BISMARCK, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – The North Dakota Game & Fish Department is promoting some applications for smartphones that can help ice fishing and summer anglers in the state.

Game & Fish Wildlife Biologist Doug Leier says these mobile apps are free and have a variety of uses.

The data available on these apps allow ice anglers access to more than 200 lake contour maps and add another tool to the tackle box.

“Back when we first started mapping in the early 2000s, anglers pretty much had to print a paper lake contour map at home and take it with them to help navigate and find the underwater features,” said Jerry Weigel, Department fisheries production and development section supervisor.

Considering cellular service is iffy, at best, on about 30% of North Dakota’s fishing waters, there are benefits to downloading maps to your mobile device before leaving home using the Avenza Geospatial PDF app.

“With this electronic fishing map information and you see there’s a sunken island out there, you can literally drive right to it on the ice using either of the two technologies,” Weigel said.

Weigel added that there is something anglers need to keep in mind when using this GPS technology on their favorites fishing waters.

“They imply they’re absolute,” he said. “In other words, when it says it’s 15 feet deep, we say that there’s 15-foot depth in that general area. But folks need to keep in mind that their GPS’s are plus or minus 10 feet at the best.”

What’s more certain, if Mother Nature allows, are the opportunities afforded ice anglers this winter across North Dakota’s landscape.

“There have never been stronger populations of fish than there is now,” Weigel said. “It’s amazing. And we literally have twice the number of fishing lakes as there once was.”

Leier later gave a reminder that the spring turkey deadline is fast approaching.

You can listen to Doug Leier every Thursday on Big Dog 95.5 FM with JD in the Morning. Visit gf.nd.gov for more information.