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Lake Audubon Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A 16,600-acre sub-impoundment of Lake Sakakawea where North Dakota rates the smallmouth bass fishery excellent and the refuge half is open only to ice fishing.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~55 F est.
Air / High
71 / 73 F
Wind
SSE 15 mph

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

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Lake Audubon rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 15 mph, falling pressure near 1002 hPa and a high of 73. Water sits around 55 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 10:21 AM-12:21 PM and 10:52 PM-12:52 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

WalleyeExcellent

Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pikeExcellent

The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perchExcellent

Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

MuskellungeExcellent

This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

Tomorrow: Cooler at 60 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

North Dakota requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $29.00 for residents. What a North Dakota licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing walleye here? Check the size and bag limits with NDGF before you keep anything. The season dates for North Dakota, read off the agency, are on the North Dakota seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low73 / 55 F
WindSSE 15-25 mph
Pressure1001.8 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain94% cloud, 4%
Sunrise / Sunset08:15 / 18:41
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~55 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Lake Audubon this week

Today is the pick of the week on Lake Audubon, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
10:21 AM-12:21 PM and 10:52 PM-12:52 AM
Minor period
4:45 AM-5:45 AM
Sun
08:15 to 18:41
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Overcast, 18 mph
Rain chance
4%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Walleye illustration

Walleye

Best: spring and late fall, around dawn, dusk and night

A cool-water perch of large lakes, reservoirs and rivers whose reflective eyes are built for low light, so it feeds most at night and in murky water. The Missouri Department of Conservation ranks it among the continent's most important freshwater game fish. Spring: post-spawn fish scatter and can be slow for a couple of weeks. Fall: one of the best windows, with minnows on jigs and three-way rigs as the water cools toward ice-up.

Northern pike illustration

Northern pike

Best: cool water, from ice-out through spring, in fall and under the ice

A long, duck-billed predator of weedy lakes, slow rivers and backwaters that ambushes fish from vegetation. Wisconsin DNR points out that, unlike most of the state's common game fish, pike do their best feeding in cool water. The best band for pike: right after ice-out they move into flooded vegetated shallows to spawn, and they feed actively again as the water cools in fall.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Yellow perch illustration

Yellow perch

Caught all year, including under the ice through winter

Yellow perch are schooling panfish of the Great Lakes and northern lakes, and Michigan DNR calls them the game fish most often caught in that state. Spring and fall: perch hold shallower and, by Michigan DNR's account, feed through the day, so shoreline weed edges, flats and the shallows near spawning areas are worth searching.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Fished from late spring into late fall where seasons allow

Muskellunge are solitary, fish-eating ambush predators of the pike family, holding in weed beds and other cover in lakes and rivers of the Great Lakes, upper Mississippi and Ohio basins. This band covers the spring spawn, which in Wisconsin runs at 49-60Β°F; spawning muskies eat little and rarely chase lures, Wisconsin DNR says. After the spawn, and again as fall water cools, work large lures along weed edges and structure.

When to come: the Lake Audubon 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
Northern pike
Smallmouth bass
Yellow perch
Muskellunge
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 55 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~55 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 Lake Audubon today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 77 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Muskellunge led the card at excellent. High of 65 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Walleye led the card at excellent. High of 68 F, wind to 10 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 fishing license. See the current North Dakota Game and Fish fishing proclamation for limits. On Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, the south portion of the lake, only ice fishing is allowed, and after March 15 ice houses must be removed daily.

Access

Open-water fishing only outside the refuge portion; a fishing pier (Game and Fish); six gravel ice access points on the refuge (Fish and Wildlife Service). The lake is north of Coleharbor.

About this water

A 16,600-acre sub-impoundment of Lake Sakakawea in McLean County, North Dakota, held at 1,845 to 1,847 feet by the Snake Creek Pumping Plant.

Fishing Lake Audubon: the full guide

A lake held level by pumps

Lake Audubon is a sub-impoundment of Lake Sakakawea, separated from it by the Snake Creek Embankment, which the Army Corps of Engineers owns; the North Dakota State Water Commission puts the embankment at 2.5 miles long and 85 feet high. The Snake Creek Pumping Plant, owned by the Bureau of Reclamation and run by the Garrison Diversion Conservancy District, lifts water from Sakakawea to hold Lake Audubon between 1,845 and 1,847 feet, and water leaves eastward through the McClusky Canal. The Commission gives the lake 16,600 acres and 152 miles of shoreline.

The fishery

North Dakota Game and Fish's 2026 fishing waters list says walleye numbers are below the long-term average but size structure has improved, calls the smallmouth bass fishery excellent with trophy-sized fish abundant, and rates the muskie fishery good. The lake has a fishing pier. On the refuge, the Fish and Wildlife Service names walleye, yellow perch and northern pike as the popular species through the ice.

Two managers, two sets of rules

The Fish and Wildlife Service manages Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, the south portion of the lake, and Game and Fish manages the Audubon State Game Management Area on the north portion. The refuge portion is open to ice fishing but not to open-water fishing. Six gravel ice access points lead onto the refuge ice, and after March 15 ice houses may not be left unattended and must be removed daily.

Common questions

Can I fish the whole lake in summer?

No. The refuge portion in the south is open to ice fishing only; open-water fishing is limited to the rest of the lake.

Is the smallmouth fishing good?

North Dakota Game and Fish calls it excellent, with trophy-sized fish abundant (2026 fishing waters).

Does the water level swing like Sakakawea?

Much less. The Snake Creek Pumping Plant is run to hold Lake Audubon between 1,845 and 1,847 feet (State Water Commission).

Is fishing good at Lake Audubon right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Nelson Lake35 miLake Sakakawea54 miMissouri River57 miLake Darling63 miLake Ilo71 miLake Tschida75 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 47.6000, -101.2000 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 5, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 5, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.