Winter Weather Predictions

By Nick Simonson “Guys, where are we,” this initial inquiry by Dominic Monaghan’s character, Charlie, summed up the question that I and ten million other viewers tried to figure out for six seasons on the TV show Lost. The J. J. Abrams sci-fi series focused on a group of plane crash survivors marooned on a [...]

Recreational Fishing – Fish Transportation

by Doug Leier In the early 1990s I was attending junior college in Bottineau, and enjoyed many trips to other parts of the state to visit friends and relatives. It was a great time to explore different corners of the state around Bismarck, Fargo and Napoleon, but a couple of observations during that time are [...]

ND Flooding

By Doug Leier You don’t have to live in Minot, Bismarck, Jamestown, Valley City or Devils Lake to have battled through drifts of snow and waves of floods through the past several months. Like many North Dakotans I’ve spent my share of time working in and through these floods since last spring, everything from sandbagging [...]

Looking Ahead

By Doug Leier Looking ahead to 2011 in the outdoors world is kind of like assessing the preseason prospects of your favorite sports team. We kind of have an idea of what to expect, but unpredictable variables like major storms, timely rains or extended dry periods – or injuries in the case of sports – [...]

The Extremes

Our Outdoors: To The Extreme By Nick Simonson I know it’s going to get colder. But I’m ready for it. At least I think I am. While manning my post on an extended family member’s farm atop a four-legged stand tucked into the woods along an open grass pasture bordered by a meandering creek, I [...]

NDTrax 2010 Released

NDTRAX 2010 Released Kirsch’s Outdoor Products completed the fall release (v3.2) of NDTRAX 2010 in mid-August. “The feedback from the 2009 version and spring 2010 versions (v3.0) has been remarkable.” said Korey Kirschenmann, Owner of Kirsch’s Outdoor Products. “In the 2010 fall update, we were able to include both additional features as well as land [...]

Fishing Grand Slam

By Nick Simonson While growing up on the Sheyenne River, I’d make it a weekend effort to complete what I called the Sheyenne Slam. It wasn’t necessarily tough to do, despite the parameters of seven species in two days, considering that most of them were willing biters and after a few weeks on the water, [...]

Freshwater Shrimp

By Doug Leier As a child growing up in northwestern North Dakota, seafood was a special treat, to the point that even fish sticks were considered a pretty rare dinner at home.. Thirty-five years ago “fresh” North Dakota seafood came frozen in a box and was usually deep fried. One of my fondest memories of [...]

Livewell Maintenance

By Doug Leier For the better part of 10 years I’ve written a weekly column, none of which have explored the topic of livewells. The recent discovery of a zebra mussel veliger in the Red River, however, is changing that. Livewells and veligers link together because veligers are the tiny larvae of zebra mussels. They [...]

Fishing Memories

By Doug Leier Every so often as the kids and I set off on an unknown excursion, I’ll quip, “let’s go make some memories.” I understand full well that setting off intentionally to make a memory is part tongue-in-cheek, and the purpose of most outdoor outings for me is spending quality time with the family. [...]

Drayton Catfish Tourney 2010

Drayton’s 10th annual Rod & Reel Rally Catfishing Tournament is coming up Saturday July 17, 2010 from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at Hastings Landing Recreation Area in Drayton, North Dakota. The Red River of the North’s only WHOPPER catfishing tournament promises to be the best yet with cash prizes to be paid for the [...]

Fish Disease

Throughout the year, North Dakota Game and Fish Department staff field an array of calls and questions on oddities in the fish and wildlife world. Just the deer season alone results in many calls about rank meat, abnormal growths or sick looking deer. As spring and summer fishing gets into full gear, inquiries turn to [...]

Missouri Rivers on the Rise

For the first time in years, both of North Dakota’s Missouri River reservoirs are starting off the spring at normal pool elevation, which should mean good things for fishing in the future. In the case of Lake Sakakawea, that doesn’t necessarily mean better angling this year, though, as it takes a few years for fish [...]

