Dakota Recreation Report

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Notes

- Wednesday: Spring turkey applications due.

- Feb. 20: Snowshoeing tour, Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, 2 p.m. Registration required. Call 701-442-5472, ext. 110 to register.

- Feb. 23: Wildlife Wednesday: North Dakota Game and Fish Department, 100 N. Bismarck Expressway, 7 p.m., wildlife management and how to age wildlife.

Tournaments

- Saturday: Sheep Creek Dam; Lake Audubon.

Fishing

- Ice is never completely safe. Use caution, especially around bridges and areas with vegetation. Check local conditions before venturing onto ice. Let someone know your location and estimated return time.

- Lake Sakakawea elevation, Tuesday: 1,839.5 feet above mean sea level; 26,000 cubic feet per second Garrison Dam average daily releases.

- NDGF Game Wardens: A few anglers accessing White Earth Bay on Lake Sakakawea with snowmobiles but success is slow. Missouri River wing walls continue producing walleye, weather permitting.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: More anglers on Lake Oahe, weather permitting. Limited reports from small area lakes.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Access remains difficult around Lake Sakakawea though the New Town area has reports of sauger activity. Indian Creek remains fair to good for small walleye and perch. Try wax worms or minnows. Larson Lake good for small northern pike with lots of activity. Try smelt or minnows. Camels Hump Dam continues producing trout.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm & Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Indian Creek Dam producing small perch and walleye using Swedish pimples. Lake Tschida fair for walleye and northern pike. Try Lindy rattle flyers or buckshot rattle spoons with minnow heads. Larson Lake fair to good for pike using smelt or minnows. No reports from Lake Sakakawea.

- Garrison, Cenex Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Good numbers of anglers on the ice on the west end of Lake Audubon. Respectable numbers of small walleye with occasional keeper mixed in. Anglers can access off the East Totten boat ramp. Also try the east end by the cabin site but access limited to walking, snowmobiles or four-wheelers and portable houses. Some reports of perch success from the east end of Lake Sakakawea along the north shore. Some activity around Garrison Bay, as well.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: No reports from Lake Tschida.

- Mandan, Southside MVP, Missouri River/area lakes: Increasing walleye activity around Eckroth Bottoms and Fort Rice of Lake Oahe.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Little activity on Lake Sakakawea. Watch slumping shorelines and pressure ridges with dropping water elevations. Missouri River tailrace continues producing walleye from boats, weather permitting. Try jigs and minnows. Wing walls also good but ice over in good weather.

- New Town, Van Hook Bait & Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Ice conditions are poor with lots of water and slush on the ice at the Van Hook Arm. Most activity is farther west around Lund’s Landing.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Tobacco Garden fair for sauger.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Missouri and Yellowstone rivers remain fairly consistent for sauger and walleye. Some activity at Tobacco Garden on Lake Sakakawea but access is limited.

Snowmobiling

- Cattail (Steele, Cass and Traill counties): 15-inch base. Trail open, groomed and in good condition.

- East Central Valley (Fargo, Casselton area): Trails open and in fair to good condition; 17-inch base.

- Lake Region (Devils Lake area): 13-inch base. Trails open, groomed and in good condition. Snow is hard and wind-blown.

- May-Port (Mayville, Portland area): 12-inch base. Trail open, groomed and in good condition.

- Missouri Valley (Bismarck, Linton area): 9-inch base. Trails open and in fair to good condition with sections groomed this week.

- North Central (Leeds, Rugby area): 12-inch base. Trails open and in good condition with western portion groomed. Snow is hard and wind-blown.

- Northeast (Cavalier, Langdon, Edinburg area): 8-inch base. Trails open, groomed and good condition.

- Peace Garden (Bottineau, Rolla area): 8-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Eastern portion groomed with western portion holding up well and scheduled for grooming this week. Several sections re-routed due to thin ice.

- Red River North (Grafton): 8-inch base. Trails open, groomed and in good condition.

- Red River South (Grand Forks, Fordville, Manvel area): 8-inch base. Trails open, groomed and in good condition.

r Sargent County (Sargent and Richland counties): 13-inch base. Trails open but not groomed due to high winds.

- Sheyenne Valley (Jamestown, Valley City, Lisbon, Oakes area): 12-inch base. Trails open and in fair to good condition but not groomed.

- Sno-Trails (McHenry and Ward counties): 19-inch base. Trails opened with some sections groomed and in good condition.

- Southern Valley (Wahpeton, Mooreton): 13-inch base. Trails open and in good condition. Grooming will be done, weather permitting.

Skiing

- Big Sky, Big Sky, Mont.: 60 to 87-inch base with powder conditions and several inches new snow in the past week. All runs open with 19 lifts operating.

r Huff Hills, Mandan: 24- to 31-inch base with all runs open and lifts operating. Four inches new snow over past week.

- Red Lodge, Red Lodge, Mont.: 34- to 37-inch base with packed powder and machine-groomed conditions. All runs open with six lifts operating.

- Terry Peak, Lead, S.D.: 20- to 38-inch base with machine-groomed, packed powder conditions. All runs open and trails operating.

- North Dakota State Parks and Recreation Department cross-country trail report. Annual or day use pass needed.

- Cross Ranch, Hensler: Trails open and in good condition with 26- to 30-inch base. Four inches new snow in past week.

- Fort Lincoln, Mandan: 25- to 30-inch base with 25- to 30-inch base and bout 6 inches new snow.

- Fort Stevenson, Garrison: Trails groomed and in good condition with excellent base. A new snowshoe and walking path is packed adjacent to the tracked and packed ski trail on all three loops.

Numbers

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

- NDGF Dickinson office: 701-227-7431.

- Report All Poachers: 800-472-2121.

- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bismarck, website www.fws.gov/northdakotafield office.

Tags: recreation report, outdoors, fishing, skiing, snowmobiling