Dakota Recreation Report

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Tournaments

- Saturday and Sunday: Lake Sakakawea, Indian Hills Resort.

- Tuesday: Lake Sakakawea, White Earth Bay.

- Aug. 15: Lake Sakakawea, Sakakawea State Park.

Fishing

- Lake Sakakawea elevation, Wednesday: 1,842.3 feet above mean sea level.

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department District Game Wardens: Missouri River remains fair. East end of Lake Sakakawea and Lake Audubon slow. Van Hook and New Town areas slow to fair at best for walleye. West end of the lake might be the best bet. Try the north shore.

- Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success in 20 to 30 feet using Lindy rigs with nightcrawlers or minnows. Also try spinners. Most activity along the south side, including Renner and Little Soldier bays. Occasional northern pike and smallmouth bass. Darnell Arndt and Clay Foss, Dickinson, won the Friday and Saturday Dakota Walleye Classic with 10 fish weighing 28.47 pounds.

- Bowman, Bowman-Haley Dam Marina, Bowman-Haley Dam: Fair to good for walleye and white bass. Try a variety of depths.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: Missouri River remains fair with most activity near Bismarck-Mandan and south. A few musky from New Johns. Lake Sakakawea starting to produce a few salmon along the face of the dam and Riverdale bluffs.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/Area Lakes: Work 17 to 30 feet around McKenzie and Skunk bays on Lake Sakakawea. Try minnows or nightcrawlers. Heart River producing walleye in Dickinson using bobbers and minnows. Camels Hump Dam continues producing trout. Davis Dam a good area for young anglers with bluegill and trout activity.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Fair to good for walleye around the corrals on Lake Sakakawea. Work deeper in 30 to 35 feet. Look for some sauger in even deeper water. Parshall Bay fair to good for smaller walleye in 25 feet and deeper. Area lakes remain generally slow.

- Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Walleye anglers starting to see some better, more consistent success in 28 to 35 feet working the south side. Good numbers of small fish.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Not much activity on Lake Tschida.

- Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea, McKenzie Bay: Walleye activity remains hit-and-miss. Try the mouth toward Whopper Island and Saddle. Work 16 to 30 feet using Lindy rigs and nightcrawlers.

- New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye activity in the Van Hook Arm. Work deep using spinners and bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers. Also try Lindy rigs.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/ Missouri River: Lake Sakakawea fair but inconsistent for small walleye. Try 5 feet in the trees down to 70 feet using heavy weights. Work the points and concentrate around 35 feet. Water is clear. Try small silver propellers with spinners. Not much size with most fish in the 14- to 16-inch, eating size range. Occasional salmon in 70 to 110 feet using herring or flashers and squids. Missouri River good for walleye down river using live bait. Walleye bite remains good from the rocks late night and early morning. Try three-way swivels in the tailrace.

- Ray, Lund’s Landing, Lake Sakakawea, Whitetail Bay: Continued good walleye activity with fish scattered throughout the west end. Try variety of presentations and locations.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Tobacco Garden on Lake Sakakawea good for walleye. Work shallow.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea: Continued walleye activity on the west end of Lake Sakakawea. Van Hook Arm area remains slow.

Rivers report

(as of Wednesday)

- Cannonball River, Regent gage: Streamflow, 12 cubic feet per second; river stage, 5.15 feet.

- Green River, New Hradec gage: Streamflow, 0.21 CFS; river stage, 5.82 feet.

- Heart River, Richardton gage: Streamflow, 168 CFS; river stage, 6.68 feet.

- Knife River, Manning gage: Streamflow, 4.2 CFS; river stage, 6.47 feet.

- Little Missouri River, Marmath gage: Streamflow, 113 CFS; river stage, 1.66 feet.

- Little Missouri River, Medora gage: Streamflow, 149 CFS; river stage, 2.52 feet.

- Little Missouri River, Long X gage: Streamflow, 203 CFS; river stage, 1.68 feet.

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

- Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont. gage: 12,400 CFS; river stage, 6.58 feet.

Numbers to know

- NDGFD main Bismarck office: 701-328-6300; Web site http://gf.nd.gov.

- NDGFD Dickinson office: 227-7431.

- Report poachers: (800) 472-2121.

- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bismarck, Web site: www.fws.gov/northdakotafieldoffice.

— Patricia Stockdill

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