Dakota Recreation Report

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Outdoor notes

- Saturday: Boat Safety Day, Sakakawea State Park.

- July 17: Junior Governor’s Cup Fishing Derby, Fort Stevenson State Park.

Tournaments

- Saturday: Lake Sakakawea, Wolf Creek; Sweetbriar Dam.

- Saturday and Sunday: Lake Sakakawea, McKenzie Bay.

- July 16 and 17: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park.

- July 17: Lake Sakakawea, Van Hook Arm.

Fishing

- Lake Sakakawea elevation, Wednesday: 1,848.9 feet above mean sea level; 14,000 cubic feet per second Garrison Dam average daily releases. Tail water temperature at 49.

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department District Game Wardens: Lake Audubon fair but slowed somewhat for walleye. Van Hook Arm on Lake Sakakawea improved last week but slowed again over the Fourth of July weekend. White Earth Bay and New Town area slow to fair for walleye and sauger with slightly improving success. McKenzie and Red Butte bays improving for walleye. Missouri River fair with the most consistent walleye action in areas south of Bismarck on Lake Oahe. Tailrace remains slow. Lake Tschida has small muskie but anglers must release all muskie less than 40 inches in length from all state lakes. Lake Tschida producing lots of small walleye good for catch-and-release.

- Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success. Try 12 to 18 feet using Lindy rigs, spinners or jigs with nightcrawlers around mouth of the resort working west to Beaver and Red Butte bays. Work the points and flats.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: Some nice-sized walleye around Hazelton on Lake Oahe. Porcupine Bay slowed. Missouri River south of Bismarck remains OK but not as good as earlier. Lake Audubon remains fair to good for walleye.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Lake Sakakawea producing small walleye. Work 5 to 15 feet in McKenzie Bay using spinners and nightcrawlers. Also try 5 to 20 feet around Skunk Bay using minnows or nightcrawlers. Lake Tschida fair to good for walleye. Try 12 feet using Lindy rigs and minnows. Heart River producing northern pike. Camels Hump Dam continues good for trout. Bowman-Haley Dam fair for walleye.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Tobacco Garden on Lake Sakakawea fair for walleye. Try spinners, jigs or Lindy rigs in 8 to 15 feet. Mel’s Marina, Tunnel Point or McKenzie Bay fair for walleye in 5 to 20 feet using spinners or jigs with nightcrawlers or minnows. Also try Battleship Island. Independence Point fair for walleye using jigs and minnows in 10 feet. No reports from Missouri River tailrace. Lake Tschida remains good for walleye in 5 to 15 feet using spinners with nightcrawlers.

- Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Continued sauger activity with improving walleye success. Most activity remains along the south shore. Try harnesses with bottom bouncers in 15 to 25 feet.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Lots of activity but walleye success slowed somewhat although good numbers of small walleye are still being caught. Lake is starting to get green.

r Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye bite. Best success remains in the Little Missouri Arm but no consistent pattern has developed yet for presentation or bait. Try working shallower water.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Spotty walleye reports from Lake Sakakawea. Try crankbaits or spinners with nightcrawlers in 20-plus feet. Lake Audubon remains fair to good but inconsistent for walleye. Missouri River fair to good although inconsistent, as well. Try variety of presentations although bait seems to have switched to nightcrawlers more so than minnows. Work around the stumps, coal veins or honey hole from boat and move around. Chutes continue producing variety of trout, walleye, and catfish. Shore-fishing from the rocks at night is also inconsistent.

- New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success in the Van Hook Arm. Try Shell Bay and the Arm around sunken islands in 15 to 20 feet. Also try shallow along the weeds in 5 to 9 feet using spinners and nightcrawlers as well as jigs and minnows. Some limits coming in.

- Ray, Lund’s Landing, Whitetail Bay, Lake Sakakawea: Somewhat slow for walleye and sauger. Try spinners and jigs and nightcrawlers.

- Watford City, Tobacco Garden Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Still somewhat slow for walleye. Some catfish success from shore.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Fair to good for walleye and sauger around the New Town area of Lake Sakakawea. OK success across from Tobacco Garden.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Improving walleye activity on the upper end of Lake Sakakawea. Try variety of presentations in shallow water. Also try crankbaits in deeper water.

River report

- Bear Den Creek, Mandaree: Streamflow, 14 cfs; creek stage, 4.91 feet.

- Cannonball River, Regent: Streamflow, 6.9 cfs.

- Green River, New Hradec: Streamflow, 7.9 cfs; river stage, 6.69 feet.

- Heart River, Richardton: Streamflow, 93 cfs; river stage, 5.67 feet.

- Knife River, Manning: Streamflow, 3.1 cfs; river stage, 6.41 feet.

- Little Missouri, Marmath: Streamflow, 503 cfs; river stage, 3.09 feet.

- Little Missouri, Medora: Streamflow, 442 cfs; river stage, 3.35 feet.

- Little Missouri, Long X backup sensor: Streamflow, 1,160 cfs; river stage, 2.3 feet.

- Missouri River, Stanton: River stage, 22.56 feet.

- Missouri River, Williston: River stage, 9.7 feet.

- Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont.: Streamflow, 38,800 cfs; river stage, 11.73 feet.

Numbers

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

- NDGF Dickinson office: 701-227-7431.

- Report poachers: 800-472-2121.

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

Tags: dakota report, lake sakakawea, little missouri, outdoors