Best goldeye lakes in North Dakota
5 North Dakota waters hold goldeye, 2 mapped with real state-agency depth surveys. Ranked below by size and depth-data quality — open any water to see exactly where to fish it: depth contours, scored spots with plain-English reasons, seasonal windows and bait picks. The prairie's silver surface-feeder — a big-eyed, low-light specialist of turbid rivers, famous on the Red, that hits flies, spinners and everything at dusk.
- Missouri River — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
- Red River of the North — 8 ft max · Walleye, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish, Freshwater Drum
- Heart Butte Reservoir (Lake Tschida) — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
- Lake Audubon — 59.4 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
- Trenton Lake — 8 ft max · survey depth data · Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike, Crappie
When to fish goldeye in North Dakota
- Spring 3–10 ft — Post-winter schools gather in warming backwaters, tributary mouths and slack seams off the main current.
- Summer 2–10 ft — Evening insect hatches bring whole schools to the surface along current seams and eddy lines — fast, unfussy strikes.
- Fall 5–15 ft — Schools slide to deeper seams and eddy pockets, still eating anything small that drifts past.
- Winter 10–25 ft — Wintering schools hold in the deepest river holes — a light jig tipped with a minnow piece, fished slow.
Also in North Dakota: best largemouth bass lakes · best smallmouth bass lakes · best walleye lakes · best white bass lakes · best northern pike lakes · best crappie lakes · best bluegill lakes · best channel catfish lakes · best rainbow trout lakes · best muskellunge lakes · best yellow perch lakes · best common carp lakes