Dakota Recreation Report for 07/02/09

Talk about it

By Patricia Stockdill

Tournaments

July 11: Sheep Creek Dam; Lake Sakakawea, Wolf Creek; Lake Sakakawea Van Hook Arm.

July 11 & 12: Lake Sakakawea, McKenzie Bay.

July 17 & 18: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park.

Fishing

Lake Sakakawea elevation: 1,838.8 feet above mean sea level.

N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dist. game wardens: A few more anglers going to Lake Tschida with some nice-sized white bass taken. Activity slowed below the dam. Try Blickensderfer Dam for northern pike.

Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye activity in 12 to 18 feet working west of the resort. Try Lindy rigs with nightcrawlers or minnows. Also try crankbaits. Occasional northern pike and smallmouth bass.

Bowman, Bowman-Haley Dam Marina, Bowman-Haley Dam: Last week’s storms limited activity but with stable weather more anglers and recreational boaters are back on the lake.

Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/Area Lakes: Missouri River remains good for walleye. Work variety of presentations and depths. Not many reports from small area lakes, although Lake Audubon improving for walleye. East end of Lake Sakakawea slow with better activity from Hazen and Douglas bays to the west.

Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/Area lakes: Try 6 to 18 feet for small walleye in Skunk Bay on Lake Sakakawea around the buffalo fence, Independence Point or petrified forest using nightcrawlers or leeches. The slides, Beacon, and Deepwater Bay producing walleye in 6 to 17 feet. Bear Den producing sauger in 20 to 25 feet. Dickinson Dike fair for small trout and bluegill. Camels Hump continues good for rainbow trout with some brown trout mixed in.

Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/Area lakes: Lake Sakakawea continues seeing improving walleye success. Try Independence Point and Shade Hill jigging in 20 to 25 feet or slip bobbers in the shallows with the weeds. Van Hook Arm also producing good numbers of nice-sized fish. Other areas on the lake are also producing. Indian Creek spotty. Camels Hump Dam remains good for trout. Odlands Dam and Bowman-Haley remains fair to good.

Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye activity. Work the mud lines with Lindy rigs or spinners and nightcrawlers. Move around.

Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Lake Tschida remains good.

Mandan, Southside MVP, Missouri River/Area lakes: Continued good for walleye on the Missouri River. Limited activity on small area lakes.

Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea, McKenzie Bay: Fair to good for walleye using a variety of presentations. Most activity remains in the arm. The road is now blacktopped to the marina.

New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Good walleye success in the Van Hook Arm working 20 to 25 feet with spinners or Lindy rigs with leeches or nightcrawlers.

Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Sakakawea improving with some walleye starting to show up on the east end. Try 15 to 20 feet as well as inside the weed beds around Douglas or Steinke bays and Seven Sisters. Water temperatures remain cool. Douglas Bay also producing bass in the weeds. Try crankbaits or downrigging along the face of the dam for salmon. Missouri River remains good for walleye down river. Try cable crossings in the morning or coal veins. Better success is still farther south. Work chutes early in the morning for trout. Hit-and-miss but fair to good from the rocks at night pitching crankbaits.

Ray, Lund’s Landing, Lake Sakakawea, Whitetail Bay: Continued walleye activity. Try jigs and minnows in 16 to 18 feet around Dinosaur Point.

Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Continued fair to good walleye activity throughout the general area of Lake Sakakawea, including Skunk Bay and New Town area. Water is muddier yet around Tobacco Garden with slower success.

Watford City, Tobacco Garden Resort & Marina, Lake Sakakawea: Walleye activity slowed down with the lake still on the rise and recent storms. Those willing to put in their time are finding fish.

Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea: West end of Lake Sakakawea remains fair to good, but spread out, for walleye. Try anywhere from Van Hook Arm to the west past White Earth Bay. Shore-fishing remains good at White Earth Bay.

Rivers report

Cannonball River, Raleigh gage: Streamflow, 263 cubic feet per second; river stage, 4.55 feet.

Green River, New Hradec gage: Streamflow, 1.1 cfs; river stage, 6.12 feet.

Heart River, Richardton gage: Streamflow, 60 cfs; river stage, 5.82 feet.

Little Missouri River, Marmath gage: Streamflow, 341 cfs; river stage, 2.46 feet.

Little Missouri River, Medora gage: Streamflow, 303 cfs; river stage, 3.12 feet.

Little Missouri River, Long X gage: Streamflow, 457 cfs; river stage, 2.37 feet.

Missouri River, Garrison Dam average daily discharge: 16,000 cfs.

Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont. gage: 43,200 cfs; river stage, 12. 38 feet.

Numbers to know

N.D. Game & Fish Dept. main Bismarck office: 701-328-6300; Web site http://gf.nd.gov.

N.D. Game & Fish Dept. Dickinson office: 701-227-7431.

Report All Poachers: 800-472-2121.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Bismarck, Web site: http://mountain-prairie.fws.gov/north

dakotafieldoffice.

Tags: outdoors, dakota, report, recreation