Northern Pike outlook: Booming
By Chris Erickson, BHG News Service
North Dakota’s state fish is out there right now, waiting beneath the ice for the skilled or the lucky to catch them. Fortunately for successful area anglers, there’s an annual outlet for your soon-to-be trophy Northern Pikes: a fishing contest on the south side of The Lake. Gary Suko, owner of Hook, Line and Sinker in Beulah, said he was already hearing stories of anglers coming in with 20-plus pounders. The contest is entering its third year. Suko started it and decided to keep it going because of all the Northerns in Lake Sakakawea and beyond. The high turnout has kept it alive. “Last year during the first three weeks you had to bring in a fish that was over 20 pounds just to get your name in the drawing,” he said. “We’ve got good fish coming in already. There’s a lot of big fish out there.” So far, anglers have been having luck pretty much everywhere along the southshore. “Beaver, Renner, Beulah Bay have been good, and Hazen Bay’s been pretty good,” he said. “Once it starts warming up it’ll get real intense. Last year guys were getting a hit as soon as they put a line out.
