ND Fishing Report-February 15th, 2026

Written by Mike Peluso

February 16, 2026

So I did get out ice fishing one day this week.  For me it hasn’t been exactly a great ice fishing season.  One I was a little nervous about over extending myself.  Ice fishing as you all know is a lot of strain on your body.  Of course, I was a little reluctant during the early ice fishing season to venture out.

So for me I feel as though I missed the best time of the year.  The next best time is the late season, but for me I’ll be patiently waiting the ice to open up on the river near Bismarck.  

Not sure the weather has in-store for us this coming week? The weather forecast is showing a possible snow storm coming in.  What this will bring to our area is still up in the air.  Believe it or not these later spring snow storms all play a factor in our fishing out here early spring.  

So for now it’s a waiting game to see what transpires here in the coming week.  We have had a really warm couple of weeks and I thought if the Garrison Dam would have changed the flows either up or down we could have seen open water here extremely early.  That may not happen.  Typical time frame for the river to open near town is usually around the 10th-15th of March.  

I’m guessing after this snow and cold snap we will be back on regular ice out  schedule.  Until that time, I’m filling openings for the river this spring near Bismarck, Devils Lake, and Lake Sakakawea.  If you are looking to get out on the water please feel free to get ahold of me!

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