Wildlife Photo Periods

By Doug Leier In the name of positive thinking, I’ve always operated under the assumption that spring arrives with March and winter isn’t officially on the table until January. That makes for a short eight weeks of winter in my mind. However, when the first snow flies in October and shelterbelts are still packed with [...]

Sculpins

For the Presidents’ Day weekend, I had planned out a solid day of fishing on a lake near my mother-in-law’s house where I knew the fish would bite all day. A couple hours at sunrise put me on some good-sized, fast-biting bluegills with the occasional crappie mixed in. The agenda was to meet up with [...]

Life List Lunkers

By Nick Simonson There are hundreds of days booked in my fishing logs and countless others banked in my memories. From watching a field of tip-up flags pop for northern pike on a chilly winter morning to a steamy July evening spent fishing an inexhaustible school of white bass, it is tough to keep track [...]

Give New Memories a Chance

By Doug Leier Most hunters and anglers remember their first deer, goose or big fish, but it’s the little things that happen in pursuit of game and fish that also help keep people interested in the long term. Think about it. I’d bet most readers would have a favorite story to share about getting stuck [...]

I’m Thankful For the Outdoors

Our Outdoors: I’m Thankful By Nick Simonson I’m thankful for Gunnar, And his powerful nose. As he sniffs out the pheasants, From harvested rows. I’m thankful for trap shoots, In June and July. That cut down on fall misses, So I don’t wonder why. I’m thankful for crappies, Dressed in black and green. And bluegill [...]

Fish / Hunt Swap Stories & New Friends

By Chris Hustad   It’s 2:30 a.m. on a cold, April Saturday morning. I’m sucking down coffee to make up for the lack of sleep as I pull out of Fargo. We wandered almost 2 hours from home the night before scouting, only to turn around and do it again 6 hours later. But we [...]

North Dakota Water Levels

Baldhill Dam Cannonball River – Breien Devils Lake – Devils Lake Fort Peck- Garrison Dam Heart River – Mandan Jamestown Dam Knife River – Hazen Lake Darling – Foxholm Lake Oahe Lake Oahe – Lake Sakakawea Missouri River – Bismarck Missouri River – Washburn Missouri River – Schmidt Missouri River – Stanton North Dakota Statewide [...]

Missouri River & Lake Oahe Boat Ramp Access Update

Updated 5-18-04 Elevation 1581.2 Site Type Bottom Status Contact Langeliers Bay (main) 32′ wide concrete Unusable Alex Jahner 254-5491 Langeliers Bay (low-water) 14′ wide slide-in metal Unusable Alex Jahner 254-5491 State Line Area (low-water) 14′ wide slide-in metal Unusable State Line Resort 336-7765 Cattail Bay 15′ wide concrete/plank Unusable Ralph Gabrysh 255-0015 Fort Yates 30′ [...]

Devils Lake – Lake Sakakawea Water Conditions

By Doug Leier Like night and day. Comparing apples to oranges. Pick your cliché that refers to contrasting situations, and apply it to North Dakota’s two largest bodies of water, Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. Sakakawea, a reservoir on the Missouri River, is at its lowest water level since it first filled nearly 40 years [...]

The Red River of the North

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 [...]

The Future of Hunting & Fishing in North Dakota

By Doug Leier We will guarantee you a more successful pheasant hunt, and at the same time, help improve your fishing. All you have to do is read this column. I’d venture to say that introduction would generate more interest than if I simply described how to maintain healthy grasslands and protect clean water. However, [...]

The First Cast Curse

By PJ Maguire   The lake was calm last summer when I took one of my younger cousins, Shawn, out fishing after dinner. In mid-July the wind typically dies down in the evening, making it perfect for casting top-water lures for Largemouth bass. There was a time in my life when top-water was my favorite [...]

