Lake Sakakawea led North Dakota's well-netted lakes in walleye caught per net-night in survey nets. North Dakota Game and Fish crews surveyed 338 lakes with gill nets from 2023 to 2025, with most surveys beginning in June. Sakakawea led on walleye per net-night among the 50 lakes with 12 or more net-nights. Its nets caught an average of 34.4 walleye per net-night over 252 net-nights, or 3.4 times the median of 10.0 for those 50 lakes.
IGill Net Counts
Sakakawea Averaged 3.4 Times the Typical Well-Netted Lake
Survey nets measure the fish living in a lake. They do not measure anglers' catches, and plenty of small walleye in the nets can move a lake up the list. Start at the top of the list if you want water crowded with walleye. If you care more about size, lakes farther down the list such as Kraft Slough and Coldwater Lake had the highest average weights.
We combined each lake's three years of netting and divided the walleye caught by net-nights. Lake-years with no walleye caught in the nets remain as zeros. Ranking requires 12 or more net-nights from 2023 to 2025.
IIYears of Nets
Sakakawea Led in 7 of the 11 Years Since 2015
Those same NDGF records go back to 2015, and Sakakawea has led in most of those years. For each year from 2015 to 2025 we ranked the 20 to 26 lakes netted for 6 or more net-nights that year. Sakakawea took first in 7 of those 11 years and stayed fourth or better. With 2015 to 2022 pooled, its nets caught an average of 37.2 walleye per net-night over 675 net-nights. That ranked third of 183 lakes with 12 or more net-nights, trailing Coal Lake in McLean County on 15 net-nights and Trautmann Lake in Kidder County on 12.
Most lakes leading now also ranked high earlier. Lake Darling took fourth from 2015 to 2022 at 32.8 walleye per net-night and Trautman Slough took sixth at 31.5. Devils Lake placed 11th at 24.8 over 311 net-nights. Two lakes have moved up more recently. Lake Addie placed 48th from 2015 to 2022 and Mud and Pearl Lakes placed 69th, so their recent high rates come from a short run.
Including lakes whose nets caught no walleye puts the median lake at 5.0 walleye per net-night in 2023, 3.61 in 2024 and 4.67 in 2025. Seventeen of the top 20 beat that year's median lake in each of the three years, an easy threshold compared with their pooled rates. Sakakawea's nets caught 2,462 walleye in 2023, 3,238 in 2024 and 2,960 in 2025 on 84 net-nights each year.
Swipe table to see every column
| Rank 2023 to 2025 | Lake | Per net-night 2023 to 2025 | Net-nights 2015 to 2022 | Per net-night 2015 to 2022 | Rank 2015 to 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Sakakawea | 34.4 | 675 | 37.2 | 3 |
| 2 | Lake Darling | 31.2 | 71 | 32.8 | 4 |
| 3 | Irvine-Alice-Mikes Complex | 29.8 | 71 | 25 | 10 |
| 4 | Trautman Slough | 28.9 | 28 | 31.5 | 6 |
| 5 | Devils Lake | 28.1 | 311 | 24.8 | 11 |
| 6 | Stump Lake | 28 | 88 | 22.5 | 16 |
| 7 | Lake Addie | 23.7 | 21 | 12.6 | 48 |
| 8 | Mud and Pearl Lakes | 21.5 | 42 | 9.7 | 69 |
| 9 | Antelope Lake | 20.9 | 41 | 24.2 | 13 |
| 10 | Jay Nelson Lake | 20.1 | 15 | 16.7 | 29 |
IIILeading 20 Lakes
Ten Lakes Ran 20 or More Walleye per Net-Night
Ten ranked lakes ran above 20 walleye per net-night from 2023 to 2025. Lake Darling in Renville County ranked second at 31.2, though crews netted it in only two of the three years. Following were the Irvine-Alice-Mikes Complex in Ramsey County at 29.8, Trautman Slough in Stutsman County at 28.9 and Devils Lake at 28.1 over 117 net-nights. Stump Lake in Nelson County averaged 28.0.
Lake Addie in Griggs County averaged 23.7 walleye per net-night, Mud and Pearl Lakes in Stutsman County 21.5, Antelope Lake in Pierce County 20.9 and Jay Nelson Lake in Stutsman County 20.1. Four of the top 20 lakes are in Stutsman County.
Odland Dam in Golden Valley County reached the list at 13.5 walleye per net-night, but the walleye in its nets averaged 0.36 pounds. Plenty of small fish can make a lake look great on paper.
