Every fall, the waters below Garrison Dam come alive with the shimmer of salmon returning for one final chapter. North Dakota Game and Fish biologists, working with the Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery, gather thousands of fish to collect and fertilize more[...]
North Dakota’s fall fish surveys don’t make flashy headlines, but they quietly shape the future of fishing across the state. Fisheries biologists spent recent weeks studying this year’s young fish to see which lakes produced strong natural reproduction and where stocking efforts[...]
North Dakota is home to more than 400 managed fishing waters, but keeping them healthy is an ever-changing challenge. On the latest NDO podcast, fisheries manager Scott Gangl explains how lakes evolve over time — from booming with new nutrients to slowly[...]
In my job, I try to consume as much outdoors media as possible. You’ve got your favorites and so do I. I’ll acknowledge my bias with North Dakota OUTDOORS, the Game and Fish Department's official magazine. Many wrongly assume there’s some dark[...]
If you want the most enjoyable outing you ever had in your life, pack up and hie yourself away to Fish Lake for a week. For a small fee, we’ll put you onto the fishing hole where we had such pronounced success[...]
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The salmon fishery on Lake Sakakawea is shaping up for a promising season, thanks to healthy populations of rainbow smelt and cisco—the primary forage for salmon. While water levels peaked lower this summer than in recent years, the conditions have been strong[...]
Many hunters and anglers understand the work of the Game and Fish Department—from game wardens checking hunting and fishing licenses and keeping everyone outdoors safe, to fisheries biologists stocking and surveying lakes, to wildlife biologists and land managers maintaining and enhancing habitat,[...]
Montana’s iconic rivers are feeling the strain this summer, and so are anglers. With drought deepening and water temperatures rising, officials have imposed early restrictions and closures across nearly two dozen rivers to protect vulnerable trout populations. These “hoot owl” closures, which[...]
Lonnie Liebel caught a new state record lake whitefish that had been in the books for more than 40 years. The Riverdale angler reeled in his 9-pound, 3-ounce whitefish on June 2 from the Garrison Dam Tailrace in the Missouri River. The[...]
The largest norther pike officially reported in several years was caught from the Mouse River at Baker's Bridge, announced the Game and Fish Department. Clayton Campbell of Minot Air Force Base, landed a lunker that weighed an even 24 pounds and measured[...]
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North Dakota residents who want to give fishing a try can fish for free June 7-8.That is the state’s free fishing weekend, when all residents 16 and older can fish any North Dakota water without a license. Residents 15 and younger do[...]
I was compelled to jot down some interesting numbers that pertain to North Dakota’s outdoors as Jeb Williams, Game and Fish Department director, recently addressed the joint Senate and House Legislative Natural Resource committees. Did you know the Game and Fish Department[...]
You don’t need a boat, a trophy catch, or even a fishing license (at least not on June 7–8) to join the fun. North Dakota’s Fish Challenge—now in its fourth year—is less about landing the biggest walleye and more about discovery, stewardship,[...]
Anyone who fishes with nets in the Mouse, Missouri or Des Lacs rivers must secure licenses, but no license is required to fish with hook and line. Pickerel are considered as game fish in all waters. In all other waters than those[...]
Every spring, as the ice recedes and the water warms, North Dakota's walleye get to work — and so do the biologists. On Lake Sakakawea, the annual walleye spawn is more than a natural event; it’s the backbone of the state’s fishing[...]
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It was March 7 when my old friend and game warden Cory Erck called on a Friday afternoon. While I was working indoors at a sport show, he was out patrolling his district. After the usual pleasantries, we compared notes—from the boat[...]