It might not seem possible in a prairie state like North Dakota, but the N.D. Game and Fish Department manages more than 450 lakes.
Some are as grand as massive Lake Sakakawea or ever popular Devils Lake while others are as tiny as the North Dakota State Fair Community Pond in Minot.
That doesn’t even include lakes they don’t manage, such as Lake Darling on U.S. Fish and Wildlife National Wildlife Refuges, which are managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service or lakes within Indian reservations.
With that many lakes, it darn near makes a person scratch their head when it comes to deciding where to fish and what to fish for.
The Game and Fish Department revamped and reformatted their “Where to Fish” pages on its website, to make it easier for anglers to solve that dilemma.
Now all a person has to do is click on “Fishing” on the menu tab, scroll down to “Fishing/Boating”, then down to “Resources”, and over to “Where to Fish”.
Let’s pick crappie, a great eating fish and a good fish for kids – and adults, as well – to fish for from shore.
Hmmm, the Game and Fish Department stocks both black and white crappie so that poses another question – which type of crappie do we want to fish? Clicking “black crappie” on the species list and then “Find Lakes” reveals a whole lot of lakes stocked with black crappie.
Clicking “white crappie” reveals seven lakes.
Clicking “walleye” to find the number of lakes containing walleye – both stocked and natural reproduction – is going to give a person more choices than they probably thought possible. Scrolling down to the map of walleye lakes, one will find a colorful collection of fish and lake icons scattered throughout the Peace Garden State.
But that’s what happens when you’re the traditional Number One prized fish.
So then it’s time to narrow down one’s options, which is easily done in a couple of ways: Under the Map section, simply enter the number of miles within a radius of a community in which one might want to fish, say 75-mile radius of Minot.
Or go to that colorful map and click one of the icons, which represent the lake itself and what it has for boat ramps, docks, piers, shoreline access, fish cleaning station, and other amenities.
Clicking on a particular lake opens up an encyclopedia of knowledge: The lake’s stocking reports. Fish survey results. Directions. An overview of what an angler might expect to catch.
Let’s check McHenry County’s Cottonwood Lake: “Decent number of pike and a good number of walleye, with some larger fish.”
OK, it’s just 2.5 miles north of Butte, shouldn’t be too hard to find. Just click on the Google Map icon and up pops its location and directions.
Problem solved. A person just might be able to head to a little lake and catch some walleye on nice summer afternoon or evening.
A quick search on channel catfish reveals what may seem like a surprising number of lakes with catfish. While catfish are native the Red, Yellowstone, Little Missouri, and Missouri River System, including Lake Sakakawea, the Game and Fish Department stocks them in other lakes. They’re especially apt to be stocked in small community ponds surrounding Lake Sakakawea, such as Watford City Park or Stanley ponds.
The website changes are also geared more to help beginning anglers, added Game and Fish Department Fisheries Division Chief Greg Power. It provides suggestions to make it easy to head to water in four steps - getting a license, learning regulations, figuring out needed gear, and where to fish.
On top of that, short video tutorials help with everything from basic shore-fishing tips, fish identification, tips on cleaning and cooking walleye, and it reveals the secret to getting those darn “Y” bones out of a northern pike, among other helpful videos.
In other words, the new “Where to Fish” section on the Game and Fish Department helps anglers navigate the waters.
And it’s just in time for the start of the new fishing season on April 1 when anglers need their 2022 fishing license.
Reprinted courtesy of The Northern Sentry.
