By Nick Simonson

After a mild winter with little concern for winterkill due to good ice conditions and limited snow cover, lakes in the southeastern portion of North Dakota are set for a solid spring and summer of openwater fishing.  Those four major waters in the region – Lake Ashtabula, Jamestown Reservoir, Pipestem Reservoir and Spiritwood Lake – are primed to provide anglers with good walleye fishing and an excellent array of other species which are on the upswing headed into the season, according to BJ Kratz, Supervisor for the Southeastern Fisheries District with the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F).

Kratz details a consistent catch of walleyes on Lake Ashtabula in recent years, with a good sampling of year classes, including some larger fish. However, the recent trend has been great fishing for quality samples across the lake’s other available species, including a burgeoning bluegill population.
“The bluegill fishery really seems to be taking off lately. We’ve got a nice average sized fish between seven and eight inches based on our electrofishing that we do each year,” Kratz details of Ashtabula’s sunnies.

In addition, a strong population of crappies has been reported on Lake Ashtabula and a combination of angler reports and surveys has produced some of the best numbers of specks in the past three decades according to Kratz.  Smallmouth bass remain prevalent too on the 12-mile-long impoundment north of Valley City, with fish topping the 20-inch mark.

Looking west, Spiritwood Lake’s walleye population is doing well, thanks to an improved forage base in the form of recent year classes of small perch.  This has also helped the water’s smallmouth bass flourish and has generally sustained good fishing on the clear lake.

“On Spiritwood Lake, actually we had a pretty good year class. The 2022 year class of walleyes at Spiritwood Lake was pretty good and that has boosted numbers of fish available to anglers out there. In fact, our catch rates in our standard adult survey that we do each year in 2024 was about twice the average out there. So, we really caught good numbers,” Kratz details, “walleye growth rates probably are being influenced right now – and they’re good – by a 2023 year class of perch. They were pretty abundant, and I think they’re kind of jumpstarting the system. Both the walleyes and the smallmouth bass are enjoying snacking on those,” he concludes.

With a recent restocking following winterkill issues in 2018, Pipestem Reservoir near Jamestown has been pushing out quality, eater-sized walleyes over the winter; a trend that is likely to continue into the summer.  The water’s population of crappies, however, has not found a foothold due to tougher overwinter survival for the popular panfish. 

“We still haven’t had a good age class get off out there yet. The bottleneck is the winters.  We get reproduction typically each year, but they struggle to survive their first winter.  When they do though, we usually have an age class that gets off and that tends to provide a pretty reliable source of action for at least ten years,” Kratz explains of the crappies’ struggles in returning to Pipestem after restocking seven years ago.

Anglers in the area instead should turn to Jamestown Reservoir for specks, as good populations of black and white crappies are present, though the older year classes that provided bigger slabs are likely depleted by now.  However, Kratz leans on the presence of those panfish from the recent year classes of crappies to keep angling fast on the reservoir.

“The crappie population is in great shape, we’ve got a couple year classes out there now, probably three year classes, but the 2011 year class is probably going to be pretty rare to see this year.  But the 2018 and 2022 year classes are coming on pretty strong, and the good news is those fish grow quickly to nine or 10 inches,” Kratz details, adding, “there are a lot of 11-inch fish out in the system right now and anglers enjoyed a pretty good year for crappies on Jamestown Reservoir this winter, so I expect that to continue into the summer.”

Kratz also states walleye fishing on Jamestown Reservoir has been above average during the recent winter, and anglers should find good angling for those popular sportfish as well in spring and summer.

Currently in the southeastern district four lakes – Lake Ashtabula, Twin Lake, Lake LaMoure and Lake Elsie – along with the Sheyenne and James River are infested with Aquatic Nuisance Species (ANS), including zebra mussels.  As a result, NDG&F crews will be monitoring incoming and outgoing boat traffic on those popular fishing and recreational waters throughout the openwater season to limit the spread of ANS to other waters. To help in that effort, anglers and other boaters are encouraged to clean, drain and dry their watercraft fully after leaving any water, and especially one where ANS are present, before putting in at a new one.

Simonson is the lead writer and editor of Dakota Edge Outdoors.

Featured Photo: Bully! Quality bluegills, with an average size nearing eight inches, are becoming more and more prevalent in the waters of Lake Ashtabula north of Valley City, providing anglers with another option to fish for amongst the impoundment’s walleyes, smallmouth bass and crappies. Simonson Photo.