unique cam action, you may feel some resistance, much like an increasing pressure. Usually a sharp tight-line yank will pull it free–or set the hook on a [...]
The Red River of the North
February 20, 2009 by admin
July 2005 – Fishery of the Month The Red River of the North is quietly one of the state’s best fisheries. It’s one of the country’s best location to target big catfish; and some would argue hold’s the next state record walleye. One thing if for sure though, there’s a lot of big fish in [...]
Big Bang Baitfish
February 11, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson In cooler waters of May and June the shallows can seem almost bare. Nothing but the occasional waterboatman or roaming bluegill disturbs the water bordering shore. Then as summer peaks, it seems the shallows are suddenly alive and teeming with small fish, as if they exploded out of nowhere! This big [...]
The Heck with Tech
February 11, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Some of the best days I can recall involve zipping up the Sheyenne River in an old canoe using paddle power until I reached my favorite feeder creek. With a jig and minnow, I felt for the subtle tap of a walleye or the vicious strike of a smallmouth. [...]
The Rapala X-Rap
February 11, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Whether your treasure on the water is colored gold, bronze or silver, the X-Rap by Rapala (www.rapala.com) marks the spot for great fishing. My experience with crankbaits has been limited; being predominately a river angler has restricted my usual arsenal to jigs and soft plastics which are comparatively inexpensive [...]
Hot Fishing Lures for 2007
February 11, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Hang in there, it can’t snow forever. As if spring fever wasn’t bad enough, a fresh 16 inches of snow over the last week has put the “cabin” into “cabin fever.” But while nature-induced lockdown might dampen most spirits; anglers know that now is the time to stock up on tackle [...]
Catch and Release 101
February 9, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson A dead-weight tug on the end of my line signaled that the largemouth bass under the dock was indeed hungry. I swept the rod back and the four-pound fish rocketed up out of the water. She battled every foot of the way to my hand. I reached down, tweaked [...]
Extra Hooks Bring the Sting
February 9, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson In one of the best Simpsons episodes, Moe uses a punch-absorbing Homer to relive his glory days as a boxer. But when Homer ends up having to fight the heavyweight champion, the all too Tyson-like Drederick Tatum, Moe searches through his bag of tricks to find the weapon that [...]
Freshen Up Your Skills
February 9, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson The season for big fish has come! The snow is rapidly melting, the ice is weakening, and the fish are preparing for the spawn. It is a picture perfect time for spring angling. If you plan to take some photos of your angling success this openwater season, here are [...]
Mid-Winter Walleyes
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Dave Genz When the going gets tough, the tough go offshore. During a recent seminar, a fresh-faced, high-school aged kid asked me to summarize ice fishing in one piece of advice. That’s near impossible to do, of course, but in retrospect, I liked my off-the-cuff response: Avoid the crowds. I’ve caught a lot of [...]
Walleyes at First Ice – Clinging to the Current
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Captain Pat Kalmerton You can take this one of two ways. Because I’m a fishing guide, you might think I’m all talk and keeping the good stuff to myself. Or, you might trust my experience and assume that you’re getting my A-game. Well, it’s some of both. I’ll be up front and offer honest, [...]
Approaching Late Ice
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Jason Mitchell Late ice patterns can vary. People often preach about fishing shallow. Others stress the importance of finding moving water. Late ice is often hailed as the best fishing of the year. The fish are supposed to be biting as well as they have all winter. Anglers eagerly await the last hurrah. The [...]
Finding More Walleyes Below the Ice
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Mark Strand Conduct your own search for walleyes, one of the prized fish of the Ice Belt. The conversation, for a brief time, sounds like we’re talking about the Internet. “We’re such an information society,” says Brian Brosdahl. Believe it or not, he’s talking about how to go out on the ice and find [...]
Timing the Walleye Bite
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Jason Mitchell Usually, ninety percent of the fish are caught during ten percent of the time we are actually on the ice. There are windows of opportunity. More often than not, the low sun of morning and or evening signal this opportunity. There is a prime time when everything happens so to speak. That [...]
Early Ice Walleyes
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Jason Mitchell If there is a mistake that many anglers make, including myself during the first ice period, we are guilty of fishing too deep when targeting walleye. Granted, there are a lot of options at first ice with some of these options being both shallow and deep but if anything, I tend to [...]
Ice Fishing Stationary Mobility
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Ice Team Power Stick Dennis Foster This statement just doesn’t make sense, on the surface; particularly coming from a guy who is deeply committed to aggressive tactics while on the ice. I’m an Ice Team “Powerstick” and will tout the virtues of Dave Genz’s proven philosophy of mobility on hardwater as long as anyone [...]
Icing Walleyes in April
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Mark Strand Do you consider ice fishing in April crazy? Especially because a lot of people still regard ice fishing as a sport you reluctantly participate in while the ice covers your favorite lakes, people look at Dave Genz like he’s got to be nuts in April. By then, many rivers are [...]
Ice Fishing at Night
February 9, 2009 by admin
By Mark Strand During ice fishing season, the sun often sets before you can wrap up the workday. Because of this, an awful lot of people don’t even think about going fishing except during daylight hours on the weekends. If you can miss the boat when lakes are frozen over, you are missing the boat [...]
Understanding Walleyes Under the Ice
February 7, 2009 by admin
Ice Team If we could see the way walleyes do, we would know them, through and through. There’s a reason we call ‘em ‘eyes. Those eyes are amazing. Positioned behind the walleye’s retina is a reflective membrane called the tapetum lucidum. This substance is exceptionally white, its purpose to gather, and reflect, light. Its potential [...]
Catch More Walleyes During the Day
February 7, 2009 by admin
By Dave Genz Walleyes, as if you didn’t already know this, possess these amazing eyes. They feature a reflective pigment that helps walleyes see well in dim light, giving them a vision advantage over most of their prey, especially in those minutes when light levels change rapidly. So it is that walleye fishing [...]
