Dakota Recreation Report

Outdoor notes

- July 10: Boat Safety Day, Sakakawea State Park.

Tournaments

- July 10: Sweetbriar Dam; Lake Sakakawea, Wolf Creek.

- July 10-11: Lake Sakakawea, McKenzie Bay.

- July 16 & 17: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park, N.D. Governor’s Cup.

- July 17: Lake Sakakawea, Van Hook Arm.

Fishing

- Lake Sakakawea elevation, Wednesday, 1,847.3 feet above mean sea level; 14,000 cubic feet per second Garrison Dam average daily releases.

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department District Game Wardens: Moderate success at Dickinson Dike and Camels Hump Dam. Missouri River OK for small walleye with some trout in the tailrace. Try working from the cable crossing south with best success around Steckel Landing. Move around. Lake Audubon fair for walleye with increasing numbers of anglers on the water. Lake Sakakawea producing a few walleye west of Beaver Bay.

- Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success in 12 to 20 feet with stable weather. Try spinners, Lindy rigs or jigs with minnows. Also try nightcrawlers. Most activity remains west around Beaver and Red Butte bays. Some northern pike mixed in.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: Mixed success south of Bismarck-Mandan around Langelier’s Bay on Lake Oahe. Harmon Lake producing small catch-and-release northern pike. Some activity at Fish Creek.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: McKenzie Bay on Lake Sakakawea continues producing small walleye and sauger with some nice-sized perch mixed in. Try 8 to 20 feet using spinners and minnows or nightcrawlers. Also try Fish Point in 6 to 12 feet using minnows. Work 22 to 40 feet in Skunk Bay with jigs or Lindy rigs with minnows for sauger. Try 12 to 18 feet with crankbaits or Lindy rigs with minnows around Tobacco Garden. Van Hook Arm remains slow. Lake Tschida producing walleye in 8 to 15 feet with Lindy rigs and nightcrawlers or minnows. Also try pitching jigs and minnows in the shallows. Camels Hump dam good for trout. Dickinson Dike producing small trout and bluegill. Consider catch-and-release on Patterson Lake to help keep those predator fish in to remove the bullhead and carp.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Try 12 to 15 feet for walleye and sauger around Tobacco Garden on Lake Sakakawea. McKenzie Bay slow to fair for walleye using jigs or Lindy rigs with minnows or nightcrawlers in 5 to 30 feet. Continued walleye activity on the Missouri River. Try spinners with nightcrawlers in 10 to 25 feet. Lake Tschida good for walleye using minnows or nightcrawlers in 3 to 15 feet from shore.

- Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Some sauger success with a few walleye mixed in. Try around 30 feet working west of the resort.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Good for small walleye and bass.

- Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea: A few more walleye starting to show up with scattered success in the main lake, as well. Most success remains in the Little Missouri Arm with more sauger coming from the main lake. Try 6 to 22 feet in the arm using variety of presentations.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Audubon fair to good for walleye using live bait. Lake Sakakawea remains slow for walleye. Try 7 Sisters, U.S. Highway 83 embankment, Sakakawea State Park or Steinke Bay working 18 to 20 feet in the trees. Not many anglers fishing for salmon off the face of the dam but look for the fish to be there. Try downriggers. Missouri River remains good but inconsistent for walleye. Try drifting the cable crossings in the morning but move into the coal veins and stumps later in the day using jigs or Lindy rigs with variety of bait. Also try Gulp! Try 3-way swivels in the tailrace for trout and walleye. Remember to release all sturgeon. Fair but inconsistent success from shore at night. Not much catfish success in the tailrace.

- New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Limited walleye success yet in the Van Hook Arm although a few more fish are showing up in shallow water. Try south of the bridge on the river in 28 to 32 feet for sauger and 7 to 12 feet for walleye using spinners and nightcrawlers. Also try Independence Point.

- Ray, Lund’s Landing, Whitetail Bay, Lake Sakakawea: Lots of water coming in with muddy conditions. Fair to good for catfish and bass from shore with some northern pike mixed in. Not many reports from boats.

- Watford City, Tobacco Garden Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Generally slow for walleye and sauger with the lake rapidly on the rise.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Lake Sakakawea somewhat slow around Tobacco Garden with most anglers going towards the New Town area.

- White Earth, White Earth Bay Trading Post, Lake Sakakawea: Activity slowed with occasional walleye and sauger working 18 to 30 feet out front along the island, west of the recreation area, across at Phelps Bay, and down along Antelope Flats. Crappie slowed but some northern pike remain schooled along with good bass success.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Sakakawea fair but inconsistent and spotty. Better success seems farther east around New Town in cleaner water. Increasing interest in catfish on the Missouri River.

River report

- Bear Den Creek, Mandaree: Streamflow, 9.5 cfs; creek stage, 4.8 feet.

- Cannonball River, Regent: Streamflow, 7.3 feet; river stage, 2.02 feet.

- Green River, New Hradec: Streamflow, 58 cfs; river stage, 7.39 feet.

- Heart River, Richardton: Streamflow, 88 cfs; river stage, 6.34 feet.

- Knife River, Manning: Streamflow, 30 cfs; river stage, 7.4 feet.

- Little Missouri, Marmath: Streamflow, 958 cfs; river stage, 4.13 feet.

- Little Missouri, Medora: Streamflow, 1,950 cfs; river stage, 6.07 feet.

- Little Missouri, Long X backup sensor: Streamflow, 3,080 cfs; river stage, 4.63 feet.

- Missouri River, Stanton: River stage, 9.39 feet.

- Missouri River, Williston: River stage, 22.27 feet.

- Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont.: Streamflow, 40,500 cfs; river stage, 12.01 feet.

Numbers to know

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

- NDGF Dickinson office: 701-227-7431.

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

- Report poachers: 800-472-2121.

Tags: dakota report, outdoors, fishing