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Our Outdoors: Tools of the Trade By: Nick Simonson | May 15, 2008 10:01AM Catch and release works. Whether it’s preserving a viable fishery in a forty-acre bass lake or letting a trophy-caliber muskie swim back into the cabbage after an exciting battle, the mantra of C&R resounds stronger than ever through sport fishing circles. For those looking to preserve big fish it is easier than ever to catch and release with some of the newer tools on the market catering to conservation-minded anglers...

North Dakota Outdoors: CRP Loss = Less Wildlife By: Doug Leier | May 15, 2008 9:58AM It's no secret that Conservation Reserve Program acreage continues to decline in North Dakota. This is not a surprising development, as for many years agencies and conservation organizations have been pointing toward economic factors that could potentially influence landowner interest in CRP. The reality of the situation in 2008 is that accelerated CRP loss will impact North Dakota wildlife and conservation, reversing some of the benefits created over the last two decades. First implemented in 1986, the CRP has been...

Fishing for the Future By: Mark Bry | May 14, 2008 12:12PM A young boy went fishing with his dad on Beaver Creak Bay of Lake Sakakawea. It was a clear and sunny North Dakota day. The boy sat at the back of the boat as his dad fished getting ready to pull lindy rigs tipped with leeches. As they fished along a point in 14 to 17 feet of water the boy began catching walleyes as his lindy-rig hit the bottom of the lake. The feeding frenzy continued as the morning went forward…

North Dakota Outdoors: Stocking Fish By: Doug Leier | May 14, 2008 11:30AM Inevitably, when fishing expectations aren't met in lakes and reservoirs across the state, anglers wonder why.  It could be anything from anglers simply using the wrong bait, to an unhealthy fish population due to any number of factors such as low water levels, poor water quality, introduced aquatic nuisance species and others. When such situations occur, the first response is often a call to the Game and Fish Department to stock more fish. ..

Our Outdoors: Make Your Own Muskie Lures (Part 2) By: Nick Simonson | May 14, 2008 11:11AM In the first part of this tutorial, we tied up a gray and white 5/0 bucktail treble hook as part of a project to develop an effective and inexpensive option to paying the steep price for a commercial muskie lure. This week we’ll assemble the spinner shaft which will provide enough flash and vibration to trigger the wariest members of the esox family.  We will start the second half of our project with a

South Dakota's Missouri System Set For Banner Year By: Carl Madson | May 1, 2008 9:14AM While walleye attract most of the notoriety and while Lake Oahe is known far and wide as one of the nation’s top walleye fishing destinations, Riis admits that there are other opportunities for anglers that are awfully good right now. “The salmon fishing on the lower end of Lake Oahe should be really good this year.” Also, Lake Sharpe and Frances Case both are top walleye producers but often get overshadowed by...

Crash and Burn By: Jason Mitchell | May 1, 2008 7:57AM The bottom bouncer is an incredibly effective and versatile piece of equipment for walleye anglers. Over the past few years, there seems to have been an emphasis on using the bottom bouncer as more of a rigging tool. The bottom bouncer can become a tool for efficiently presenting a live bait snell or harness precisely through structure. With this application, the presentation is often fairly vertical or close to a forty five degree angle. Many anglers who prefer to use bouncers in this method preach to never...

North Dakota Outdoors: The Department By: Doug Leier | May 1, 2008 7:26AM North Dakota's deer gun season doesn't begin until Nov. 7, and applications aren’t even due until June 4. So why I'm a thinking about deer already?  The reason is because in the last few weeks Game and Fish Department biologists have summarized last fall’s harvest numbers, which provide significant direction toward setting the 2008 season. It's pretty basic math. If hunters were not as successful as in previous years, something contributed to that lower harvest. It's a basic follow up question asked by not only hunters but...