Big Water Walleyes
February 5, 2009 by admin
By Dave Genz He’s been everywhere, man…he’s been everywhere. Travel? He’s done his share, man, Dave’s been everywhere…Erie, Ontario, Michigan, Huron, Bay of Quinte, Bass Islands, Saginaw Bay, Bays de Noc, Green Bay…yeah, he’s been everywhere, man, he’s been everywhere… It’s not one of those things they keep statistics on, so we really [...]
Standard Fishing Knot – The Palomar
February 5, 2009 by admin
This is a common fishing knot around the world. It is very easy to tie.This fishing knot can be used many different ways and is one of the strongest knots known. Very common with tackle, and is also used for flying fishing when connecting the tippet. With the braided line brands of today, it’s one [...]
North Dakota Map
February 5, 2009 by admin
Click on North Dakota Map for a larger image. North Dakota State Maps North Dakota Lake Contour Maps Extensive ND Game & Fish Map – NEW North Dakota State Wildlife Management Areas Map North Dakota PLOTS Map North Dakota Road Condition Reports North Dakota Road Construction Map North Dakota County Map Snow Line and Depth Maps MapQuest [...]
THE SMALL LAKES: Good Fishing For Everyone
February 5, 2009 by admin
By Bill Mitzel For as long as I can remember, I’ve touted the joyous benefits of fishing the small lakes. They’re abundant, they’re easy to access, they’re productive and they have few limitations in terms of weather, crowding or lack of fish. Yet sometimes, when I look at the copious crowds fishing the [...]
Prepping for an Ice Season
February 4, 2009 by admin
By the Ice Team Here’s a toast to your best ice season ever. To help you get off to a good start, here are a few key things you can do. They’re all important, but in no particular order. Keep Your Line Prime One of the most important– and universally overlooked– things you can do: [...]
Catch & Release Tips
February 4, 2009 by admin
By Doug Leier I’ve always preferred simple tackle for fishing – bobbers, jigs, spoons and hooks – though I’m not categorically against using the latest tools and technology. Provided, of course, their use is within the constraints of the law. I call it low impact angling. Some call it bobbers and worms. Whatever you declare, [...]
Fishing Laydowns
February 4, 2009 by admin
Joe Zentner Bank sloping trees that have fallen into the water, known as lay-downs, attract fish throughout the Midwest. Long-time anglers are keenly aware of the value of immersed trees. The primary cover choice of freshwater fish is, in fact, submerged wood. A lay-down is a tree that has fallen into the water and is [...]
The Legend of the Grumman Boat
February 2, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson The fisherman’s dictionary defines the word “boat” as a hole in the water into which money is thrown. Similar to a hunting dog, the price paid for a boat is rarely reflected in the purchase. There’s winterizing, summerizing, trailer repairs, motor tune ups, depth finders, rod racks, lure holders and much [...]
Why Do I Fish?
February 2, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Why do you fish? Now that is a question with as many answers as there are people to ask it to. And it is likely that anglers will have more than one response when posed with such an inquiry. I was asked this question recently, and all I could come up [...]
Hunting and Fishing Wirelessly
February 2, 2009 by admin
By Chris Hustad Our evening scouting run started just minutes after we got off the highway. We spotted a flock of snow geese on the horizon, and then another, and another and another. The flock extended for quite a distance, with every bird pointing west/southwest towards a damp cornfield that was just days away from [...]
Catch and Release Fishing
February 2, 2009 by admin
By Doug Leier I’m a casual, low impact angler. I have never caught a fish that would qualify me to receive a Whopper patch from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department. Seldom do I catch a limit, or even a fish to keep. It doesn’t bother me to put a worm on a hook [...]
The Importance of Fish Stocking Programs
February 1, 2009 by admin
By Doug Leier I learn something new everyday, even if I don’t want to. It’s part of life. Sometimes, I realize that what I thought was fact, is not. Other times, when I think I have something figured out, it turns out I’m way off base. As I said, that’s just the way life is. [...]
Free Fishing Log – Printable Fishing Log
February 1, 2009 by admin
Our Outdoors Nick Simonson “Putting together the fishing pieces of the puzzle” Fishing, no matter how good a person gets at it, is still the grandest puzzle of all. There are so many elements that have to be put into place such as weather, season, bait, lures, and so on. When looked at in hindsight, [...]
Lake Sakakawea in Peril
By Doug Leier Seldom does a week pass without news, political or biological, relating to declining water levels in North Dakota’s huge Missouri River reservoirs. I wonder if people have heard the message so much they are starting to become numb to it. And yet, the message is important. Lake Oahe is at its lowest [...]
Fast & Easy Fish Cleaning Tips for Walleye, Perch, and Panfish
January 31, 2009 by admin
By Chris Hustad The fish cleaning techniques described here are nothing new, and is mainly intended for beginners. This process takes about a minute for each fish, depending on experience. The example shown is using a walleye, but can work all the same on perch, crappies and bluegills. On those crappies, you DO NOT need to [...]
Start Practicing Catch & Release
January 31, 2009 by admin
By Doug Leier When I go fishing, I’m a hook and bobber kind of a guy. While I’ve used downriggers, depth finders and detailed contour maps over the years, they don’t help me much and I’ve always been a low-impact type of angler. While I typically get along with simple tackle for fishing – of [...]
New Lake Contour Maps
January 30, 2009 by admin
By Chris Hustad I’ve been around the Internet for a little over a decade now, and I’m still amazed how much information is becoming available for outdoorsmen and women. Everything I’ve learned about hunting and fishing has been through mentors, such as family and friends. I can’t say I know anyone who just picked it [...]
