Places to go fishing in North Dakota
Whether you love to fish or are looking for a first-time adventure, North Dakota is filled with lakes and reservoirs that have some of the best fishing in the north, especially for perch and walleye. Anglers can enjoy year-round fishing in North Dakota – as long as you have some great warm-weather gear. The Ice fishing can be remarkably good here. However, the non-frozen times of the year are the best of course.
With as many bodies of water as North Dakota has, one can only imagine the number of fish species that you can catch throughout the state. For the most part, anglers will have great experiences catching largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, flathead catfish, black crappie, white crappie, walleye, rainbow trout, cutthroat trout, brown trout, lake trout, bluegill, white bass, yellow perch, chinook salmon, muskie, northern pike, paddlefish, sauger, saugeye and the special tiger muskie – just to name a few.
For a list of licenses, fees and where to buy, see our North Dakota Fishing License page.
The locations below are listed alphabetically in the region of the state and just a sampling of the many places to go fishing and some of the species you can catch in North Dakota.
Places To Go Fishing In North Dakota
Northwest North Dakota
Lake Sakakawea: This lake is about 368,000 acres is size with a max depth of 180 feet. Lake Sakakawea is filled by the Missouri River and contained by the Garrison Dam. This lake is so big, that, believe it or not, has more shoreline than the state of California. The main fish to target in Lake Sakakawea are walleye. The best time to fish for these walleye is during the prespawn and spawn, which is usually happens in the spring and sometimes into early summer. Most of the good catching comes in the creek arms. The fish like to hang out in the shallows with a little bit of cover. Try throwing a 1/16th oz weight with a live or plastic minnow. One of the better spots to try is McKenzie Bay in the early season. Once summer comes along, nightcrawlers can work wonders along the banks between arms. Lake Sakakawea is also know for having great northern pike and smallmouth bass. Have Fun!!!
Popular Species To Catch: Walleye, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Chinnook Salmon, Cutthroat Trout, Paddlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sauger, White Bass, Yellow Perch
Northeast North Dakota
Devils Lake: At over 160,000 acres and max depth of around 59 feet, Devils Lake is no small body of water. It is the largest natural body of water in North Dakota and has hundreds of miles of shoreline – so feel free to fish from shore or boat. Even though Devils Lake has an ever-growing population of quality walleye, northern pike, and white bass, it is known for being the “Perch Capital of the World”. In fact, it has been regularly voted as the one of the top 5 perch fishing lakes in the US. It is widely known that some perch that come out of Devils Lake are weighing more than 2 POUNDS!!!
Popular Species To Catch: Walleye, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Black Crappie, Brown Trout, Chinnook Salmon, Cutthroat Trout, Paddlefish, Rainbow Trout, Sauger, White Bass, Yellow Perch
West Central North Dakota
Jamestown Reservoir: This reservoir is just under 2,100 acres with a max depth of 38 feet and has roughly 45 miles of shoreline.
Popular Species To Catch: Walleye, Northern Pike, White Crappie, Yellow Perch
To see the full list of North Dakota fishing licenses and prices, please visit our North Dakota Fishing License page.
Many more locations to come. If you have any favorite spots or bodies of water that you think should definitely be on this page, please send us a note.
Also, if you are a private club or guide service that would like to be featured on any “Places To Fish” page, or other page within the StartFishingToday™ website, let us know.
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