Eastern Sakakawea Recreation Report
May 14, 2008
Patricia Stockdill
Welcome to a new feature on the Indian Hills Web site, the Eastern Sakakawea Recreation Report. Check out what’s happening on the Big Lake, lake elevation, Garrison Dam releases, and inflows from Missouri River System tributaries – and fishing, of course – all in one easy location:
*Indian Hills Resort: Lake Sakakawea’s elevation on May 14 was 1,807.8 feet above mean sea level. The lake is experiencing gentle increases in elevation. Water temperatures remain cold – in the 40-degree range - and walleye are in their post spawn lull, so there isn’t much activity. Some anglers are working Deepwater Day but success is slow yet. Work continues on boat ramp upgrades, which includes a new poured concrete ramp 30 feet wide. It will replace the old 16-foot concrete planking with slide-in metal ramp when it’s fully operational.
*Van Hook: A few more anglers are taking to the water and they’re finding a few more walleye in the process. Try Lindy rigs or jigs with minnows. Water temperatures are finally starting to warm up slightly.
*Garrison: Moving farther east on Lake Sakakawea, fishing activity was limited because of the much welcomed rain and snow.
*Pick City: The east end of the Big Lake remains slow for walleyes but a few northern pike continue to be picked up from the back bays.
North Dakota Rivers Report, featuring Lake Sakakawea’s two major tributaries:
*Missouri River: Garrison Dam average daily discharge is 11,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)
*Yellowstone River, Cartwright: Streamflow information was unavailable but river stage is 64.41 feet.
*Little Missouri River, Long X Bridge: The streamflow average is 4,950 cfs while river stage at the bridge is 7.33 feet. The river is dropping after reaching flows of almost 8,000 cfs with a river stage of more than 8 feet early in the week
Numbers and Web sites to know:
*Indian Hills Resort: (701) 743-4122.
*N.D. Game & Fish Department main Bismarck office: (701) 328-6300, Web site (http://gf.nd.gov).
*N.D. Game & Fish Department Riverdale office: (701) 654-7475.
*Report All Poachers: (800) 472-2121.
*Friends of Lake Sakakawea: (www.lakesakakawea.com).