Fishing Tackle Top Ten

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Springtime means stocking the tackle box with jigs, spinners, twisters, spoons, crankbaits and more; usually more lures than I’ll ever need. However, if it came down to it, there is a handful of them I couldn’t go without. For whatever species I was pursuing, I would forsake all other jigs, rigs [...]

Catch & Release Tools

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Catch and release works. Whether it’s preserving a viable fishery in a forty-acre bass lake or letting a trophy-caliber muskie swim back into the cabbage after an exciting battle, the mantra of C&R resounds stronger than ever through sport fishing circles. For those looking to preserve big fish it is easier [...]

The Heck with Tech

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. [...]

Freshen Up Your Skills

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 [...]

North Dakota Map

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

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 [...]

Shore Fishing

By Doug Leier As a youngster, I was part of a group of buddies who spent a lot of time fishing. We sometimes chuckled about the people with the biggest and the nicest boats and equipment probably who probably didn’t spend near as much time in and on the water as we did with, let’s [...]

North Shore Steelhead Initiation

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson     Though the weather is an element that is always out of my control, I try not to let it dampen the spirits of a fishing trip; particularly when that trip is my first of the season and my first to a new place. Despite highs in the forties, rain [...]

Managing Fish Habitat

By Doug Leier We’re heading into that time of year when the majority of our outdoors thoughts turn toward fishing. The bulk of the snow geese are well beyond North Dakota. The excitement of the first couple of weekends for spring turkey are past, and those of us who applied for a bighorn sheep, moose [...]

Life Jacket Lesson

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson The weather is cold and hot this time of year, and the fishing can be the same way. Streaky, inconsistent and uneven until the first warm stretch of weather brings April into May. One thing that should not be inconsistent is the attitude of anglers toward boat safety at this time [...]

Counting Coup

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson The term “success” varies among sportsmen.  For some, success is three roosters tucked into a vest, or a limit of walleyes on the cleaning board.  For others, success is simply walking the fields or wetting a line.  Getting away from the everyday with the expectation of success is an easily accomplished [...]

Recapping 2007 in North Dakota

By Doug Leier Over the last five years or so, I’ve written many times that we are living in an era that most anyone else with an outdoors interest will remember as the good old days, at least as far as hunting goes. As I look back at the last 12 months, it seems that [...]

All You Need Is Luck

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson   It has been said that luck is just an excuse for bad fishing. That’s mostly true. If one knows the seasons, the species and the patterns that result when the two cross, fishing success, or at least a couple fish here and there, isn’t tough to come by. Nevertheless, there [...]

My Favorite Things

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Smallies on orange jigs and crappies on minnows, Waking up to the lake sitting calm out the windows, Shore lunch fillets as the hot oil sings, These are a few of my favorite things. Black striped largemouth and polka-dot gators, Fishing spring walleye in holey green waders, Being outdoors, where the [...]

Spice Up Your Angling

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson   Each November, I assemble the best photos of my fishing trips throughout the region. I then upload the top twelve to the photo site Snapfish.com and make a calendar for my parents and grandmothers as a Christmas present. While showing the 2007 edition to one of her friends, my grandmother [...]

Boater Safety

By Doug Leier Summer outdoor safety is more than applying sunscreen before you head outdoors and wearing a seatbelt as you travel. In this day and age it’s a habit for most of us to secure ourselves with a seatbelt after entering a vehicle. Sunscreen protection is routine. So why is it that few people [...]

Getting Kids Hooked on Fishing

By Doug Leier I  could try to tell you how to catch whopper walleye, but my advice would be about as reliable as suggestions for chess strategy. I could also pass along the latest tips for limiting out on pike, but that too would be a farce. Five years ago I caught a 38-inch pike, [...]

The Golden Bonefish

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson It was a heavy Tuesday morning; the air was a humid blanket over the dew-soaked grass. There wasn’t a breath of wind according to the neighbor’s flag. Storms were brewing on the southwestern horizon, and I hoped to get some fishing in before work. I had walked the dog, like every [...]

