Fly Fishing North Dakota: Garrison Tailrace Trout, Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake, Seasons and Tips
Location Details / North Dakota
Fly Fishing North Dakota: Garrison Tailrace Trout, Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake, Seasons and Tips
North Dakota fly fishing centers on three waters: the Missouri River below Garrison Dam for trophy brown and rainbow trout and fall Chinook salmon, Lake Sakakawea for walleye, northern pike and smallmouth bass, and Devils Lake for northern pike, walleye and white bass. Devils Lake fishes shallowest from late April through June.
Fair warning: North Dakota is not on many fly anglers' lists, and that is exactly why it deserves a look. The North Dakota Game and Fish Department says the state has more than 400 fishing waters with public access and some degree of management, and the biggest trout on its record books did not come from a mountain stream.
Here is the honest part. On November 2, 2026, we searched the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast archive, 450 indexed transcripts and all 367 episodes in the show feed, for North Dakota, Sakakawea, Devils Lake and Garrison Dam. No guest is from this state and no episode covers these waters. So the facts below come from Game and Fish and other named sources, and every podcast tip is labeled transferable, because it was learned somewhere else.
What the record list shows is hard to ignore. On the state list dated October 30, 2026, the brown trout record (31 pounds, 11 ounces, February 1, 2005), the rainbow trout record (21 pounds, 4 ounces, March 26, 1998) and the Chinook salmon record (31 pounds, 2 ounces, June 10, 1986) all came from one place: the Missouri River in the Garrison Dam Tailrace.
Top species
Brown and rainbow trout; Chinook salmon; walleye; northern pike; smallmouth bass; white bass
Best months
Devils Lake pike late April through June; mixed shallow species mid-May through June; Chinook in fall
Top waters
Missouri River and Garrison Dam Tailrace, Lake Sakakawea, Devils Lake
License and regs
2026-28 North Dakota regulations: a fishing license from age 16; license year runs April 1 through March 31
Nearest airports
Bismarck (BIS) and Minot (MOT) for the Missouri River and Sakakawea; Devils Lake (DVL) and Grand Forks (GFK) for Devils Lake
Rule to know
Attempting to foul-hook any fish is illegal outside the legal snagging seasons, and posted areas near the Garrison Dam tailrace are closed to fishing
Where to Fly Fish in North Dakota
Missouri River Tailwater: Garrison Dam Tailrace
Deep-water releases from Lake Sakakawea run the Missouri River far colder below Garrison Dam than it ran before the dams, according to Game and Fish. The department's 2025 fishing waters report says the Garrison Dam Tailrace continues to produce trophy brown and rainbow trout, along with walleye, salmon and catfish.
The salmon story is unusual. Game and Fish stocked Chinook directly into the tailrace from 2006 to 2010 and stopped because returns were poor. Tagging showed that most tailrace salmon are Lake Sakakawea fish that came through the dam on their own, and some of the biggest salmon caught in the state come from here.
Below the tailrace, portions of the river near Bismarck hold good numbers of smallmouth bass, Game and Fish reports. Upstream of Sakakawea, the Upper Missouri from Williston to the Montana line is mainly a spring and fall sauger and walleye fishery. One tailrace rule: fish released from bridges and wing-walls must go into a basket or open container immediately after capture.
Lake Sakakawea
Lake Sakakawea, formed by Garrison Dam, runs 178 miles and covers about 368,000 acres, per NASA Earth Observatory. Game and Fish's 2025 report puts walleye abundance above the long-term average, with good numbers of 10 to 20 inch fish. Pike numbers are down from the 2012 record, but pike over 15 pounds remain, and the state pike record (37 pounds, 8 ounces, June 21, 1968) came from this lake.
Sakakawea's salmon depend on stocking: they do not reproduce naturally here, so they are spawned in fall and stocked in spring. They hold in deep, cold water and feed mainly on rainbow smelt, so a white baitfish fly is a logical choice. Long-term average weights are 4.9 pounds for males and 7.1 for females. For a fly rod, the realistic targets are shoreline fish. Game and Fish notes smallmouth often hold near shore along windblown rocky shorelines, and creel surveys show Sakakawea anglers release over 90 percent of the smallmouth they catch.
Devils Lake
Devils Lake covered about 145,000 acres at the time of a 2021 report from the city's tourism bureau, and its level has swung widely over the decades. Game and Fish calls the Devils Lake system the most famous white bass water in North Dakota. The state records for white bass (4 pounds, 10 ounces, June 10, 2012, Six Mile Bay) and yellow perch (3 pounds, March 1, 2026) both came from here.
The visitors bureau describes rip-rap road grades along Highways 19, 57 and 20 as shore access, along with current at bridges and culverts. Its April 3, 2026 report had pike pushing into newly opened coulees, with walleye expected about two weeks later. Check that the land is not posted, and pull fully off the road. Its advice on bite-offs applies to a fly rod too: pike will cut you off, so it suggests a 12 to 18 inch fluorocarbon leader.
When to Go Fly Fishing in North Dakota
Treat this table as general guidance built from Game and Fish and Devils Lake tourism sources, not hatch data; the intensity shading is our own reading. We found no official month-by-month source for tailrace trout, so that fishery is left out rather than guessed.
| Target | JAN | FEB | MAR | APR | MAY | JUN | JUL | AUG | SEP | OCT | NOV | DEC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devils Lake northern pike | ||||||||||||
| Devils Lake walleye, shallow | ||||||||||||
| Devils Lake white bass, shallow | ||||||||||||
| Upper Missouri sauger and walleye | ||||||||||||
| Chinook salmon, fall run |
Intensity:LightModerateHeavy
Blank cells mean no source supports planning around that month, not that no fish are there. Ice-out on Devils Lake comes around mid-April.
