Lake Sakakawea
Fishing and stocking
Stocked through the 2026 season program: chinook salmon, northern pike, and walleye; 3,323,755 fish in the published allocation.
North Dakota · see it on the national map
What swims here
Chinook salmon
Northern pike
Walleye
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 | Chinook salmon | 267,105 | |
| 2026 season | Northern pike | fry | 700,000 |
| 2026 season | Walleye | fingerling | 2,356,650 |
When to fish Lake Sakakawea
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:28 am-12:28 pm and 10:50 pm-12:50 am | 4:45-5:45 am and 4:56-5:56 pm |
| Tomorrow | 11:14 am-1:14 pm | 6:01-7:01 am and 5:13-6:13 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 salmon and steelhead (chinook salmon on the season program here)
| Trolling flies and dodgers | for landlocked salmon in the lakes, early and late in the day |
| Medium spinning rod | 8 to 9 ft with 8 to 12 lb line; big water, big runs |
| Spoons and spinners | 1/4 to 1/2 oz metal; cast across and swing through the run |
For the muskie and pike (northern pike on the season program here)
| Oversized landing net | a stocked muskie fishery deserves a proper release tool |
| 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Harmony Lake | 16 mi | 2026 season |
| Triangle Y Pond | 18 mi | 2026 season |
| Hazen Creek | 20 mi | 2026 season |
| Camp Loop Pond | 23 mi | 2026 season |
| Hiddenwood Lake | 23 mi | 2026 season |