Battling Aquatic Nuisance Species

By Doug Leier A few months ago I wrote about the expanding concern regarding aquatic nuisance species and their current and potential impact in North Dakota waters. While North Dakota doesn’t yet have ANS as significant as, say, zebra mussels in the Great Lakes, unwanted plants and animals continue to steal time and money away [...]

The Ugly Fish of Freshwater

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson It never fails. There’s that walleye-like tap at the end of the line, and the sensation of a fish swimming off with the bait. I tighten up the slack in the line, drop the rod tip and gently sweep the rod. Two fillets coming right up; but when the line starts [...]

The World Wide Web and the Outdoors

By Doug Leier Every day we are bombarded with information about websites. But a lot of it is good information. Websites are a great tool to learn more about a specific company or topic. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department website is no exception. While access to the Internet is an indoor activity, a [...]

Take Out the Trash

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson As the snow has melted away – once, twice, and now for the third time this spring – sportsmen are able to get out on area shorelines for some great early season fishing. What they are often confronted with on the trip is a reminder of how uncivilized we are as [...]

The Legend of the Grumman Boat

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 [...]

Fishing with Light Tackle

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson     Lighten up! If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been told that I’d be a rich man. However, there is one time no one has to tell me to lighten up and that is when I am angling for panfish, trout and finicky bass. The allure of [...]

Save Our Lakes

By Doug Leier Lakes and reservoirs in North Dakota are like a trusty shotgun – when you find one you like, it stands to reason you’ll make every effort to keep it working as long as possible. But you also understand there may come a time when the gun just might not perform like it [...]

Why Do I Fish?

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

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 [...]

Life Jackets Save Lives…Period

By Doug Leier  I  subscribe to the theory that the only sure-fire guarantee to enjoying your time outdoors is to stay legal and safe. Didn’t bag a deer? No fish in the live well? Returning safely from your outing, and yearning for the next trip outdoors, should ease your mind to some degree. On the [...]

Outdoors Pests

By Doug Leier Growing up in North Dakota, I was no stranger to the outdoors and all that accompanies exploring the nooks, brooks and crannies. My outdoor explorations included fish, ducks, deer, camping, hiking and just about any other activity possible. I enjoyed – and still do – spending more time out than in. Along [...]

Catch and Release Fishing

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 [...]

Carp

By Doug Leier Few words evoke more negative connotations in the angling world than carp, though I suspect in these parts that cormorant might come in a close second. It seems we’re an angling community that has come to hold certain species as desirable, and any threat to those . well, let’s just say anglers [...]

Bullhead Fishing & Kids

By Doug Leier  On a morning not long ago, my kids woke up begging, and it wasn’t the usual quest for Cheerios or to crawl in bed with mom. The dawn-breaking whines were designed to encourage a fishing trip. Specifically, they wanted to catch bullheads. Understand that Joe is 4 and Kaitlyn is 2, and [...]

A Trip to the Fish Hatchery

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson Big things start out small, and many area youth have recently had a chance to see just where such colossal fish such as the northern pike, walleye and jumbo perch get a jump start on life. On April 24, 2006, as part of the Barnes County Wildlife/US Fish and Wildlife Service-sponsored [...]

A Little Spring Cleaning

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson As I shuffled down the rain-soaked bank I paused and swore something was following me. I took another step and heard the grass rustle behind me. I slowly looked back over my shoulder, expecting to see a mountain lion, an angry mother goose or at least a muskrat. There was nothing. [...]

The Importance of Fish Stocking Programs

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. [...]

Maintaining Fish Populations in ND

By Doug Leier The fishing fun never ends in North Dakota, where except for a few specific situations, the season never officially closes. March 31, however, marked the expiration date of the 2005-06 fishing license, so starting April 1 a new fishing license is required. If you haven’t done so already, take a moment to [...]

Free Fishing Log – Printable Fishing Log

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, [...]

