Dakota Recreation Report

Outdoors notes

— Aug. 6: Ducks Unlimited Youth Waterfowl Workshop, 9 a.m., Bismarck.

— Aug. 13: Blue Goose Day, Audubon National. Wildlife Refuge.

— Aug. 13-15: Lewis & Clark Weekend, Cross Ranch State Park.

— Aug. 14-15: Roughrider Archery Tournament, Badlands Classic Hunter’s Warm-up, Medora. Call 701-290-3038 for more information.

Tournaments

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

— Aug. 7: Lake Sakakawea, White Earth Bay.

Fishing

— Lake Sakakawea elevation, Wednesday: 1,850.8 feet above mean sea level; 16,000 cubic feet per second Garrison Dam average daily releases.

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department District Game Wardens: Lake Audubon fair for walleye. Missouri River remains fair for walleye with anglers spread out more throughout the river. Tailrace remains slow to fair, at best. Lake Sakakawea fair with best success from Nishu Bay working west. Lake Tschida continues producing small walleye with occasional keeper mixed in. North Lemmon Lake fair for small walleye and panfish, including trout.

— Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Continued good walleye success, weather fronts permitting. Try Lindy rigs or spinners with nightcrawlers or leeches working west and east of Nishu Bay. Some northern pike and bass success mixed in.

— Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: East end of Lake Sakakawea fair for walleye around Alcatraz and Mallard islands. Try working Deadmans Bay over to Government Bay for salmon. No reports from the Missouri River.

— Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Lots of walleye activity on Lake Sakakawea, including the Van Hook Arm. Try 18 to 22 feet using Lindy rigs and nightcrawlers. Also try north and south of New Town in 18 to 20 feet using Lindy rigs and minnows. McKenzie Bay remains good but fish moved deeper in 10 to 18 feet using spinners and nightcrawlers. Try Elmer’s Point or Brown Springs. Skunk Bay producing walleye in 18 to 22 feet using Lindy rigs or jigs with minnows. Lake Tschida producing walleye using Lindy rigs in 12 to 18 feet. Indian Creek producing perch using twister tails with nightcrawlers. Camels Hump getting weedy but still producing trout.

— Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Lake Tschida fair to good for walleye using Lindy rigs and minnows or spinners with nightcrawlers in 8 to 25 feet. Try the Eagle’s Nest area of McKenzie Bay on Lake Sakakawea using spinners and nightcrawlers, Lindy rigs with minnows or crankbaits in 10 to 20 feet. Some activity on the Missouri River south of Bismarck.

— Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Fair to good for walleye. Try crankbaits in 15 to 18 feet or spinners with nightcrawlers working the north shore in less than 20 feet.

— Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Not many recent reports.

— Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea: Continued fair to good but spotty and inconsistent for walleye with anglers working the main lake and bays in the Little Missouri Arm.

— Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Audubon slowed but still fair for walleye using spinners and bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers in 20 to 25 feet. Lake Sakakawea fair to good for walleye but fish are scattered. Try Mallard Island or Isaak Bay working west. Fish are spread out along the points. Try 20 to 25 feet with crankbaits or shallow in 6 to 15 feet using Lindy rigs, floating Lindy rigs or spinners with bottom bounces. Also try jigs or Gulp! Improving salmon success using flashers and squids in 60 to 85 feet over 100 to 120 feet. Most fish are in the 6- to 10-pound range. Missouri River fair to good for walleye. Work down river around the cable crossing in the morning, switching to the stumps or coal veins later in the day using Lindy rigs, spinners or jigs with nightcrawlers or Gulp! Some trout in the chutes.

— New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Continued fair to good for walleye working shallow with spinners and bottom bouncers in the north end of the Van Hook Arm. Also

— Watford City, Tobacco Garden Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Fair for walleye with most anglers working the north shore. Some success farther east on the south side using a variety of presentations with nightcrawlers as well as some leeches or minnows in 9 to 20 feet.

— Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Fair for walleye on Lake Sakakawea but anglers having to work harder for them. Good numbers of northern pike and bass.

— Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Sakakawea remains fair walleye. Try the north shore around White Earth Bay pulling crankbaits or spinners. McGregor Dam remains good for perch and walleye. Sather and Leland dams producing bluegill with occasional bass.

River report

— Bear Den Creek, Mandaree: Streamflow, 16 cfs; creek stage, 4.96 feet.

— Cannonball River, Regent: Streamflow, 5 cfs; river stage, 1.88 feet.

— Green River, New Hradec: Streamflow, 4.7 cfs; river stage, 6.39 feet.

— Heart River, Richardton: Streamflow, 48 cfs; river stage, 5.23 feet.

— Knife River, Manning: Streamflow, 2.5 cfs; river stage, 6.34 feet.

— Little Missouri, Marmath: Streamflow, 245 cfs; river stage, 2.3 feet.

— Little Missouri, Medora: Streamflow, 359 cfs; river stage, 3.11 feet.

— Little Missouri, Long D: Streamflow, 354 cfs; river stage, 0.98 feet.

— Missouri River, Stanton: River stage, 20.88 feet.

— Missouri River, Williston: River stage, 9.83 feet.

— Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont.: Streamflow, 13,800 cfs; river stage, 6.76 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