Fishing Around COVID

To say the past year has been challenging is a bit of an understatement. I know firsthand this was the case in all the mechanics of providing and improving North Dakota fishing opportunities in spring 2020.

Ongoing coronavirus concerns have affected all of mankind, and though its consequences have been dramatic, many of its affects have been a surprise. One of these impacts has been the role the outdoors has had on our society. Outdoor participation in a myriad of activities has skyrocketed throughout the U.S. and world in the last many months. Camping, biking, hunting and fishing are just a few of the benefits being experienced by the public. Connecting or reconnecting with the outdoors has rewarded many (millions) with improvements to their mental health.

In North Dakota, we’ve also witnessed an uptick in outdoor activities in the last year, and this includes angling. In fact, the 2020-21 fishing season has been record-setting in terms of license sales, participation and effort. However, if you turn the clock back to a year ago, there was talk concerning whether we’d have a fishing season.

The following is intended to provide some background information of this past year, as well as what may be expected for the upcoming fishing season.

On March 2020, North Dakota’s governor, along with state leaders across the nation, took a series of steps toward protecting their citizenry. At the time, there was a major knowledge void when it came to COVID and the “better safe than sorry” approach was adopted by most.

When it came to fishing, all state game and fish agencies struggled in determining the best path forward. While trying to decide the best course to open/maintain fishing seasons safely, there were also discussions regarding what work activities (including face-to-face interactions) would be allowed.

Various measures were considered, and some implemented throughout the U.S. regarding public fishing seasons, with the most dramatic being closing fishing seasons altogether. In addition, extremes existed between states regarding their workforces. Some states, like North Dakota, remained essentially open as all state employees (including Game and Fish) worked near normal hours. (Note: I use “near normal” as teleworking has become the new normal for some). On the other side of the coin, other states decided that it would be best that most (and in some cases, virtually all) of their government employees worked from home.

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Mike Johnson, Department fisheries biologist in Jamestown, with some of the nearly 11,000 pounds of yellow perch trapped and transported in 2020.

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After several COVID “safety first” precautions were adopted, North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries field staff treated 2020 spring activities no different than years past. And in the end, they accomplished a lot in a narrow window (approximately a six-week period).

Northern pike spawning efforts yielded 10.4 million eggs and walleye spawning brought in around 70.3 million eggs for the two federal hatcheries. Department fisheries staff were able to trap and transport close to 11,000 pounds of yellow perch, about 2,200 pounds of catchable channel catfish, 2 tons of catchable northern pike and about 1,000 pounds of adult bluegill. These fish were stocked into more than 60 waters across the state. In addition, more than 77,000 catchable trout were stocked into 55 waters and 425,000 chinook salmon smolts into Lake Sakakawea.

Further, tagging projects for northern pike (lakes Oahe and Sakakawea) and walleye (lakes Sakakawea and Josephine) continued. Some staff were able to conduct a handful of winterkill assessment surveys shortly after ice-out (thankfully, winterkill throughout the state in 2019-20 was rather minimal). Staff were also able to continue zebra mussel early detection and adult settlement sampling on the Red and Sheyenne rivers, as well as Baldhill and Valley City National Fish Hatchery ponds. In addition, various aquatic nuisance species inspections continued, including barges/tugboats on Lake Sakakawea. And to prevent undesirable carp invasions, a fish barrier was installed downstream of Rice Lake in Emmons County.

And lastly, development and Save Our Lakes staff were able to deliver and install 11 new courtesy docks, distribute portions of several fishing piers, install dozens and dozens of COVID physical distancing signs, complete several dozen maintenance projects on roads, ramps and docks, and initiate another lake rehabilitation project.

That’s a lot to accomplish in six weeks, given the Department’s fisheries division is amongst the smallest staffed in the nation. And consider this work all occurred during a time when society (and our staff) was dealing with many COVID uncertainties.

If it all sounds like I’m bragging, it’s because I am. Absolutely I am. Even in a normal spring, most of our fisheries staff work long hours and in some very unpleasant conditions, especially when it comes to the weather. Over the years, the only thing I’ve ever heard from staff is “What’s next?” No complaining, no saying no – rather it’s a 100% can-do spirit that is exhibited. Factor in legitimate COVID concerns, and what they collectively accomplished safely last spring was beyond outstanding.

Again, North Dakota did not close its fishing season to residents or nonresidents due to COVID worries. However, there was some fallout. First, the paddlefish harvest season was canceled due to the potential of crowding conditions of snaggers. Even so, a modified snag-and-release season did occur in mid-May.

All fishing tournaments scheduled in April and May (2020) were also canceled, again due to physical distancing concerns at boat ramps, during rules meetings and so on. Tournaments were able to resume beginning in June, with the Department providing sponsors a list of recommendations to minimize COVID from spreading.

Physically distancing signs were developed and installed at virtually all high-use fishing waters in the state. These signs remain in place, but assuming COVID conditions become minimal, they will likely be removed by fall 2021.

Early last spring, the Department recommended to its partners (park boards, water boards, the list goes on) to postpone placing fishing piers into waters and opening fish cleaning stations due to potential congestion issues. By late-May, most piers and fish cleaning stations were opened, but all included COVID-related signs that emphasized precautions that should be taken.

Game and Fish never closed nor recommended the closure of any public boat ramps and all remained open. Again, physically distancing signs were posted at many ramps to minimize congestion problems.

Residents and nonresidents alike fished a lot in North Dakota in 2020-21. Beginning at ice-out (March-April 2020) and continuing through summer, fishing license sales exploded. Not only was the past year a record for resident license sales, but for the tens of thousands of anglers who were repeat licensed anglers, most bought licenses much sooner in the year. North Dakota never witnessed more active anglers participating in fishing or more fishing effort as we had this past summer. And this fishing interest carried over into the ice fishing season. Good fish populations, very good lake access and generally nice weather resulted in record ice fishing participation and effort. Whether it was ice fishing or open-water fishing, much of this increase (compared to past years) is likely related to COVID fatigue causing new or renewed interest in the outdoors.

Because anglers spend far more time looking forward versus back, expectations are central to angling. Often, fishing expectations are based on an individual’s past experiences, “hot” fishing reports and forecasts made by fisheries managers. From both a professional biologist’s and an active angler’s perspective, having relatively high hopes and expectations for the 2021 fishing season seems realistic.

The overall health of our states fisheries remains in good shape. The focus of many North Dakota anglers has been and will be walleye fishing on lakes Sakakawea and Oahe, Missouri River and Devils Lake. In all cases, the walleye forecast is favorable. Further, we now have a record number of other walleye fishing waters scattered across the state. In most cases, many of these new walleye fisheries are young, but populations are very healthy.

And don’t limit your outings to just walleye. Panfish numbers are in decent shape in our smaller waters. Northern pike populations remain robust, especially in our larger, natural lakes. Bass fishing opportunities, especially for smallmouth bass, are found throughout most of the state, and in most cases, these fisheries are overlooked. Channel catfish numbers and size in the Red and Missouri rivers (including Sakakawea and Oahe) remain strong, but again often discounted. And trout are found in more than 60 waters and offer some fun angling for all ages.

2021 will again have a lot to offer if you’re a North Dakota angler. Let’s all hope we can relax and enjoy our fishing outings with our collective COVID concerns now in the rearview mirror. The future does remain bright.