Fishing has taken a backseat to hunting in the past few weeks, but there are still plenty of opportunities to get in some open-water angling before the snow flies and the water turns hard.

The Missouri River is the best bet for some late-season walleyes and, for the most part, the nicer fish are being taken below the Tailrace.

A lot of reports came in earlier of whopper walleyes - some tipping the scale at 9 pounds or better.

Not a lot has changed as far as tactics go with fish being caught on a variety of presentations: Live bait rigs, three-ways in the chute with plastics or floaters, crank baits or drifting or anchoring with live bait.

Around the Bismarck-Mandan area, the bite seems to be better the farther south one goes.

- Brian Gehring