Matters of Opinion

North Dakota Outdoors, the Game and Fish Department’s video news program, aired a walleye fishing preview in mid-April on Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake and Lake Oahe/Missouri River.

The timing of the program, hosted by Mike Anderson, Game and Fish Department video project supervisor, was appropriate as anglers, visible from the bridges separating Bismarck and Mandan, fished the ever-changing Missouri River for some of the first open-water walleyes of the season.

In that news segment, Greg Power, Department fisheries chief, touted the quality fishing these three waters have produced of late and what is expected this year. It’s rarely a year that these waters don’t attract the lion’s share of anglers traveling from near and far.

“Those three fisheries are our largest fisheries by far, and they represent over half of the fishing effort in the state … resident anglers that fish in North Dakota will fish one of those three water bodies every year,” Power said.

The powerful lure of Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake and Lake Oahe/Missouri River to anglers is certainly understandable.

Yet, while these waters garner much of the attention, there are others that provide plenty of fishing opportunities, but don’t earn much of the ink.

In this issue of North Dakota OUTDOORS, those waters, fisheries that we refer to as community fisheries, are featured at length.

The timing of this story is also appropriate as Game and Fish Department fisheries personnel started the process of replenishing many of these waters with trout, with other game fish species to follow as the season moves along.

These community fisheries – roughly 33 scattered around the state – are important for a number of reasons. For one, they provide places to fish in parts of North Dakota where the opportunities may not be as many as in other parts of the state.

Two, they are also close to home for many folks, making it not that big of a deal to load up the kids to go and catch some fish.

Three, these community fisheries are wonderful recruiting tools for a next generation of anglers. With shore-fishing opportunities at a premium at many North Dakota waters, these community fisheries offer easy access for people of all ages wanting to cast bait and bobber.

No matter where you decide to fish this open water season, I encourage you to take a kid, round up a neighbor or two, and enjoy some of the wonderful fishing opportunities found in North Dakota’s great outdoors.