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Fishing in North Dakota

790 public fishing lakes and rivers in North Dakota — Yellow Perch, Northern Pike, Walleye, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie and Pumpkinseed.

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See every public fishing venue in North Dakota on the map, with boat ramps, camping, parking and full rules for each one.

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State
North Dakota
Country
USA
Venues
790
Licence
State-issued

Fishing in North Dakota

PiscaMaps covers 790 public fishing venues across North Dakota in 5 regions — 765 lakes and reservoirs and 19 rivers. The largest is Lake Sakakawea, at 350,520 acres. Sheyenne River is the longest mapped river, running 688 km. South Central & James River Valley has the most venues on file, with 332. 3 venues are documented trout waters.

The most commonly recorded species across North Dakota's public waters are Yellow Perch, Northern Pike, Walleye, Bluegill, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Crappie and Pumpkinseed — the exact mix varies by water type and region. 182 venues have a real boat ramp on file, 99 have nearby camping, and 77 have mapped parking — sourced from OpenStreetMap and recreation.gov's federal facilities database (RIDB) where available.

Fishing Regions in North Dakota

North Dakota's public fishing venues are spread across 5 regions on PiscaMaps:

South Central & James River Valley · 332 Devils Lake & Northeast · 178 Red River Valley · 97 Missouri Slope & Badlands · 92 Turtle Mtn & North Central · 85

Species Recorded in North Dakota

The most frequently recorded species across North Dakota's public venues on PiscaMaps:

Yellow Perch · 678 Northern Pike · 595 Walleye · 587 Bluegill · 446 Largemouth Bass · 375 Smallmouth Bass · 370 Crappie · 335 Pumpkinseed · 335 Muskellunge · 335 Black Bullhead · 69

Fishing Licence in North Dakota

Anyone 16 or older needs a North Dakota fishing licence — the resident annual is about $29 (with the required Fishing, Hunting & Furbearer Certificate), the non-resident annual about $73, with non-resident 3-day (~$53) and 10-day (~$63) licences also sold. North Dakota resident seniors (65+) can buy a discounted senior licence for about $12, and anyone under 16 fishes free. Licences run 1 April to 31 March. Buy from NDGF at gf.nd.gov. A North Dakota fishing licence covers this water — it is on NDGF's official Fishing Waters list.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Notable Lakes & Reservoirs in North Dakota

Rivers in North Dakota

Sheyenne River Little Missouri River Missouri River Upper Missouri River Cannonball River James River Heart River Wild Rice River Knife River Turtle River

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