Book a Local Pro in North Dakota
Guide or lodge in North Dakota? Get listed. No FFIP Certified guide, lodge or outfitter is in North Dakota yet. Put your business in front of anglers planning Garrison Tailrace, Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake trips.
Market Your ServicesBrowse every FFIP Certified pro in the guides and lodges directory.
Custom Flies and Rods from North Dakota
One North Dakota fly tyer is in the Custom Fly Tyer Directory, listed by name only:
- Fishkota Fly Shop, North Dakota: streamers, nymphs and dry flies for pike, musky, trout, bass and panfish; takes custom orders
The Custom Fly Rod Builder Directory has no North Dakota listing yet. Tie flies or build rods in North Dakota and want to be on this list? Get listed with FFIP.
Transferable Tips from Podcast Guests
None of these guests fish North Dakota on the show. Each tip is borrowed from similar water, and the note says why it transfers.
-
Dangle balanced minnows and set fast for walleye
Transferable to Sakakawea and Devils Lake walleye.
Phil Rowley, stillwater guide and author based in Kamloops, BC, on Episode 111 -
Fish a leech rig into wind-blown rocky banks and start shallow
Transferable from trout lakes; Game and Fish points to wind-blown shorelines here too.
Mr. Werbs, stillwater lake angler and photographer -
Bounce and strip your line to keep streamers in the strike zone
Transferable to pike and smallmouth on Sakakawea.
Alan Campbell, Grand Rapids, Michigan guide, on Michigan Fly Fishing for Smallies and Pike -
Pop the rod tip mid-swing in shallow runs to trigger reaction strikes
Transferable to current at Devils Lake bridges and coulees.
Joshua Boese, Minneapolis-based guide, on Fishing Within Three Hours of Minneapolis -
Watch your first two guides, not the rod tip, to gauge pressure
Transferable to any big North Dakota pike.
Matt Marin, Midwest pike and bass guide, on Pike and Spot Fishing for Bass in the Midwest
Want more? Browse every tip in the Fly Fishing Tips Library, sorted by region, water type, species and skill.
Closest Listening on the Podcast
The Fly Fishing Insider Podcast has no North Dakota episode yet. These two cover the closest fishing: pike and smallmouth on the fly in the northern Midwest.
Pike and Spot Fishing for Bass in the Midwest: Matt Marin walks through his pike and bass methods. Listen to the audio episode or read the episode notes.
Michigan Fly Fishing for Smallies and Pike: Alan Campbell on smallmouth and pike tactics through the seasons. Listen to the audio episode or read the episode notes.
For the nearest trout water we have covered, Pete Nielson of Finn Provisions talks hopper droppers in The Raw Untapped Fly Fishing of the Black Hills in South Dakota.
Shop the Water: Flies and Gear for North Dakota
Picked for smelt-eating trout and salmon, pike, walleye, white bass and shoreline smallmouth.
Mini Dungeon Streamer, White, Size 6
Circus Peanut Envy, Black, Size 6
Clouser Minnow Freshwater Assortment
Clouser Deep Minnow, Black, Size 1/0
Lefty's Deceiver, Green and White, Size 1/0
White Marabou Muddler, Size 8
Flashtail Bass Popper, Chartreuse
Interchangeable Sink Tips
North Dakota Fly Fishing Questions, Answered
Do you need a fishing license to fly fish in North Dakota?
Yes, from age 16. North Dakota Game and Fish lists a resident license at $27 and a nonresident season license at $68, plus nonresident 3-day at $48 and 10-day at $58. Add one Fishing, Hunting, Furbearer Certificate a year: $2 for residents, $5 for nonresidents. Licenses run April 1 through March 31.
Is there trout fishing in North Dakota?
Yes. The Missouri River in the Garrison Dam Tailrace holds North Dakota's state records for brown trout and rainbow trout, and Game and Fish says it continues to produce trophy fish of both species. The Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery raises catchable trout mostly for small ponds. The daily limit is three trout combined, six in possession.
Can you catch salmon on a fly in North Dakota?
Chinook salmon live in Lake Sakakawea and the Garrison Dam Tailrace, and they return toward the dam in fall. Game and Fish opens salmon snagging from September 25 through October 31 between Garrison Dam and the Highway 23 bridge near New Town. On a fly rod, fish hooked in the mouth are the goal; outside legal snagging, foul-hooked fish must be returned immediately. The limit is five.
When is the best time to fly fish Devils Lake?
Late April through June is the best window for northern pike on Devils Lake, according to North Dakota Tourism, with pike moving shallow right after ice-out around mid-April. From mid-May through the end of June, several species share the same warm, shallow water. Walleye and pike seasons stay open year-round on Devils Lake.
What are the fly rules in North Dakota?
The 2026-28 North Dakota proclamation defines a lure as any man-made object made or used to catch fish, and we read that to include a fly. Each lure may have no more than three hooks, each line may carry one or two lures, and no more than 12 inches may separate any two hooks. Fly anglers fall under the same general pole rules: two poles in open water, each with one line.
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Tight lines, everyone!
By Christian Bacasa, host of the Fly Fishing Insider Podcast. Last reviewed November 2026.
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