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Game and Fish Provides Darkhouse Spearfishing Stats

The 2007-08 North Dakota darkhouse spearfishing season saw five-year highs in both participation and the number of northern pike harvested.

Nearly 800 participants speared more than 6,300 pike last winter, which is more than double the number of pike harvested in the last two seasons combined, according to state Game and Fish Department spearfishing data.

The state opened some of its waters to darkhouse spearfishing for the first time in 2001. The season that attracted the most participants (979) and saw the most pike harvested (6,770) was 2002-03.

Improved water clarity on a number of lakes played a large roll in participation and success last winter, department fisheries officials said. Morrison Lake is a good example of improved clarity conditions as this Ramsey County fishery topped the list in terms of the number of pike speared (1,232) in 2007-08. The winter before, Morrison Lake was ranked No. 10 among all spearing lakes.

Rounding out the top six lakes, which accounted for 76 percent of the spearing harvest in the state, were Devils Lake (824 pike); Grass Lake, Richland County, (563); Buffalo Lodge Lake, McHenry County (327); Lake Sakakawea (314); and Island Lake, Rolette County (248).