Don’t You Know How Lucky You Have It?

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson     I  met Ted late last March at the rapidly melting mud-covered boat launch on a small lake in LaMoure County. He was a fellow of about fifty or so, with a slight accent leading me to believe he wasn’t from North Dakota; though he did possess a lot of [...]

Looking Ahead to Fishing in 2006

By Doug Leier Fishing, and the rules, regulations and prospects surrounding it, was a major topic at this fall’s round of North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board meetings. That’s as it should be, as 2006 is an even-numbered year, and that means a new fishing proclamation is in the development stages and most [...]

Our Outdoors – The Next Thing On My List

By Nick Simonson   I’ve made a list and checked it twice, and last year it turned out to be pretty nice. In what has become a recent year-end tradition I assembled and updated the list of the various species of fish which I have caught since I first started fishing. In this past year, [...]

Fishing – A Home Run Every Time

By Doug Leier I  hung up the phone on a Sunday evening and thought to myself. Is it really this easy to enjoy a day of bass fishing? Planning the morning excursion I called Nick and he assured me all I needed was a supply of quarter-ounce jigs and assorted colors of twister tails. Gradually [...]

North Dakota Fish Hatcheries

By Doug Leier North Dakota has its share of variety for anglers. Catfishing on the Red River, paddlefishing on the Yellowstone and Missouri, walleye at Lake Sakakawea and perch at Devils Lake are among the more well-known adventures, but every locale seems to have a unique fishing hole that gives people value for their fishing [...]

Start Practicing Catch & Release

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 [...]

Give Drum Fishing a Try

By Doug Leier If you’re planning a summer fishing excursion in North Dakota, I’m here to help. On any given day, if I were to wager, I’d bet most anglers would have fresh walleye fillets in mind, except perhaps for some winter days when perch might climb the ladder of preferred species. For sheer pleasure [...]

The Best Fishing Season Ever

By Doug Leier Did you realize North Dakota’s fishing season opened April 1? Actually, that’s not quite true, as North Dakota’s fishing season is never closed, but April 1 does mark the need to purchase a new license, which is valid until March 31, 2006. While I’m at it, there’s no easier way to purchase [...]

Hunting Podcasts – Fishing Podcasts

Our Outdoors Nick Simonson     Every so often, technology revolutionizes the way we communicate, and one such innovation of recent note is growing not only a large subscriber base but also encouraging people to put themselves out there: providing tips, stories and news in all arenas. From ESPN to CBS, all of the major [...]

Hunting & Fishing Trends

By Doug Leier I  grew up without cable television and was never really into video games. We had about three television channels and seldom watched much for that matter. In the mid-1980s video games were just taking off, and thankfully the quarter required pay to play was not really easy to pry out of my dad’s [...]

Solunar Tables

By Doug Leier When your hunting and fishing skills are comparable to those of Captain Kangaroo, you need all the help you can get. One tool that doesn’t come via mail order or credit card swipe is the solunar tables listed in many magazines and newspaper outdoors sections. Like most people who spend a lot [...]

Hollywood’s Influence on the Outdoors

By Doug Leier Humans are humans, and animals are … not human. And yet, in so many movies, television programs and books, animals are given characteristics such as human speech, movement and emotion, that it’s hard for some people to separate the entertainment world from the real world. For many centuries, North Dakota’s native peoples [...]

Spring Cleaning

By Doug Leier I’m a big fan of spring cleaning, as it helps pass the time between a late winter cold snap and those never-long-enough flirtations with 50-degree days. Even before the last snow melts, I’ll be busy preparing for spring. But before you think I’m ruining the reputation of hunters and anglers every where, [...]

Why I Hunt & Fish

By PJ Maguire Last semester I had a talk with one of my professors, Dr. Patton at the University of North Dakota, about class and applying what I learn to real life situations. Anyone that has ever received an education at UND and taken a class with Patton knows that he teaches through examples. He [...]