Lake Elsie

Fishing and stocking

Stocked through the 2026 season program: black crappie, bluegill, and 2 other species; 145,570 fish in the published allocation. One of 15 stocked waters on the Richland County record.

Richland County · North Dakota · see it on the national map

program 2026 season

best window 10:30 pm-12:30 am solunar major today

4 species

145,570 fish allocated

What swims here

Black crappie 1 allocation

Bluegill 1 allocation

Walleye 1 allocation

Yellow perch 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	Black crappie	adult	18
2026 season	Bluegill	adult	630
2026 season	Walleye	fingerling	141,700
2026 season	Yellow perch	adult	3,222

When to fish Lake Elsie

	Major periods (~2 h)	Minor periods (~1 h)
Today	10:07 am-12:07 pm and 10:30 pm-12:30 am	4:24-5:24 am and 4:36-5:36 pm
Tomorrow	10:53 am-12:53 pm	5:38-6:38 am and 4:55-5:55 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 panfish (black crappie 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

For the walleye (walleye on the season program here)

Jig and minnow	1/8 to 1/4 oz round jigs tipped live or plastic; drag the bottom slowly
Crawler harness	slow-trolled over flats and breaks once water warms
Medium spinning rod	6.5 to 7 ft medium, 8 lb line; sensitivity beats power here

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
Hankinson Legion Memorial Pond	0.4 mi	2026 season
Horseshoe Lake	2.6 mi	2026 season
Moran Lake	4.3 mi	2026 season
Lueck Lake	5.4 mi	2026 season
Gullys Slough	5.8 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.