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Lake Sakakawea Fishing Report

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

The Missouri River giant: 178 miles of walleye, salmon depths and shoreline you own alone.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Gauge
5.48 ft
Air / High
85 / 89 F
Wind
SE 19 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 06332523, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Sakakawea sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 0 cfs. Today brings clear skies, wind SE around 19 mph, rising pressure near 1007 hPa and a high of 89. 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 96 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 EAST FORK SHELL CREEK NEAR PARSHALL, ND.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 06332523.

-0000 cfs08/0508/0808/1208/15

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp85 F
High / Low89 / 61 F
WindSE 19-27 mph
Pressure1006.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset07:12 / 20:24
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 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 89/61 F, wind 20 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 20 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Sakakawea: 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 Sakakawea 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 Sakakawea 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 81 F, wind to 38 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 83 F, wind to 19 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 79 F, wind to 10 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

Walleye 5/day. Salmon seasonal snagging rules in fall: check ND Game and Fish.

Access

Fort Stevenson SP, Van Hook, Indian Hills, Lake Sakakawea SP ramps.

About this water

307,000 acres on the Missouri, ND. Corps, Garrison Dam (1953). 178 miles long.

Fishing Lake Sakakawea: the full guide

The big Missouri

Sakakawea is among the largest reservoirs in America: a walleye fishery of extraordinary consistency (jig the points, pull bouncers on the flats), chinook salmon stocked in the cold depths, and northern pike in every back bay. The scale erases crowds: pick a bay on the map and it is probably yours.

Prairie walleye factory

Sakakawea's walleye program rides the smelt cycles: strong forage years build 30-fish days on bottom bouncers and spinners over the main-lake points. Van Hook Arm is the epicenter: summer boats troll cranks at 1.8 mph across its bars while the badlands glow at sunset.

Salmon in North Dakota

Chinook salmon patrol the deep, cold water off the dam each summer: downrigger fleets work 60-90 ft. August-September they stage for the tailrace run: the state's most improbable fishery, courtesy of smelt and cold Missouri depths.

Common questions

Where do I start on 178 miles?

Pick one arm: Van Hook for walleye density, the dam area for salmon and depth, Little Missouri for scenery-plus-smallmouth. Locals fish it like separate lakes.

Northern pike of the ice edges

Sakakawea's pike program peaks at the calendar's margins: late ice (March) finds heavyweights staging outside the spawning bays (tip-ups with smelt over 6-12 ft), and June scatters them onto the windblown weed flats where spoons and swimbaits connect. The prairie wind that plagues walleye boats barely touches the pike bays: a reliable fallback when the big water blows out.

How big do Sakakawea pike run?

Fifteen-pound fish are annual and 20s show every spring: the smelt-rich forage builds true trophies. The Van Hook and Douglas Creek bays are the traditional late-ice stages.

Is fishing good at Lake Sakakawea right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake Audubon54 miNelson Lake57 miLake Darling59 miLake Tschida90 miMissouri River97 miLake Metigoshe124 mi
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