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Red River of the North Fishing Report

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

A river that flows north: the Red holds enormous channel catfish on the Dakota-Minnesota line.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Flow
982 cfs
Air / High
60 / 59 F
Wind
SSE 14 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 05082500, 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.

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

Red River of the North lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. The river is running 982 cfs, on the rise. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSE around 14 mph, falling pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 59. Water sits around 73 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

MuskellungeExcellent

Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

WalleyeGood

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

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

Tomorrow: Similar at 58 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 smallmouth bass 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 from RED RIVER OF THE NORTH AT GRAND FORKS, ND.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 05082500.

9021,0981,294982 cfs08/1508/2509/0409/14

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp60 F
High / Low59 / 46 F
WindSSE 14-35 mph
Pressure1009.4 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain100% cloud, 79%
Sunrise / Sunset07:04 / 19:42
MoonWaxing Crescent, 8%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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.

Mon Sep 14 · Rain, 59/46 F, wind 19 mph, rain 79%

Slow. High rain chance; fish the front edge before it arrives.

Species guide

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

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

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.

Muskellunge illustration

Muskellunge

Best: Sep-Nov

The fish of ten thousand casts. Weed edges, rock bars and big-water structure. Bucktails and rubber over cabbage and rock bars; moon majors matter here more than anywhere.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Drift cut bait across flats near the river channel, or anchor on ledges at dusk.

When to come: the Red River of the North 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
Smallmouth bass
Walleye
Muskellunge
Catfish (blue, channel)
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Red River of the North today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Sun, Sep 13

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 66 F, wind to 7 mph.

Sat, Sep 12

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 19 mph.

Fri, Sep 11

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 77 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 or Minnesota license depending on the bank and reach; a border-water arrangement applies. Check both agencies’ current rules before fishing.

Access

City parks and ramps at Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks and Drayton, plus bridge crossings and dam areas.

About this water

A north-flowing border river between North Dakota and Minnesota, draining to Lake Winnipeg.

Fishing Red River of the North: the full guide

A river running the wrong way

The Red River of the North forms the border between North Dakota and Minnesota and flows north to Lake Winnipeg in Canada, one of the few major North American rivers to run northward. It is muddy, slow and winding through flat former lakebed farmland, and it holds what may be the best trophy channel catfish fishery on the continent.

Trophy channel catfish

The Red produces channel catfish of remarkable size in remarkable numbers, with double-digit fish routine and much larger fish realistic. Cut sucker, frozen shrimp and prepared baits fished on the bottom in the deeper holes, on the outside bends and below the dams take fish through the summer. Catch-and-release of the biggest fish is widely practised.

Walleye, sauger and other species

Walleye and sauger hold the current breaks and the dam tailwaters, best in spring and fall. Northern pike work the slower reaches and the backwaters, and freshwater drum and goldeye are abundant. Spring flooding is a regular feature of this flat valley and shuts down access for weeks at a time.

Grand Forks logistics

Access is via city parks and ramps at Fargo-Moorhead, Grand Forks and Drayton, plus numerous bridge crossings and dam areas through the valley. Guides working the trophy catfish fishery operate out of the main towns. Check flood status in spring: the river spreads across the valley when it rises.

Common questions

Why does it flow north?

It drains the flat bed of glacial Lake Agassiz toward Lake Winnipeg: one of few major rivers on the continent to run northward.

How big are the catfish?

Double-digit channel catfish are routine and much larger fish are realistic: it is a genuine trophy fishery.

Does it flood?

Regularly in spring: the flat valley means the river spreads widely and access closes for weeks.

Is fishing good at Red River of the North 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

Lake Ashtabula78 miSheyenne River88 miDevils Lake91 miJamestown Reservoir100 miLake Bemidji105 miPipestem Reservoir105 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 05082500 — RED RIVER OF THE NORTH AT GRAND FORKS, ND
Read from waterservices.usgs.gov/nwis/iv. Latest value timestamped 2026-09-14 at 09:45 station time.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 47.9269, -97.0289 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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