The Dakotan: This is Outdoor Issues with Neil Roberts and North Dakota Game and Fish outreach biologist Greg Gullickson. Neil Roberts: Greg, your department recently launched a new program, Getting Anglers Out. Tell us more about this program. Greg Gullickson: Yeah, one of the big things with the North Dakota Game and Fish Department is recruitment, retention and reactivation And that's getting people involved in the outdoors, keeping those people that are involved in the outdoors interested. Then also maybe those that have stepped away from the outdoors, getting them back into the outdoors, and enjoying some of the great outdoors. So there's a lot of different ways that we can do that. And one of the different things is if people having fish, they don't think that they have time to learn a whole new hobby. They don't have the ability or the desire to own a boat. And a lot of people think they absolutely need a boat. And sometimes you simply don't know what you're missing. There's a lot of great opportunities for shore fishing out there and a lot of great opportunities not doesn't have to be a big sparkly boat. Just a simple 14, 16 foot boat can definitely get you out there. But again, a lot of great shore fishing opportunities. And one thing about North Dakota, you know, we're hovering just over 400 lakes that are fisheries and packed with a lot of different species and a lot of different opportunities. Neil Roberts: All right. Good stuff, Greg. More on this new fishing program when we come back. The Dakotan: You're listening to Outdoor Issues with Neil Roberts on the Dakotan Network. Neil Roberts: Talking the North Dakota Fish Challenge today on Outdoor Issues, and what does this challenge entail? Greg Gullickson: It is the North Dakota Fish Challenge. And what it is, is you need to catch a catfish. A northern pike, a yellow perch and a smallmouth bass of any size in North Dakota. From May 1st through August 15th, you submit each or all of your catches on the official landing page. And once you've completed the challenge, you'll receive a sticker certificate and will be listed on the page as a challenge winner. So again, all those rules and regulations are available right on the Gaming Fish Department website GFT on Indeed.com. Neil Roberts: Good stuff, Greg. That brings this report to a close. Until next time. I'm Neil Roberts. The Dakotan: You're listening to the Dakotan Network. Real, Honest, Local News.
