Cottonwood Lake
Fishing and stocking
Stocked through the 2026 season program: northern pike and yellow perch; 46,647 fish in the published allocation. One of 9 stocked waters on the Williams County record.
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What swims here
Northern pike
Yellow perch
Season program record
North Dakota Game and Fish Department publishes this water by season or program window, not by dated schedule, so there are no truck dates to list; the rows below are the published program allocations. The North Dakota season shape statewide: reported by year.
Agency feed checked yesterday.
| Season | Species | Size | Fish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 season | Northern pike | fingerling | 42,000 |
| 2026 season | Yellow perch | adult | 4,647 |
When to fish Cottonwood Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:34 am-12:34 pm and 10:57 pm-12:57 am | 4:52-5:52 am and 5:02-6:02 pm |
| Tomorrow | 11:20 am-1:20 pm | 6:08-7:08 am and 5:18-6:18 pm |
Moon: waxing gibbous, 92% lit. These are solunar periods, the traditional feeding-time theory: majors around the moon's transit overhead and underfoot, minors around moonrise and moonset. Theory, not a measurement. Times are Central Time (CDT).
What the record actually says
- Stocked through the 2026 season program
Computed this evening, Oct 23
Gear for this water
For the muskie and pike (northern pike on the season program here)
| Heavy casting rod | 7.5 to 9 ft heavy with 65 to 80 lb braid; these fish punish light gear |
| Large bucktails and gliders | big profile baits; finish every cast with a figure-eight |
| Steel or heavy fluoro leader | non-negotiable; pike and muskie cut everything else |
For the panfish (yellow perch on the season program here)
| Ultralight rod and small jigs | 1/32 to 1/64 oz jigs under a float; 2 to 4 lb line |
| Live bait | waxworms, crickets, and redworms out-fish everything for bluegill |
| Small tubes and grubs | 1 to 2 inch plastics for crappie around brush |
Suggestions follow from what the state actually stocks here and what kind of water it is, nothing else. No sponsored placements.
Nearby stocked waters
The closest waters with stocking pages of their own, straight-line miles from this one.
| Water | Distance | Most recent |
|---|---|---|
| Kettle Lake | 8.4 mi | 2026 season |
| Blacktail Dam | 17 mi | 2026 season |
| McLeod (Ray) Reservoir | 21 mi | 2026 season |
| Epping-Springbrook Dam | 23 mi | 2026 season |
| McGregor Dam | 23 mi | 2026 season |