Moon Lake
Fishing and stocking
Channel catfish, rainbow trout, and 3 other species water, stocked through the 2026 season program; 35,438 fish in the published allocation. One of 11 stocked waters on the Barnes County record.
Barnes County ยท North Dakota · see it on the national map
What swims here
Channel catfish
Rainbow trout
Smallmouth bass
Tiger trout
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 | fingerling | 14,213 |
| 2026 season | Rainbow trout | 2,800 | |
| 2026 season | Smallmouth bass | adult | 20 |
| 2026 season | Tiger trout | 2,405 | |
| 2026 season | Walleye | fingerling | 16,000 |
When to fish Moon Lake
| Major periods (~2 h) | Minor periods (~1 h) | |
|---|---|---|
| Today | 10:12 am-12:12 pm and 10:35 pm-12:35 am | 4:30-5:30 am and 4:41-5:41 pm |
| Tomorrow | 10:58 am-12:58 pm | 5:44-6:44 am and 4:59-5:59 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 trout (rainbow trout on the season program here)
| Ultralight spinning rod | 6 to 7 ft ultralight, 4 lb line; long casts from the bank |
| Dough bait rigs | floating dough bait 18 inches above a small egg sinker; hatchery fish know the smell |
| Casting spoons | 1/8 to 1/4 oz in fluorescent or metallic; count down until you find the depth |
For the catfish (channel catfish on the season program here)
| Circle hooks on a slip-sinker rig | 2/0 to 5/0 circles on a Carolina rig; let them load up |
| 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 |
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 |
|---|---|---|
| St. Mary's Lake | 0.7 mi | 2026 season |
| Olson WPA | 4.8 mi | 2026 season |
| Kee Lake | 6.1 mi | 2026 season |
| Sanborn Lake | 6.2 mi | 2026 season |
| Eckelson Lake South | 7.1 mi | 2026 season |