Dakota Recreation Report

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Outdoor notes

- July 28: North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation and Outdoors Skills Park, North Dakota State Fair, Minot.

Tournaments

- Friday and Saturday: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park, Garrison. Governor’s Cup Walleye Derby.

- Saturday: Lake Sakakawea, Fort Stevenson State Park, Garrison. Junior Governor’s Cup Walleye Derby, 10 a.m., Lake Sakakawea; McKenzie Bay.

- July 27 and 28: Lake Sakakawea, Dakota Walleye Classic, Beulah Bay.

- July 28 and 29: Lake Sakakawea, Skunk Bay.

- July 28: Lake Sakakawea; Parshall Bay.

Fishing

- NDGF Department District game wardens: Not much change on west-central area lakes with light fishing activity. No reports from southwestern lakes. Lake Sakakawea remains fair to good for walleye throughout much of the lake. In the midsection, the best success is west of New Town.

- Beulah, Dakota Waters Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Fair walleye activity but success slowed somewhat from last week. Try the north shore or Beaver Bay along the south side. Heat moving fish down to 15 to 20 feet and deeper. Good numbers of smallmouth bass.

- Bismarck, Dakota Tackle, Missouri River/area lakes: OK, but spotty, salmon success on Lake Sakakawea. Try flashers and squids or spoons along the face of the dam, Riverdale Bluffs and Deadman’s Bay. Missouri River remains fair but spotty. Sort through for keepers. Limited reports from farther south around the border but tailrace is good for walleye. Some activity at Lake Tschida.

- Dickinson, Andrus Outdoors, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Continued good on Lake Sakakawea with clear water around McKenzie and Mossett bays. Try 8 to 12 feet with spinners and nightcrawlers or leeches. Nice numbers of 3- to 4-pound fish. Try 2 to 6 feet around Van Hook Arm but water isn’t quite as clear. Try pulling spinners at a fast speed through the weeds. Mel’s Marina good for 2-pound walleye and pike in 5 to 11 feet. New Town area also producing fish with spinners and nightcrawlers or leeches in 6 to 15 feet. Indian Creek Dam fair for small walleye and perch using leeches or nightcrawlers as well as crankbaits. Patterson Lake fair for pike and perch. Camels Hump Dam continues good for trout and bluegill. Lake Tschida producing good numbers of small walleye.

- Dickinson, Runnings Farm and Fleet, Lake Sakakawea/area lakes: Lake Sakakawea remains fair to good for walleye. Try the Beacon and Saddle Butte or the bigger water north of McKenzie Bay trolling with crankbaits or Lindy rigs in 10 to 20 feet. Beulah Bay over to Beaver Bay also producing using spinners or crankbaits in 10 to 20 feet. Camels Hump Dam continues producing panfish and few largemouth bass. Warmer water temperatures are slowing down trout success. Nelson Lake producing largemouth bass in the shallow weed beds or deeper rock ledges.

- Garrison, Cenex Bait and Tackle, Lake Sakakawea: Continued fair to good walleye success on Lake Sakakawea. Most activity is on the Sakakawea rather than Lake Audubon. Missouri River remains fair to good.

- Garrison, Indian Hills Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Continued fair to good for walleye using spinners and nightcrawlers. Work the points on both sides of the lake with best success on nightcrawlers, although leeches are producing some fish. Lots of 13-inch fish with keepers mixed in.

- Glen Ullin, Fitterer’s Inc., Lake Tschida: Lake Tschida slowed somewhat for walleye.

- Mandan, Southside MVP, Missouri River/area lakes: Missouri River remains good for small walleye. Limited success from Lake Oahe around Cattail and Beaver bays.

- Mandaree, McKenzie Bay Marina, Lake Sakakawea: Work both directions from the resort in 6 to 30 feet with the heat moving fish deeper.

- Pick City, Scott’s Bait and Tackle, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: Lake Sakakawea remains fair to good. Try spinners and bottom bouncers with nightcrawlers or leeches. Also try jigging shallow with minnows or plastics with best success in morning and evening. Try the east end or Douglas Bay. Some numbers of salmon coming from Government Bay working over to Deadman’s Bay in 65 to 85 feet over 100 feet with flashers and squid. Also try along the face of the dam. Bays continue producing pike and smallmouth bass. Missouri River continues producing walleye using variety of presentations with 3-way swivels in the chutes still producing walleye on a regular basis. Continued shore success as well.

- New Town, Scenic 23, Lake Sakakawea: Continued good for walleye in the Van Hook Arm. Try spinners or Lindy rigs and nightcrawlers in 12 to 14 feet.

- Watford City, One-Stop, Lake Sakakawea: Fair to good for walleye around McKenzie and Skunk bays and the New Town area with some scattered success around Tobacco Garden.

- Watford City, Tobacco Garden Resort, Lake Sakakawea: Fair to good for walleye using a variety of presentations and bait. Keep working shallow east or west of the resort.

- Williston, Scenic Sports, Lake Sakakawea/Missouri River: West end of Lake Sakakawea is good for walleye. Try crankbaits in windy weather but Lindy rigs or jigs with leeches and nightcrawlers on calmer days.

North Dakota rivers streamflow and river stage

- Bear Den Creek, Mandaree: Creek stage, 3.43 feet; streamflow, 0.0 CFS.

- Cannonball River, Regent: River stage, 4.6 feet.

- Green River, New Hradec: River stage, 4.6 feet;

- Heart River, Richardton: River stage, 4.83 feet; streamflow, 13 CFS.

- Knife River, Manning: River stage, 5.93 feet; streamflow, 0.56 CFS.

- Little Missouri River, Marmath: River stage, 2.2 feet; streamflow, 100 CFS.

- Little Missouri River, Medora: River stage, 2.21 feet; streamflow, 77 CFS.

- Little Missouri River, Trotters: River stage, 1.8 feet; streamflow, 3.1 CFS.

- Missouri River, Williston: River stage, 15.71 feet.

- Missouri River, Stanton: River stage, 8.95 feet.

- Missouri River, Bismarck: River stage, 5.69 feet.

- Yellowstone River, Sidney, Mont.: River stage, 5.59 feet; streamflow, 7,710 CFS.

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, rec report, outdoors