Dakota Recreation Report

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Outdoor Notes:

- Saturday: Sakakawea Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Bismarck.

- Wednesday: Mandan Ducks Unlimited (DU), 4:30 p.m., Seven Seas, Mandan.

- March 24: Knife River DU banquet, 5 p.m., Grandview Steakhouse, Beulah.

- March 28: Elk, moose and bighorn sheep applications due.

- March 30 and 31: Future of Hunting in North Dakota conference, Bismarck.

- March 31: Cedar Creek Pheasants Forever banquet, Hettinger.

- April 1: New fishing and furbearer licenses due.

Fishing:

- Ice is never completely safe. Use caution, especially in areas with vegetation and around bridges. Check conditions locally before venturing out.

- Lake Sakakawea elevation, March 13: 1,837.7 feet above mean sea level; 22,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) Garrison Dam average daily releases.

- North Dakota Game and Fish Department District game wardens: Some northern pike activity below the dam at Lake Tschida. No water is currently being released but conditions could change. Area lakes have deteriorating ice conditions. No activity until there’s enough open water along the shoreline for shore-fishing.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: Some activity on the Missouri River, including Washburn, Wilton and Bismarck-Mandan.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Limited ice-fishing activity with deteriorating ice conditions on Lake Sakakawea. Northern pike moved up into the back bays so look for open water fishing along the shorelines soon. Most activity is on the Missouri River around Bismarck using jigs and minnows with fair to good walleye success.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm and Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/

area lakes: Missouri River good for walleye in the Bismarck-Mandan area. Try the Rifle Range. Missouri River tailrace, chutes and coal veins also good, as well as down river around Stanton and farther south. Walk-on access only, at best, on Lake Sakakawea. Look for activity at the Missouri and Yellowstone confluence soon.

- Garrison, Cenex Bait and Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Missouri River remains fair for walleye from both boat and shore. Lake Sakakawea ice is honeycombing and walk-on only access is recommended. Those venturing out are finding a mix of walleye, perch, sauger, smallmouth bass and pike at Douglas Bay. Not many reports from Lake Audubon.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Open water along the Lake Tschida shoreline so no activity until the lake opens.

- Mandan, Southside MVP, Missouri River/area lakes: Fair to good for walleye on the Missouri River north and south of Bismarck. Try jigs. Good to excellent northern pike numbers.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Missouri River slow to fair for walleye from both boat and shore. Try jigs, even from shore. Good numbers of pike with a few trout. Lots of boat activity.

- New Town, Scenic 23, Lake Sakakawea: Open water along the shoreline in the Van Hook Arm and the river portion of Lake Sakakawea.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: A few anglers still venturing out with improving pike success from Lake Sakakawea.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Continued pike success on the Little Muddy River. Look for activity on the confluence soon with warm weather.

Open Missouri River ramps:

- Tailrace, Stanton, Washburn, Steckel, Little Heart, Kimball Bottoms (slide-in metal), Graner’s Bottoms (limited parking). Docks in at Grant Marsh and Fox Island.

Downhill skiing:

- Big Sky, Big Sky, Montana: 54- to 81-inch base with packed powder, machine groomed conditions. All runs and lifts open.

- Bridger Bowl, Bozeman, Montana: 60-inch base with packed powder, machine groomed conditions. All runs and lifts open.

- Huff Hills, Mandan: Closed for season.

- Red Lodge, Red Lodge, Montana: 60- to 71-inch base with spring and powder conditions. All runs and 6 lifts open.

- Terry Peak, Lead, South Dakota: 16- to 20-inch base with machine groomed, spring conditions. All runs and lifts open.

Light goose migration:

- North Dakota: Snow geese moving into southeastern North Dakota and could move quickly with warm weather. Some birds reports in central North Dakota early in the week. Birds starting to trickle into the Devils Lake region and west around Minot. Not much for open water except for scattered wetlands.

- South Dakota: Migration is in full gear around Sand Lake Nat’l. Wildlife Refuge and in northeastern South Dakota Most snow is gone in that area. Snow geese pushing north hard with lots of birds, well over 300,000, in the area of western Marshall and eastern Brown counties.

Numbers to know:

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

- NDGF Department Dickinson office: 701-227-7431.

- Report All Poachers: 800-472-2121.

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

Patricia Stockdill

Tags: dakota recreation report, outdoors