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Devils Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

North Dakota's flooded forest: a rising natural lake where walleye, perch and pike own drowned timber.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Lake level
1450.09 ft
Air / High
77 / 78 F
Wind
ESE 11 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05056500, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Tap a marker for today's tip
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Devils Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The gauge reads 50.09 ft, up 0.13 over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind ESE around 11 mph, steady pressure near 1011 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeGood

Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

Northern pikeGood

Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

White bassFair

The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings from DEVILS LAKE NEAR DEVILS LAKE, ND.

Gauge height, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05056500.

49.8850.0750.2650.09 ft08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low78 / 56 F
WindESE 11-15 mph
Pressure1011.1 hPa, steady
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset06:58 / 20:10
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 78/56 F, wind 12 mph, rain 3%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Devils Lake: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: May-Jun, Oct

The glass-eyed prize of northern lakes. Low light, wind-blown structure and live bait. Jig and minnow on rock reefs and points; the evening bite on wind-blown shores is the one to plan around.

White bass illustration

White bass

Best: Mar-May run

River-run spawners and open-water schoolers. Fast limits when you find them. The spring river run: small crankbaits and roadrunners up the tributaries.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: spring, early winter

The ambush predator of weedbeds and cabbage edges. Aggressive, big and always worth a wire leader. Weedline spinnerbaits, spoons and jerkbaits; bays with fresh green weed hold the active fish.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Devils Lake calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Walleye
White bass
Northern pike
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Devils Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 70 F, wind to 23 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 79 F, wind to 10 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

North Dakota requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

North Dakota license. Walleye: 5 per day. Perch: 20 per day. Pike: 5 per day, liberal rules: confirm with NDGF.

Access

Grahams Island State Park, Lakewood, Six Mile and Creel Bay ramps; winter access points maintained across the ice on major bays.

About this water

A ~150,000-acre natural closed-basin lake, Ramsey/Benson counties, ND. No outlet; levels driven by wet-dry cycles. Flooded timber throughout.

Fishing Devils Lake: the full guide

The lake that swallowed the prairie

Devils Lake has no natural outlet: decades of wet cycles quadrupled it from 40,000 to nearly 160,000 acres at peak, drowning forests, roads and farmsteads that now sit underwater as fish habitat. The result is unique: a natural prairie lake with the flooded-timber character of a southern reservoir and the walleye-perch-pike lineup of the north.

Fishing the flooded stuff

Walleye relate to the drowned trees and old roadbeds: pitching jigs and slip bobbers into timber pockets in spring, pulling spinners along submerged shelterbelts in summer, casting cranks over flooded roads at dusk in fall. Pike are everywhere and huge: dead-bait rigs and big spoons around any bay. The jumbo perch that made the lake famous school over deep mud in late winter: the ice fishery here is a destination event, with sleeper-house cities on the big bays.

A working destination

The town of Devils Lake runs on fishing: guide fleets, ice-house rentals, cleaning stations. Navigation demands care: yesterday's tree line is today's prop hazard, and water levels still move. Follow marked lanes near ramps and trust local maps over old charts.

Common questions

Why does Devils Lake keep changing size?

It is a closed basin: precipitation in, evaporation out, no river outlet. Wet decades since 1993 raised it nearly 30 ft, flooding forests and farms: hard on landowners, spectacular for fish habitat.

When is the jumbo perch bite?

February-March through the ice over deep mud basins: schools of 12-14 inch perch made the lake nationally famous. Sleeper houses and guides make it accessible even at -20.

Is boat navigation dangerous?

It demands humility: flooded trees, old fence lines and roadbeds lurk everywhere off the marked lanes. Run slow in new water, use updated lake maps, and watch the wind: this prairie sea whips up fast.

Is fishing good at Devils Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Jamestown Reservoir72 miPipestem Reservoir77 miLake Ashtabula81 miLake Metigoshe89 miLake Audubon107 miNelson Lake118 mi
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