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Lake Ilo Fishing Report

Updated Mon, Sep 14, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

A western North Dakota refuge lake: Lake Ilo holds walleye, pike and perch near Dunn Center.

2/5
Slow. The wind owns today.31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
59 / 62 F
Wind
W 15 mph

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

Satellite view
Monday
14
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.

2/5Slow. The wind owns today.31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Lake Ilo sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. Today brings cloud cover, wind W around 15 mph, falling pressure near 1001 hPa and a high of 62. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing crescent, the solunar majors run 1:11 AM-3:11 AM and 1:11 PM-3:11 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: Similar at 61 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Tue, Sep 15, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

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 →

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.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp59 F
High / Low62 / 52 F
WindW 15-34 mph
Pressure1000.7 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 63%
Sunrise / Sunset06:27 / 19:04
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
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 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Mon Sep 14 · Rain, 62/52 F, wind 31 mph, rain 63%

Slow. Wind at 31 mph makes boat control the day's real problem; find protected banks.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Ilo: 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 Lake Ilo 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 Lake Ilo today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

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 19 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Walleye led the card at good. High of 62 F, wind to 16 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 24 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Walleye led the card at good. High of 69 F, wind to 24 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. Refuge rules govern access, hours and boating and are stricter than statewide regulations: check current USFWS and Game and Fish guidance.

Access

Refuge boat ramp and shoreline access off Highway 200 near Dunn Center.

About this water

A roughly 1,200-acre reservoir on Spring Creek in the Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge, Dunn County, North Dakota.

Fishing Lake Ilo: the full guide

A small refuge reservoir

Lake Ilo covers roughly 1,200 acres on Spring Creek in Dunn County, western North Dakota, within the Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge. It is a shallow prairie reservoir surrounded by grassland and cropland, holding walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, largemouth bass and panfish, with the refuge protecting the surrounding habitat.

Walleye and pike

Walleye relate to the old creek channel, the points and any rock or structure, taken on jigs, slip bobbers and crawler harnesses. Northern pike hold the vegetation and the shallower bays and take spoons and spinnerbaits. The lake was drained and rehabilitated in the past, and the fishery is managed actively as a result.

Perch and ice fishing

Yellow perch provide the most consistent action, both in open water and through the ice, and winter fishing is popular with anglers from Dickinson and the surrounding towns. Pike are taken on tip-ups. Always check ice conditions on a shallow prairie reservoir where wind and current can thin it unpredictably.

Dunn County logistics

The refuge provides a boat ramp, shoreline access and day-use facilities off Highway 200 near Dunn Center, with rules that are stricter than statewide regulations to protect wildlife. Dickinson is about 40 minutes southwest. Wind is constant on the western North Dakota prairie: plan around the forecast.

Common questions

Are there special rules?

Yes: refuge regulations on access, hours and boating are stricter than statewide rules. Check before going.

Is ice fishing popular?

Yes, for perch and pike. Verify ice carefully: wind and current thin it unpredictably on shallow prairie water.

Has the fishery changed?

Yes: the lake was drained and rehabilitated in the past, and the fishery is actively managed as a result.

Is fishing good at Lake Ilo right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. The wind owns today. 31 mph gusts make boat control the real battle.

Nearby waters

Lake Sakakawea39 miNelson Lake65 miLake Tschida67 miLake Audubon73 miMissouri River94 miLake Darling97 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 47.2600, -102.6800 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.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Written and reviewed by a person against the sources above. Errors are published in the verification log, not quietly corrected.

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.

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