← North Dakota fishing maps

Best smallmouth bass lakes in North Dakota

52 North Dakota waters hold smallmouth bass, 49 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. Current- and rock-loving fighter. Lives around gravel, boulders and hard-bottom structure.

1. Lake Darling — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Yellow Perch
2. Lake Ashtabula — 42 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
3. Dry Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
4. Missouri River — 31 ft max · Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass
5. Jamestown Reservoir — 30 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Crappie
6. Heart Butte Reservoir (Lake Tschida) — 48 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
7. Lake Audubon — 59.4 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
8. Twin Lakes — 40 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
9. Bowman-Haley Dam — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
10. Sheyenne River — 6 ft max · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Channel Catfish
11. Goose Lake — 20 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
12. West Lake Napoleon — 11 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
13. Alkali Lake — 23 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
14. Sibley Lake — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
15. New Johns Lake — 28 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
16. Clear Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
17. Nelson Lake — 32 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
18. Grass Lake — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
19. Beaver Lake — 7 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
20. Cottonwood Lake — 13 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
21. Fox Lake — 18 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
22. Riverdale Spillway Lake — 45 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
23. Miller Lake — 16 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, Northern Pike
24. Heckers Lake — 24 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill
25. East Park Lake — 22 ft max · survey depth data · Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, Northern Pike, Bluegill

…plus 27 more North Dakota waters holding smallmouth bass.

When to fish smallmouth bass in North Dakota

• Spring 3–12 ft — Gravel and rock flats near deep water; spawning happens on hard bottom.
• Summer 10–30 ft — Offshore rock humps and deep points; smallmouth suspend near bait.
• Fall 8–25 ft — Feeding hard for winter — long tapering points and rocky drops.
• Winter 20–45 ft — Deep, vertical presentations near rocky wintering holes.

Also in North Dakota: best largemouth 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 · best goldeye lakes

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