Swipe table to see every column
| Rank | Lake | County | Acres | Net-nights | Walleye | Per net-night | Avg lb | Years above median |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Sakakawea | several | 350,520 | 252 | 8,660 | 34.4 | 1.42 | 3 of 3 |
| 2 | Lake Darling | Renville | 9,432 | 18 | 561 | 31.2 | 1.42 | 2 of 2 |
| 3 | Irvine-Alice-Mikes Complex | Ramsey | 35,653 | 23 | 686 | 29.8 | 1.64 | 3 of 3 |
| 4 | Trautman Slough | Stutsman | 1,210 | 12 | 347 | 28.9 | 2.44 | 3 of 3 |
| 5 | Devils Lake | several | 110,763 | 117 | 3,283 | 28.1 | 1.12 | 3 of 3 |
| 6 | Stump Lake | Nelson | 17,681 | 32 | 897 | 28 | 1.92 | 3 of 3 |
| 7 | Lake Addie | Griggs | 1,029 | 17 | 403 | 23.7 | 1.8 | 3 of 3 |
| 8 | Mud and Pearl Lakes | Stutsman | 1,565 | 20 | 430 | 21.5 | 2.12 | 3 of 3 |
| 9 | Antelope Lake | Pierce | 2,560 | 15 | 314 | 20.9 | 1.34 | 3 of 3 |
| 10 | Jay Nelson Lake | Stutsman | 1,260 | 15 | 302 | 20.1 | 2.61 | 3 of 3 |
| 11 | Fox Lake | Barnes | 805 | 12 | 218 | 18.2 | 2.61 | 3 of 3 |
| 12 | Lake Coe | Eddy | 1,214 | 14 | 254 | 18.1 | 2.11 | 2 of 3 |
| 13 | Horsehead Lake | Kidder | 10,148 | 28 | 471 | 16.8 | 1.52 | 3 of 3 |
| 14 | Lake Audubon | McLean | 16,612 | 45 | 749 | 16.6 | 1.23 | 3 of 3 |
| 15 | Indian Creek Dam | Hettinger | 215 | 15 | 248 | 16.5 | 1.52 | 3 of 3 |
| 16 | Stink Lake | Stutsman | 871 | 14 | 228 | 16.3 | 2.31 | 3 of 3 |
| 17 | Alkaline Lake | Kidder | 6,306 | 14 | 211 | 15.1 | 2.07 | 3 of 3 |
| 18 | Odland Dam | Golden Valley | 131 | 15 | 202 | 13.5 | 0.36 | 2 of 3 |
| 19 | Twin Lakes | LaMoure | 1,736 | 18 | 241 | 13.4 | 2.42 | 3 of 3 |
| 20 | Kraft Slough | Sargent | 1,151 | 21 | 271 | 12.9 | 3.07 | 3 of 3 |
IVFish Size
Kraft Slough and Coldwater Lead on Average Weight
Sakakawea and Devils Lake place high for numbers but lower for size. The netted walleye from Sakakawea averaged 1.42 pounds and those from Devils Lake averaged 1.12, compared with 1.8 pounds for the median ranked lake.
Some lakes combine strong counts with heavy fish. Trautman Slough ran 28.9 walleye per net-night with fish averaging 2.44 pounds. Jay Nelson Lake averaged 20.1 per net-night at 2.61 pounds, and Fox Lake in Barnes County averaged 18.2 per net-night at that same 2.61. Kraft Slough in Sargent County had an average weight of 3.07 pounds at 12.9 per net-night. At 3.67 pounds, Coldwater Lake in McIntosh County led in average weight among ranked lakes with 30 or more walleye netted. That average comes from 66 walleye caught over 12 net-nights at 5.5 per net-night.
Swipe table to see every column
| Lake | County | Net-nights | Walleye | Per net-night | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coldwater Lake | McIntosh | 12 | 66 | 5.5 | 3.67 |
| Kraft Slough | Sargent | 21 | 271 | 12.9 | 3.07 |
| Upsilon Lake | Rolette | 12 | 36 | 3 | 2.93 |
| Spiritwood Lake | Stutsman | 12 | 129 | 10.8 | 2.72 |
| Jay Nelson Lake | Stutsman | 15 | 302 | 20.1 | 2.61 |
| Fox Lake | Barnes | 12 | 218 | 18.2 | 2.61 |
| Reule Lake | Stutsman | 21 | 250 | 11.9 | 2.6 |
| Alkali Lake | Stutsman | 18 | 181 | 10.1 | 2.57 |
| Lake Metigoshe | Bottineau | 18 | 142 | 7.9 | 2.47 |
| Trautman Slough | Stutsman | 12 | 347 | 28.9 | 2.44 |
VUnderstanding Nets
Survey Nets Measure Fish Living in the Lake
Gill nets give an index of how many walleye in the sizes they catch live in a lake. Nets catch more fish in a lake full of 12-inch walleye than in a lake with fewer big ones. The average weights have no adjustment for mesh or survey timing.
