James River

Fishing and stocking

Stocked through the 2026 season program: channel catfish and unmapped:pure muskellunge; 455 fish in the published allocation.

North Dakota · see it on the national map

program 2026 season

best window 10:37 pm-12:37 am solunar major today

2 species

455 fish allocated

What swims here

Channel catfish 1 allocation

unmapped:Pure Muskellunge 1 allocation

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	Channel catfish	adult	180
2026 season	unmapped:Pure Muskellunge		275

When to fish James River

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	10:14 am-12:14 pm and 10:37 pm-12:37 am	4:31-5:31 am and 4:42-5:42 pm
Tomorrow	11:00 am-1:00 pm	5:46-6:46 am and 5:01-6:01 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 catfish (channel catfish on the season program here)

Cut bait and prepared baits	fresh cut shad or chicken liver; scent is everything
Rod holders	catfishing is a waiting game; fish two rods where legal
Medium-heavy rod	7 ft medium-heavy, 15 to 20 lb line, sturdy reel

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
Island Lake	11 mi	2026 season
Little Britches Pond	12 mi	2026 season
Kee Lake	14 mi	2026 season
Eckelson Lake South	15 mi	2026 season
Jamestown Reservoir	15 mi	2026 season

Records from North Dakota Game and Fish Department (official page). Placement from North Dakota Game and Fish Department coordinates. Schedules change without notice. Seasons, limits, and licenses: North Dakota fishing regulations.