Dakota Recreation Report

Outdoor notes

- Saturday: N.D. Junior Governor’s Cup Fishing Derby, Lake Sakakawea.

Tournaments

- Friday and Saturday.: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park.

- Saturday: Lake Sakakawea, Van Hook Arm.

- July 23-24: Lake Sakakawea, Beulah Bay.

- July 24: Lake Sakakawea, McKenzie Bay; Lake Audubon.

Fishing

- Lake Sakakawea elevation, Wednesday: 1,849.9 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: Limited success on the east end of Lake Sakakawea with some reports of improving walleye success in the Van Hook Arm. Parshall Bay also seeing improving success.

- Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Continued good walleye success. Try Lindy rigs or spinners with nightcrawlers or leeches in 13 to 18, or as shallow as 6 to 8 feet. Fish are healthy and nice-looking. Try west of resort working points and flats around Renner and Beaver bays, as well the inlet between them.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: Missouri River fair to good from Prairie Knights to the south. Lake Audubon fair to good for walleye. Improving walleye activity on the east end of Lake Sakakawea, along with the Van Hook Arm. Harmon Lake producing catch-and-release, small northern pike. Lake Tschida OK for smaller walleye.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Mossett and McKenzie bays on Lake Sakakawea good for walleye in 5 to 18 feet using Lindy rigs or spinners with nightcrawlers. Try 18 to 22 feet in the Van Hook Arm using spinners or Lindy rigs and nightcrawlers. Bowman-Haley Dam fair for walleye using nightcrawlers. Camel’s Hump Dam getting weedy but still producing trout.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Tobacco Garden on Lake Sakakawea fair for walleye using variety of presentations in 7 to 25 feet using nightcrawlers or leeches. McKenzie Bay and Mel’s Marina also fair using spinners with nightcrawlers or crankbaits in 5 to 12 feet. Try jigs or spinners and nightcrawlers, or Lindy rigs with leeches in Van Hook Arm in 5 to 12 feet. Good numbers of northern pike mixed in, as well, throughout many of the areas. Lake Tschida fair for walleye using spinners and nightcrawlers in 7 to 15 feet. Most of the Missouri River activity remains south of Bismarck in 5 to 15 feet using spinners.

- Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Continued improving walleye success. Try along the south shore using nightcrawlers or minnows.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Fair to good but spotty walleye success.

- Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea: Fair for walleye with most activity in the Little Missouri Arm.

- Mandan, Southside MVP, Missouri River/Area Lakes: Best success on the Missouri River is south around Cattail Bay and into South Dakota. Some success from the tailrace, as well.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Audubon remains fair to good for walleye. Try spinners and nightcrawlers. Lake Sakakawea improving for walleye working 6 to 28 feet. Try Lindy rigs with nightcrawlers or leeches in 6 to 10 feet. Work deeper with spinners and bottom bouncers or crankbaits outside the tree lines. Decent numbers of fish with overall encouraging success. Missouri River fair to good. Work the cable crossing in the morning with nightcrawlers. Try the holes later in the day. Some activity in the chutes as well.

- New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Fair to good for walleye along the east shore or Little Field Bay in the trees in 8 to 12 feet. Also try sunken islands in 20 to 25 feet using spinners or Lindy rigs with nightcrawlers.

- Ray, Lund’s Landing, Whitetail Bay, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success. Try harnesses or jigs with nightcrawlers or crankbaits working from White Earth Bay to Lewis & Clark State Park.

- Watford City, Tobacco Garden Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success. Try a variety of presentations in 10 to 20 feet, working east of Tobacco Garden.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Improving walleye success on Lake Sakakawea in 10 to 15 feet using spinners and jigs. Also try 4 to 7 feet.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Sakakawea improving for walleye with more anglers out and better success, including Tobacco Garden and Lund’s Landing. Try spinners or crankbaits as shallow as 10 feet. Missouri River fair to good for catfish.

River report

- Bear Den Creek, Mandaree: Streamflow, 17 cfs; creek stage, 4.98 feet.

- Cannonball River, Regent: Streamflow, 5.7 cfs; river stage, 1.93 feet.

- Green River, New Hradec: Streamflow, 1.2 cfs; river stage, 6.22 feet.

- Heart River, Richardton: Streamflow, 155 cfs; river stage, 6.13 feet.

- Knife River, Manning: Streamflow, 1.6 cfs; river stage, 6.22 feet.

- Little Missouri, Marmath: Streamflow, 221 cfs; river stage, 2.21 feet.

- Little Missouri, Medora: Streamflow, 273 cfs; river stage, 2.83 feet.

- Little Missouri, Long X: Streamflow, 721 cfs; river stage, 1.64 feet.

- Missouri River, Stanton: River stage, 21.52 feet.

- Missouri River, Williston: River stage, 9.82 feet.

- Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont.: Streamflow, 22,000 cfs; river stage, 8.63 feet.

Numbers

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department main Bismarck office: 701-328-6300; Web site, http://gf.nd.gov.

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department Dickinson office: 701-227-7431.

- Report poachers: 800-472-2121.

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

Tags: dakota report, outdoors