Fri, Jun 9th, 2023 - 8:53am
March 08, 2021 - 9:00am | By James McCarty
The Flag Outdoors Expert Steve Carney has your weekly Outdoors Angle right here!
Yes, the worst of the winter weather has passed as we now look to fishing open water! We are fortunate in the north country to have open water options well before then inland lakes are ice-free. That's the Missouri River!
March can be an awesome time to be on the river as current keeps most of the water open and the early Spring bite is always fantastic. The crowds haven't shown up yet and the month of March and even April can be a great time to finally get the boat out.
Good choices are the Missouri River around Chamberlain, South Dakota as well as Fort Thompson. The river gets going a bit later in the Mandan-Bismarck area but the fishing there can be just as wonderful.
The South Dakota portion of the Missouri features lots of deep water and tons of accesses in the Spring and the deep water tends to hold fish as they stage for the spawn. The stretch in the Mandan-Bismarck area is a completely different waterway featuring lots of shallow water and really resembles Minnesota's Mississippi River in it's personality.
At this time of March, it's always a good move to check ahead with resorts, bait shops and outfitters before heading out just to check water levels and which ramps are open and utilized.
For this angler, March is one of my favorite months because I've had enough ice fishing and the bug really hits me for open water walleyes. Get the boat ready because March madness is upon us!
Steve Carney is The Flag WZFG Outdoors expert. He can be heard every Thursday morning at 8:05 on AM 1100 WZFG. Check out his weekly podcast on am1100theflag.com and hear his Outdoors Angle reports every Friday on AM 1100 WZFG. You can also visit stevecarneyoutdoors.com for more information.
