03/04/10
I have been very bad about updating the fishing reports and apologize for that! Those of you who live here know what it has been like in Williston and know that very few of us even have the time to get out and fish! Like most of my customers I have made it out twice this winter and they were both sanity trips to make sure the lake was still there. We have just completed our last buying show and are slowly healing from dedicating so much time to looking at new product and buying all the goodies for the year. While everyone who wants to work in this oil boom area is buried in overtime that does not mean the desire is not there and sales have been good. We are all looking forward warm weather and sunshine as well as open water and a full lake for another summer of fun on the lake.
***Those of you who have time to fish we all would appreciate some fishing reports***
email them to scenicsports@nemontel.net We will post them as we get them in, less any nasty words that they may contain!
01/11/10
It sure appears like the walleye and sauger activity is picking up on our end of the lake. We are getting better reports and not quite so deep. I heard from one guy that the deep fish were feeding on small cisco but cannot confirm it. There has been some bigger cisco caught on line and that is getting to be more typical than not in the winter. The ones I have seen have been two pounds and better. Some of the shallow activity has been at night but not all of it. Hopefully the typical drum in the mud flats will be the preferred forage for a while.
We are also seeing some deer sheds being found so if you want some good exercise get out there and start looking.
01/01/10
Two mountain lions were harvested on the Fort Berthold reservation this week by two lucky hunters with hounds. According to Fred Poitra, head of the Fort Berthold Game & Fish department the hunters successfully treed one cat on Tuesday after finding three sets of tracks. They returned the second day to harvest one of the other cats on the following day. Congratulations for a job well done! Both cats were males weighing 120 and 140. I am happy to see these hound guys harvesting males as it has been a tough year on the females otherwise. If you know who these guys are I would like to post a picture of them.
12/21/09
Like everyone in Western North Dakota we have been very busy and now with Christmas only a few days away it will get a little worse before it gets better. Lots of fishermen out on the ice now and they appear to be driving just about everywhere on the big lake. Fishing has been OK but you have to fish deep to find the action just like last fall and late summer. I tried spearing for a short time yesterday but never seen a pike. Most reports I got were the same but on fishermen did manage to see a couple but passed as they were small. It appeared that Sunday was an off day with the fish moving very little, if it does not improve I will be moving to a new spot by the weekend. Deer bowhunters are still struggling to see much but it has been a good year over all for bowhunter success. We have some real nice archery bucks on display for our "Big Buck" contest this year. So far the best is Jon Axness which scored over 162. Stop by and check out the racks if you have a chance.
11/23/09
Rifle season in North Dakota is over and while the numbers of deer taken were down there were some good ones out there for the lucky or good hunters that found them. I really enjoyed my time out and it was extra special because my youngest son Jordan has his youth tag. We both had opportunities at real good bucks but father and son both choked. The first week or so of season I was not sure that Jordan would even be able to get a shot at a good buck but that changed toward the end and even though we will be eating tag soup we had memories that would last longer than the jerky would have. I think both of us will need to spend a little more time on the rifle range before next year but for now there is a lot of bow, coyote and coon hunting that has been ignored. The hounds also need some training before cat season opens for hounds on December 1st.
Fishing has been incredible this year, we have had a totally awesome fall bite and without a doubt ice fishing is going to be just as good. We have picked up an additional line of ice houses this year. After much looking we applied for and were awarded the dealership for Salem Ice Cabins. They are really nice and are made in two sizes, 8X16 and 8X20. They come fully featured and are manufactured by a huge camper manufacturer with lots of experience. The first units will be showing up in early December and they are tough to get so do not drag your feet if you are looking for a great ice house.
Most of the 2009 deer photos have been posted so check it out!
11/19/09
I finally got a little time and help on getting some photos on the photo pages for this year. Check them out, while the deer are not as plentiful as in the past we are seeing some nice bucks coming in.
11/16/09
Got a couple emails asking when I will be updating the sight with info and pictures. I must apologize as it seems I can never find time to do my own job even though I kind of enjoy it. It has been crazy with being short of help in an oilfield area where help can not be found and the few great employees I do have battling health problems it seems we only get done what is absolutely vital. I do promise to get on the photos ASAP and if I don't go fishing tomorrow it could be sooner than later. Oh, by the way, the fishing has been terrific and the deer hunting pretty terrible. Pheasant hunting has been quite, good enough that I wonder why I am spending my time doing this or deer hunting. Will try to be more prompt but if you have time to write a good report send it to me and I will post it. Thanks for your patience.
10/15/09
Wow it is hard to believe half of October is gone! It has been cold and wet after a very hot and buggy fall. Most of the hunters have not even hit the field hard yet for archery or birds and many were waiting for cooler weather but not for winter! I was hoping to squeeze in anther run on the lake but that may have to be on the wheeler or sled and not the boat.
Well it is going to warm up a little and it will be just in time for the Outlaw Derby this Saturday. As usual the derby is full of excited fishermen and the beers and bidding will be wild at the calcutta tonight at the Four Mile. Don't forget that when you are bidding up the other team even a drunk can remember for part of a night and you will have to pay more yourself! The river got real hot about ten days ago and we had some hog walleye coming through the store but all good things must end and now we have a dirty river with some tough fishing. It may take a little noise to get the attention of those blinded walleye and sauger and since dynamite is not legal you may want to try some rattling jigs or spinning rigs to create some attention. Some extra scent may also be worth while, it works for the big bucks!
If you are not a fisherman then maybe a coyote hunt is in order and the Luke Oyloe Memorial Hunt is this Saturday the 17th. Registration starts at 5:00 AM at the American Legion with the evening check in at 8:00 PM. For more information call Levi at 218-329-9142 or Chris at 320-492-8953. You can also register on line at www.coyotehunter.net.
Kaylee, Trapper and Mike with cat number three from the 2009 Badlands unit. Male cat weighing in at about 100 pounds. Great job Mike and what a beautiful cat!