# Grand Forks Trout



## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

Hello,
This is my first post on this site. I am excited to finally find something on ND's sporting opportunities. I'm in Utah now but will be moving to Grand Forks this July. My question is .......are there any local trout waters near there that I can drop a fly in.

Any info will be great!!!

Thank you,

Brent


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Superfly...

The Turtle River is stocked each year by the Game and Fish department. There are several stockings of catchable sized trout (7" or so) with the first stocking usually being done in April.

It is located about 20 miles west of GF and is the closest (if not only) trout water near GF. Take Hwy 2 west out of GF and head to the Turtle River state park. You should be able to catch them, and they probably aren't as picky as trout out your way, because they are hatchery raised...or so I've been told.

Maybe I'll see you out there someday this spring...which as of right now feels a loooong way off.

Tight lines!


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

pardon moi, but if you call 7 inchers catchable you need to rethink where you are fishing. also, hatchery fish are known to be even more picky as they arent used to seeing real food (mayflies and the like) so you are almost better off throwing a ball of fuzz with a hook in the middle to imitate a food pellet than you are a hex. though they arent as spooky as stream bred trout, their appatites are quite puzzling and you can end up skunked.


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## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

Thank you for the info njsimonson.

That is exactly what I hoping to find realizing the conditions. As long as I have a small stream to fish within a reasonable driving distance to keep the skills up and get out I'm happy. I fish with a couple of 3wt so a seven inch fish feels like pretty good fish.

Thanks again.


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## falconer_3 (Apr 10, 2003)

Superfly- Living in North Dakota, you should also consider expanding beyond trout. We have great fly-fishing opportunities in ND for other species, and we have some great trout lakes spread throughout the state. I'd get at least a six weight and start fishing for bass, pike, carp, and panfish. Although they are my favorite, trout are overrated.


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## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

Falconer_3,
I agree that I'm going to have to buck up and get my 5wt out. I'm looking forward to getting a boat and hooking into some sunny's. I think that they are a great fish to catch on a flyrod. Carp on the fly have become an interesting sport around here.They call them rock mountain bonefish. I've been wanting to try casting to them because I've been told that if you hook into a 15 pound carp they'll break your rod. Pike, I have no idea how to fish for. I grew up near one of Utah's best walleye fisheries and have no idea how to go about catching one on any tackle let alone a fly. Northern those are some mean looking fish. I don't kow exactly what I'd do if I did get one to the boat. 

I don't have any allegence to trout. It's just that is what I know and what is the most convienent to fish for around here. It will be good to have a change.

So what is the Turtle rive like? What is it's water source. I thought I read that it had a caddis hatch. Not that I'm fixated with whole trout thing, but is it a nice place to fish? and last but not least what kind of trout are stocked. Do you have fresh water drum or sheepheads? When I lived in Minnesota I guy told me that he like to fish for them in the Blue Earth River and the Mississippi. I thought I saw an article in Fly Fisherman on them and thought they'd be fun to hook into.

Anyway, thanks for the input.
I'll find something to catch.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

I guess we know why you have the "Militant" in your name! 

I only say that they are "catchable" because I figured they are of a size where they have taken my flies before on the TR. Of course I have also caught "catchable" bluegill that are 2" in length. I fish there because it is the only "TROUT" stream in NEND, and I won't rethink that considering I'm up here in GF until August. I did catch a 14" fish on spinning gear, and I assumed it was from a previous stocking.

Superfly--
















Left: my first flyrod trout. Right: a 14-incher caught on spinning gear.

I have always heard the opposite, that hatchery trout are LESS discriminating in their prey. I have caught them on PTNs and some smaller dry flies, like Adamses, and mosquito immitators last spring on the TR. Of course, I also caught them with trout bait on an aberdeen hook as well.

The Turtle River, hmmm, is interesting, scenically speaking. There are a lot of dead trees in the park from floods in the late 90s, which I would think the state should take out. Aside from those eyesores, the water is clear and has your standard runs, riffles and pools, and you could wade most of it, but there are also some good places to cast from shore. There is a ton of wildlife, ducks, geese, deer, birds, and once it's May, that forest just comes alive. I am not sure of its source, but a little research could fix that.

I'll just say, that it was a fun place last year to learn the flyrod. Oh yeah...access is $4 per day, or $25 for the season (April-Nov). The entrance is on Highway 2, you can't miss it, unless you're asleep at the wheel.

As for pike fishing, you can catch them just about any way imaginable. A good place to try is the northern inlets on Devils Lake in mid-April. There's a good article in In-Fisherman Mag this month about flishing pike, and what flies kick butt in the spring. (bunny leeches)

Well, welcome to ND. I think you will enjoy your time here!


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## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

Nice pictures,
Sounds like a great place to fish. I'd gladly drop 25 bones to have a place to go. I wonder if brown trout would do better they are the most hardy of the salmonoids. They can handle the highest water temps and the lowest oxgen levels.

