Sakakawea Outlook 2022?

Traxion

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What are things looking like on Sak in 2022 for walleyes? COE's February study has the lake peaking at 1833 at basic condition. The most I've fished the lake was at high water and prime fishing a few years ago, but I haven't been back since. Curious what everyone's thoughts are on the fishing this coming season.
 


ndfinfan

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Hard to say exactly - I'm curious to know how the snow pack in Montana is doing. I checked the NWS site 2 weeks ago - looked like the western region of Montana was roughly 96% of normal...but central and eastern region levels were down. Need a good runoff year, otherwise Sak will continue to decline. Hope for the best is all we can do.
 

risingsun

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I personally think the fishing will be fine. But without any significant early spring rain or heavy wet snow events between now and ice out some access's will be having issues, and those that are usable will be very busy. Will be interesting from ice out until we get the water from the west for sure. Prop guys may get real busy.
 

Up Y'oars

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Snowpack is below normal for the areas that would provide downstream runoff to Sakakawea. I think the Corp representative told one of the campground owners to expect a normal lake level for 2022 at 1830'msl which is about three feet higher than where it is today "IF" no other abundant or additional moisture to the higher elevations. All I know is that I've never seen anything more productive on the harvest than two years ago. Summer of 2020 was by far the best I've ever had with fishing on the big lake.

Yes, it is correct many ramps will remain unusable and it will be that much more busy at the locations that have ramps capable of loading and unloading. The larger ramps will be quite the walk up/down to reach those docks, too. What I don't understand is how those levels will affect the spawn.
 


MarbleEyez

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Head to Devils Lake or Mille Lac's. Fishing will be at a rapid decline at Lake Sak for the next 7 years.......
 

johnr

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Head to Devils Lake or Mille Lac's. Fishing will be at a rapid decline at Lake Sak for the next 7 years.......
I really hope you are wrong, either way that is where I will be, as everywhere else is way to far to go with Bidens economy.
 


zoops

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Head to Devils Lake or Mille Lac's. Fishing will be at a rapid decline at Lake Sak for the next 7 years.......

It will be much easier to fill the freezer at Devils or Mille Lacs, especially if you are from MN :D
 

Migrator Man

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Yay now I will be able to find my favorite rod that I dropped over board!!! Hope she still works like she used to!
 

Paddledogger

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Yay now I will be able to find my favorite rod that I dropped over board!!! Hope she still works like she used to!

If you lost one on the North side of Mallard Island last year....I got it! I was able to bring it up when running BB's and spinners in about 17-20' of water. It hadn't been in the water long at all. ;:;rofl

I sure like bringing in other peoples equipment. Buddy of mine pulled up a G Loomis about 8 years ago.
 

Up Y'oars

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If you lost one on the North side of Mallard Island last year....I got it! I was able to bring it up when running BB's and spinners in about 17-20' of water. It hadn't been in the water long at all. ;:;rofl

I sure like bringing in other peoples equipment. Buddy of mine pulled up a G Loomis about 8 years ago.

I can say I've been VERY lucky that I haven't lost anything overboard other than a canine watering dish, a cap, and a quilted windbreaker. All of these are less than $25, so that's the positive. Losing a G Loomis rod/reel combo would make others from far away hear my earth shattering screams that would likely measure on the Richter Scale.
 


Migrator Man

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If you lost one on the North side of Mallard Island last year....I got it! I was able to bring it up when running BB's and spinners in about 17-20' of water. It hadn't been in the water long at all. ;:;rofl

I sure like bringing in other peoples equipment. Buddy of mine pulled up a G Loomis about 8 years ago.
No it was up by shell creek. Rod was one of those carbon fiber handled rods that Cabelas’s used to make. Slipped right out of my hands on a snag! 😡😡😡😡😡
 

Twitch

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I lost one on the south side west of pick city a few years ago. Fishing by myself and was checking it. Reeled it up, pulled the weeds off and got a fish on my other set up. Made the mistake of just carelessly laying it on the back of the passenger boat seat with the bait dangling in the water. As I netted my walleye I watched in slow motion as a smallmouth came up grabbed the bait and pulled the rod in. Hands full and nothing I could do it happened so fast. Drove back and forth trying to get lucky enough to snag the rod or line but to no avail. That was an expensive limit of walleyes that day.
 

Weekender

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I lost one on the south side west of pick city a few years ago. Fishing by myself and was checking it. Reeled it up, pulled the weeds off and got a fish on my other set up. Made the mistake of just carelessly laying it on the back of the passenger boat seat with the bait dangling in the water. As I netted my walleye I watched in slow motion as a smallmouth came up grabbed the bait and pulled the rod in. Hands full and nothing I could do it happened so fast. Drove back and forth trying to get lucky enough to snag the rod or line but to no avail. That was an expensive limit of walleyes that day.

Another reason to dislike those green carp.
 

701FishSlayer

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If anybody is looking for a brand new never used longer than 1 hour decent scheels combo there is 1 laying right off the first point to the west of centennial bay. Got a double snag job, was just getting the first one undone and went to get the second one out of the rod holder, there was so much tension on the line i barely moved it out of the holder and she flew like a rocket 20 feet. Never laughed so hard in my life.
 

tikkalover

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Agencies Meet to Address Lake Level Concerns

The forecasts for Lake Sakakawea and Lake Oahe are not promising:


“Given current water levels and projected runoff based on mountain snowpack, its likely both lakes Sakakawea and Oahe will be 5-10 feet lower than the lake elevations experienced in 2021,” said North Dakota Game and Fish Department fisheries chief Greg Power. “At these forecasted elevations, boating access at many, if not most of the boat ramps, will become problematic.”


That’s the bad news.


The good news, Power said, is that work was done during previous droughts that have resulted in a network of low water ramps that may become functional this year.


The anticipated low water levels prompted Game and Fish, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Dakota Parks and Recreation and the North Dakota Department of Water Resources to deal with expected low water during the upcoming open water recreational season on the Missouri River System.


For example, Power said Game and Fish and the Corps of Engineers have, “identified and prioritized potential boat ramp sites that will be impacted by the lower lake levels and are seeking additional funding and partnership with stakeholders who manage the respective recreational sites.”

By mid-March, Power noted, various agency staff will reconvene and firm up plans based on funding needs and availability, using the most recent corps runoff forecast data.


While Power said current mountain snowpack for the upper Missouri River basin is only around 80 percent of normal, one storm can change things.


“Of course, this is Mother Nature driven and subject to change,” he said
 


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