Our Outdoors: Make Your Own Muskie Lures (Part I) By: Nick Simonson | May 1, 2008 7:07AM With the rising cost of everything these days, many anglers look to save a few bucks where they can. Whether it is tying their own flies or catching their own bait, outdoorsmen, being the resourceful breed that they are, always find a way to keep enjoying their obsessions. For me, muskie fishing has become one such obsession, and I didn’t bat an eyelash last summer when I spent ten, fifteen and even twenty dollars or more on a single monstrous lure designed to catch the fish of 10,000 casts. But balancing the cost of these lures with...

Diary of an FLW Angler By: Chris Kuntz | Apr 25, 2008 11:20AM Fishing Buddy Outdoors (FBO) is pleased to welcome one of North Dakota's competing anglers to it's staff.  Chris Kuntz of Mandan, North Dakota competing in the FLW Outdoors Walleye Tour has agreed to provide FBO a diary of each tournament he participates in.  You'll find tips, tactics and a detailed description of what a typical angler goes through for each tournament.  This entry pertains to Lake Erie known for its large walleyes and big tourney weights...

North Dakota Outdoors: Aquatic Habitat By: Doug Leier | Apr 25, 2008 10:15AM We’re heading into that time of year when the majority of our outdoors thoughts turn toward fishing. The bulk of the snow geese are well beyond North Dakota. The excitement of the first couple of weekends for spring turkey are past, and those of us who applied for a bighorn sheep, moose or elk license have learned of our fate in the lottery drawing. And so, much of the conversation relates to...

Our Outdoors: North Shore Initiation By: Nick Simonson | Apr 25, 2008 10:09AM Though the weather is an element that is always out of my control, I try not to let it dampen the spirits of a fishing trip; particularly when that trip is my first of the season and my first to a new place. Despite highs in the forties, rain and cold swollen streams, the weather did not detract from the first in what will be many trips to the tributary streams of Lake Superior’s north shore. After work on Friday, and a scenic drive to the small town of Knife River, MN, I met up with the group of...

River Walleyes on Plastics By: Troy Morris | Apr 21, 2008 11:33AM Gulp! Alive tastes good enough and smells good enough, long enough to work well on every river we have fished on the FLW Walleye Tour. The other factor that makes plastics so effective is that we can use bright or fluorescent colors in turbid or muddy conditions for better visibility. We can also experiment with shapes to manipulate the visibility, vibration, size and action. Now for the best part...

North Dakota Outdoors: Aquatic Invaders By: Doug Leier | Apr 21, 2008 11:24AM Aquatic nuisance species have been around in North Dakota for a long time. While over the last several years we’ve learned about new arrivals like curly leaf pondweed and Eurasian watermilfoil, and looming threats like zebra mussels and spiny water fleas, common carp have been around for more than a century. These nonnative fish were likely never purposely introduced in North Dakota, but they got here anyway after they were stocked in Minnesota and other states in the latter 1800s as a potential new sport and food fish. The experiment, however, got out of hand and...

Our Outdoors: Our Outdoors: The Fly Swap By: Nick Simonson | Apr 21, 2008 11:17AM The fly swap is becoming commonplace on many internet message boards and websites where fly anglers meet and discuss fly tying, rod building, and the changing nature of fishing with the long rod. In these exchanges, anglers tie up a number of flies in a single pattern and either send them...

Super Tuned Boat Control By: Sheldon Meidinger | Apr 21, 2008 11:06AM Global Positioning Systems have revolutionized walleye fishing because anglers can log or save the exact locations of structure or other fish holding locations. Not only are these tools great for simply finding these locations again, quickly but the GPS systems of today allow anglers to stay on the spot or mark new spots as fish are discovered. Often, we might mark the “structure” or spot we are fishing with a waypoint and mark where we actually catch fish with icons. This gives us a map of where we are catching fish. Combine GPS with...

North Dakota Outdoors: Spring is For The Hearty By: Doug Leier | Apr 11, 2008 11:32AM I've always enjoyed the arrival of spring. I've lived in a number of towns and areas in just about every corner of North Dakota, and whether it’s Williston, Bottineau, Bismarck or West Fargo, each has its own special draw. While all of us in the Midwest are fortunate to have four distinct seasons, the arrival and departure of each season certainly varies depending on your location, even within each state. For instance, if you live in Dickinson the first robins may show up following a warm south breeze around Valentines Day, but they might not...