Thanks for posting the pictures. I can't wait to get out there and start hunting and fishing. I like the plains. I had a friend that went to ND Bottineau to school and paid a visit or two while he was there and my and I went to Mankato for her masters degree. The midwest is were I want my children to grow up because we can still hunt and fish and be with good people.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Hmmm...brown trout...might be something to suggest to the G&F at their regional meeting up here next year! I've never caught one, but my brother got a nice one out in Idaho about 5 years ago on a Worden's Roostertail. Full spawning color, simply gorgeous.

You picked a good place to come if you like the outdoors. Many would say ND is the last sanctuary for people who like to hunt, fish and just enjoy time outside.

Send me a PM when you get in, maybe we can go wet a line! I'll be in GF until August.


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## Militant_Tiger (Feb 23, 2004)

i suggest you leave the logs in, it might be prettier but the trout will not live very long without logs with slow pools to hide behind.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

Yeah, I have caught quite a few from behind logs, and that bigger one pictured above was holding right under one when he hit.

Most of the trees though lay on the land, washed up high from floodwaters several years ago. They don't do much for structure.  All in all, it's a great place to visit though.


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## falconer_3 (Apr 10, 2003)

Wow, great thread guys. Alright, I'll try and answer some questions here. First of all your right, sunny's are the best, and so tasty too. Honestly here, the absolute best fly for bluegills is a beadhead prince nymph. Make sure you have 10 or 15 along with you though, cause they can really rip out the peacock hearl fast! I call carp the king of all game fish. They rip the backing out like no other. The only other fish besides a carp that ever made me hear my reel whine was a big northern pike. Honestly, if you want to save money, I would get a float tube or a pontoon boat. They are about $100 -$600 and also very manuverable and you can put them in any lake, regardless of a boat ramp. Refer to one of the old posts on here. I gave NS a North Dakota fly-fishing break down, there's some good things to know in there. As far as browns go, your absolutely RIGHT!!! They only stock them in a few lakes. My trout lake is Fish Creek about 30 miles west of Bismarck, and it has browns in it. They do awesome and I caught two 21 inchers in there last summer. Truth of the matter is, G & F is cheap. Trout aren't popular in North Dakota, and they'd rather buy rainbows because they are cheaper and use the extra money to stock Salmon and walleye.It sucks and I would strongly reccomend that you bring up trout fishing at the next meeting you go to, anyone. The more they hear about it, the more they will listen. Over to the west of Grand forks, there are some great trout lakes in the turtle mountains. About 4 miles north of the border by mettagoshi(sp) there is a great trout lake called bauer lake. And to the east, there is a great stream in Minnesota called the Straight River. There are alot more opportunities available here than most people think, all you have to do is do a little looking. I would definitely hook up with NS, because I would bet money that he knows the Turtle pretty well. Another thing you might try and get G & F to do is put some holdover trout in there. Sorry I rambled, please PM me with any questions you might have.Good talking, keep up the thread everyone. P.S. Nice Pics NS keep it up


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## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

Militant_tiger,
I think that's a great idea. Keeping the logs in would provide great habitat for trout. Not that I'm a dreamer but, I wonder if Trout Unlimited would grant some money to bury a few more logs to help make some plunge pools and oxgenate the water shed and I'm sure there are plenty of habitat improvements for the over achiever.

Falconer_3,
I thought that browns were more expensive to raise in a hatchery to a catchable size when I posted that. I wonder if fingerlings would be more economical. The end result would be some great fish if they managed to survive. A put-and-take system is very expensive to manage. It would be much better to get a poplation that would renew itself. I know this is alot of big think'n going on here. Hell, I won't even see this place untill July but it's sure fun to think about.

Must be spring on the way


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## falconer_3 (Apr 10, 2003)

Fingerlings are in fact alot cheaper, but once again they just are not high enough on the list for Game and Fish. Sorry to say, I don't believe that trout naturally reproduce in North Dakota. It's possible that they are able to reproduce in the tailrace below Garrison Dam, but no one knows, other than that, nowhere. I also think that the Turtle River usually freezes up in the winter, and I'm also pretty sure that it winter kills every year. I'm also sorry to say that Trout Unlimited probably won't have a thing to do with North Dakota. It's a nice thought, but they just don't care about stillwater fishing, the same way they care about say, Montana.


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## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

Falconer_3
The winter kill issue did cross my mind with ND's super sub zero temps Poor little salmonoids aren't tough enough to make it. The Trout Unlimited thing was a little unrealistic I'll admit. So do you guys think njsimonson 14 inch fish was a survior or just a glutinous planter? 
No matter that's great fish to be from what I can gather about the TR.

Thanks again for sharing your covetted trout spots with an outsider. I can't wait to get out there.


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## Whelen35 (Mar 9, 2004)

If fishing out of GF as a base, The Kabekona river in MN at the junction of 200 and 71 by LaPorte has brook trout. and the Straight river is known for its browns and some rainbows as well. Both are not more than 100 mi from GF. I have not fished them myself, but several books reference them for fishing in MN. Just another option for people.


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## superfly (Mar 1, 2004)

The Straight River was one of the rivers that I had seen a little info on on the internet. I was going to look into Minnesota for possible trout water when I get moved out there. I guess there is always the long hall to Rochester.

Thanks for the input.


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