Game and fish biologists are studying how the cooler-than-normal summer might have impacted fish spawning and stocking success across North Dakota.
Fisheries Management Section Leader Scott Gangl says overall, there appears to be average reproduction and stocking success.
Gangl says Lake Sakakawea produced good catches of virtually all young fish. He attributes that to good water levels, abundant spawning habitat and plentiful forage fish.
Devils Lake and stump lake reported fair to good numbers of young walleye, while yellow perch reproduction was much lower than the strong reproduction year of 2013.
Gangl says Lake Oahe is starting to show signs of recovery from the 2011 flood, but catch rates of forage fish and young game fish remain low upstream from the Missouri River reservoir.