By Nick Simonson

While water levels are slightly off from normal, the fisheries throughout southeastern North Dakota are in excellent shape heading into the winter of 2025-26.  With abundant options for perch and walleyes, along with some well-known waters now producing fantastic bluegill and crappie fishing, the region is primed for hard water with a variety of fish to choose from, according to BJ Kratz, Southeast Fisheries District Supervisor for the North Dakota Game & Fish Department (NDG&F).

“We had ample staff to get about 90 of our 140 or so active waters sampled. So we have a pretty good idea as to what’s going on in those places,” Kratz details; “we took about 215,000 adult perch to some lakes, and hauled some pike and crappies and bluegills, and we even got a couple new boat ramps in,” he continues of stocking and access improvements on the area’s waters ahead of ice up.

The Big Four

Kratz details great crappie fishing in both Jamestown Reservoir and Lake Ashtabula, with strong reports from both anglers and surveys conducted by NDG&F this spring and summer. Additionally, anglers will find large bluegills in the latter and in good numbers as things freeze up.  Walleye fishing has been good on Pipestem Reservoir, and while it is not the destination it once was for ice anglers at the height of its pike populations and darkhouse spearing heyday, Spiritwood Lake also boasts some nice walleyes as well.

“We’ve got an abundance of 10-to-11-inch crappies in there, and we’ve got multiple year classes thankfully present in there, so we’ve got some recruitment coming on.  That 2018 year class now is getting to be about that 10-to-11inch range,” Kratz details of Jamestown Reservoir’s crappies, while adding about Ashtabula: “I don’t know if I’ve ever received more positive, good fishing reports as I did last winter regarding crappies and bluegills on Lake Ashtabula. Anglers really capitalized on those fish. We’ve got good numbers of both species – probably higher crappie numbers than I ever remember on there.”  

Popular Pursuits

Around the region, walleye fishing on the various stocked and managed prairie pothole waters has been booming, with 25 lakes out of the more than 140 under NDG&F purview boasting catch rates of 10 fish per net or more in recent surveys, which is the benchmark for a good walleye fishery.  Kratz suggests tapping into the agency’s “Where to Fish” section of its website at gf.nd.gov to locate those lakes producing good catches of walleyes but take those numbers with a bit of caution as things solidify going into winter.

“Keep in mind just because you have a high fish density or what appears to be such, doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to go out and catch them. There are a lot of factors that come into that. Take primary forage; if you have a lot of forage available through the winter and the summer, those fish just aren’t as active,” Kratz explains.

For perch, Kratz sees a number of lakes coming back on line after being stocked following the winter of 2022-23 which saw significant winterkill over that season, and with mild winters since and no summerkill events, those smaller bodies stocked and restocked with the favorite hardwater pursuit will provide anglers with good opportunities this winter in the southeastern portion of the state.

“Jumbo perch aren’t as common as they used to be. If there is one good thing that winterkill does, it resets things.  And so with that, I suggest that some of these lakes that we did lose in 2022, in that Cleveland area and north – Zimmerman, Geier and Stump – those are going to be good again for perch.  It might be a little early, but there’s going to be some 12-inch fish in there, just not great numbers yet,” Kratz explains.

Be Safe

Anglers are cautioned to watch their favorite waters for safe ice as lakes cool with the recent cold snap.  Having four inches of good, clear ice formed during a calm stretch of weather with temperatures getting into the single digits or below is the best case scenario for first ice and a strong surface to fish on.  Anglers should go out with a buddy, use a spud bar to check ice thickness every 10 feet, and wear a floating suit and carry ice picks to help with buoyancy and escape in case of a breakthrough.

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

Featured Photo:  Eyeing Up First Ice.  Anglers will have many great lakes big and small to choose from for walleyes and other ice fishing pursuits this season in southeastern North Dakota, as favorable conditions and no major fish loss events have occurred in the past three years.  Simonson Photo.