The middle half of all lake-years had two to four net-nights, so a good or bad night shifts a lake's average. Among 338 lakes netted, 184 had fewer than 6 net-nights and 104 had 6 to 11. All of those stay out of the rankings. Mosher WPA in Barnes County ran 34.8 walleye per net-night and West Lake Napoleon in Logan County ran 34.6, each with 9 net-nights. We show those lakes separately.
The nets caught no walleye in 188 of 656 lake-years. Dropping those would push the median for lakes with 6 or more net-nights from 7.2 to 9.3. We calculated net-nights from the running totals on NDGF lift records and found no NDGF-published per-net figure for comparison. When the last nets in a survey caught nothing, effort comes out low and the rate comes out high.
Swipe table to see every column
| Lake | County | Net-nights | Walleye | Per net-night | Avg lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mosher WPA | Barnes | 9 | 313 | 34.8 | 1.22 |
| West Lake Napoleon | Logan | 9 | 311 | 34.6 | 2.39 |
| Crimmins WPA | Burleigh | 6 | 158 | 26.3 | 2.62 |
| Schock Lake | Stutsman | 6 | 150 | 25 | 1.99 |
| Coal Lake | McLean | 8 | 174 | 21.8 | 0.99 |
| Foot Lake | Stutsman | 9 | 192 | 21.3 | 1.49 |
VICount or Size
Choose a Lake for Walleye Numbers or Walleye Size
Our read is that Sakakawea is the place to begin in North Dakota for walleye numbers, since its nets led on walleye per net-night in 7 of the 11 years from 2015 to 2025. Close behind in order are Lake Darling, the Irvine-Alice-Mikes Complex, Trautman Slough, Devils Lake and Stump Lake. For bigger fish consider Trautman Slough, Jay Nelson Lake and Fox Lake, where strong net counts come with netted walleye averaging well over 2 pounds. Keep Mosher WPA, West Lake Napoleon, Lake Addie and Mud and Pearl Lakes as leads to compare with the next survey.
NOTES AND SOURCES
- Source: North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Where to Fish (lake survey, stocking and contour data).
- Scope: North Dakota Game and Fish Department open-water gill-net surveys (variegated mesh, most started in June), 2023 to 2025, walleye only, pooled by lake over the three years. Lakes ranked when they had 12 or more net-nights in those years.
- Method: SAMPLED: walleye caught, net-nights and average weight come from NDGF catch records as compiled lake by lake. Net-nights for each lake-year were rebuilt from the running totals NDGF records on each lift, which can run slightly low when the last nets caught nothing. The catch-per-net figure in the lake files is computed by the same harvester from those rebuilt net-nights, so it is not an independent check, and we found no NDGF-published per-net figure to compare. DERIVED: walleye per net-night = walleye caught over three years divided by net-nights over three years. average weight is each year's average weighted by that year's catch. yearly comparisons use the median lake in each year, zero-catch lakes included.
- Limits: Gill nets index how many walleye of netted sizes live in a lake. They are not angler catch, and a lake full of 12-inch fish nets more walleye than a lake with fewer, bigger fish.
- Limits: Across all lake-years netted from 2023 to 2025, not only small lakes, the middle half got 2 to 4 net-nights, so one good or bad night moves a lake's average. Lakes with fewer than 12 net-nights over three years are not ranked.
- Limits: Net-nights were rebuilt from running totals on NDGF lift records, and we could not check them against an NDGF per-net figure. Where the last nets of a survey caught nothing, effort runs low and catch per net-night runs high.
- Limits: Average weight is the weight of walleye that were weighed, and it is not adjusted for differences in net mesh or survey timing between lakes.
- Limits: The ranking is our arithmetic on agency survey records. It is a first pass and has not been peer reviewed.
Fully Drawn Research is an independent data analysis desk, not affiliated with any state wildlife agency, transportation agency, mapping provider or outfitter. Fully Drawn Research is an independent data and analysis desk. This paper reports FDR's own analysis of public agency and survey data. Harvest, catch and survey figures describe what hunters and anglers reported or what agencies counted or estimated, not how many animals or fish are present, and they reflect regulations and hunter or angler choices as well as wildlife numbers.
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