Our Outdoors: Plot Fever By: Nick Simonson | Apr 11, 2008 11:28AM I can tell that last year’s successful whitetail deer hunt, which resulted in the biggest buck of my life, spawned a bout of buck fever that wasn’t just a passing fancy; it is a feeling that has stuck with me to this day. There was that moment a few weeks ago, around 3:30 a.m. where I awoke bolt-upright in bed, with cold beads of sweat on my brow – but strangely enough, smiling. The dream played out as a walk through a twisted and gnarled shelterbelt with my brother and some friends, and as I looked behind me a gray-sided ghost with gnarled non-typical antlers stealthily slid in and out of the briars. I got out one whisper-shout of...

Follow The Leader By: Jason Mitchell | Apr 4, 2008 9:49AM The idea that walleye may indeed follow a lure for a significant distance before striking surprises many anglers. Many anglers have this mental picture that fish just lash out and strike a lure as the lure appears, like an ambush. While there is no doubt that plenty of ambushing is going on under water, walleyes in particular will often...

North Dakota Outdoors: Changes of Spring 2008 By: Doug Leier | Apr 4, 2008 9:47AM Another round of North Dakota Game and Fish Department Advisory Board meetings is approaching and at least two of the topics up for discussion should generate considerable interest. One is the state’s new aquatic nuisance species prevention rules, the other is an ongoing evaluation of goose hunting hours to determine if changes are...

Our Outdoors: ANS Awareness By: Nick Simonson | Apr 4, 2008 9:42AM The approach of openwater fishing seasons raises concern of boat traffic from water to water and unwanted hitchhikers that might accompany the vehicles, trailers and craft that enter and exit from launches around the region. Of particular concern are Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS) that are not native to the area and can cause significant disruptions and damage to...

Walleyes on Shallow Current Breaks By: Bill Ortiz | Apr 4, 2008 9:32AM Whether we are casting and dragging or casting and letting the current sweep the jig through the spot, plastics and hair are extremely effective early in the season. In fact, we use live minnows sparingly. We encourage anglers to experiment with hair jigs and plastics. Obviously, scented plastics are much more effective. By far, Gulp! has been the most effective plastic for me but we also still use some Powerbait. Generally on many of the rivers I frequent each spring, we might be anchored in ten feet of water or less and casting into much less water. Jig weights very but just make sure you are using...

North Dakota Outdoors: Big Game Disease Concerns | Mar 26, 2008 7:10AM A few weeks ago, top officials from North Dakota’s game and fish and agriculture departments attended a public meeting in Grygla, Minn., to get an up-close look at the fall-out from the increasing presence of bovine tuberculosis only 50 miles from North Dakota’s border.  Area meetings took place because bovine TB has been identified in four new cattle herds in northwestern Minnesota, since October of 2007. This development further threatened...

Our Outdoors: Tackle Top Ten By: Nick Simonson | Mar 26, 2008 7:01AM Springtime means stocking the tackle box with jigs, spinners, twisters, spoons, crankbaits and more; usually more lures than I’ll ever need. However, if it came down to it, there is a handful of them I couldn't go without. For whatever species I was pursuing, I would forsake all other jigs, rigs and plastics to have a supply of what follows in my tackle box...

North Dakota Outdoors: 15 Years of No Opener By: Doug Leier | Mar 19, 2008 11:19AM I might miss the North Dakota fishing opener this year, but I will have my own first day of open water fishing. It may come earlier than last year or a few days later, depending on how spring arrives, but it will be here soon and I can't wait.  If you’re a bit confused, I apologize. But North Dakota fishing is open year around, and anglers get to choose when and where their first open-water cast of 2008 occurs. North Dakota has had a year-round fishing season since 1993. Prior to that, the State Game and Fish Department closed...

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