New fishing regulations

[tikkalover]

BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — North Dakota Game and Fish announce updated fishing regulations for 2026-2028 seasons.

Apart of the regulation changes:

• Allows for the use of white sucker as legal live baitfish.
• Allows for the harvest of chinook salmon with the reinitiation of a snagging season.
• Allows for the harvest of salmon with archery and spearing equipment during the new snagging season.
• The requirement to register before participating in darkhouse spearfishing eliminated.
• White bass daily and possession limits increased to 30 and 60.

 

[Rut2much]

• White bass daily and possession limits increased to 30 and 60.

Oh my, will be nothing left of the hwy's from mpls to dvl.

 

[rodcontrol]

BISMARCK, ND (KXNET) — North Dakota Game and Fish announce updated fishing regulations for 2026-2028 seasons.

Apart of the regulation changes:

• Allows for the use of white sucker as legal live baitfish.
• Allows for the harvest of chinook salmon with the reinitiation of a snagging season.
• Allows for the harvest of salmon with archery and spearing equipment during the new snagging season.
• The requirement to register before participating in darkhouse spearfishing eliminated.
• White bass daily and possession limits increased to 30 and 60.

white suckers are not legal statewide

• 2-2-3.2.Red River and Bois de Sioux River (up to the first vehicular bridge or crossing on any of its tributaries), Lake Audubon, Devils Lake complex south of US Highway 2 and Stump Lake, the only legal live baitfish species are:
  • fathead minnows, creek chubs, brook sticklebacks and white suckers.
• 2-2-3.3.Lake Sakakawea, Lake Oahe, Missouri River and the Yellowstone River; up to the initial point where either a bridge spanning a tributary or a road crossing over a tributary is encountered, whichever occurs first - the only legal live baitfish species are:
  • fathead minnows, creek chubs, brook sticklebacks, white suckers and rainbow smelt.

 

[guywhofishes]

Oh my, will be nothing left of the hwy's from mpls to dvl.

in the streets of MSP right now....

 

[Sluggo]

Old limit for whiteys was 20 and 40. Wonder what diff 30 and 60 will really make for anything or anyone other than a few MSP folks.

 

[guywhofishes]

Old limit for whiteys was 20 and 40. Wonder what diff 30 and 60 will really make for anything or anyone other than a few MSP folks.

About 50%?

 

[SDMF]

Old limit for whiteys was 20 and 40. Wonder what diff 30 and 60 will really make for anything or anyone other than a few MSP folks.

I started fishing Devils avidly in 2002. I'm on that body of water/system from Pelican to Stump 25-40 days/summer. Drive up from Fargo Fridays or Saturdays and home again Sundays unless it's a long/Hoiday weekend or I've taken time off which I often do.

In all that time on the water and/or back and forth often with a boat in tow, I've been checked by an honest-to-goodness ND Game Warden exactly 1x. IIRC there were 2 wardens were in their boat. We were checked for licenses, limits, life-jackets, and a fire extinguisher. All good, pleasant experience, everything in order and we were back to fishing reasonably quickly. I'm just wondering how on earth in 500+ days, the vast majority being weekends, between, actually fishing, towing a boat, and cleaning fish at one of the public cleaning stations, I've only ever had contact w/game wardens 1x. I've been checked more often than that either putting in or retrieving my boat on the Sheyene river just N of Valley City and I bet I've used that ramp less than a dozen times and not at all for a couple of decades...

I've been "Creel Surveyed" probably a dozen times or so from Grahams all the way down to the State Park @ Stump.

I'd sure be OK with a LOT more ND G&F visibility/activity in the Devils Lake basin.

 

[ndakmike]

How long before Devils Lake is overrun with white Suckers? Seems like a bad move.

 

[NDSportsman]

How long before Devils Lake is overrun with white Suckers? Seems like a bad move.

DL has had white suckers since the beginning of time. Most lakes in ND have white suckers in them. This won't effect the amounts at all.

 

[guywhofishes]

DL has had white suckers since the beginning of time. Most lakes in ND have white suckers in them. This won't effect the amounts at all.

Yep. A few years ago I was scouting for a spring walleye fishing spot on Devils Lake and found a creek that was filled with BIG suckers that were spawning. Made me hungry thinking about canned sucker (which tastes like canned tuna BTW).

 

[thriller1]

Yep. A few years ago I was scouting for a spring walleye fishing spot and found a creek that was filled with BIG suckers that were spawning. Made me hungry thinking about canned sucker (which tastes like canned tuna BTW).

Ive recently had canned smoked sucker and I would rate it right up there with canned salmon. I thought it was delicious.

 

[Davy Crockett]

I think it's what the lake needs. Been fishing it a lot lately and The fish quality and quantity has gone down hill over the years. If the suckers feed the Northerns and walleyes , that gives the perch a big break. Ive been seeing FW shrimp but not near as many as there has been in the past Another thing is someone should promote BIG northern tournaments down there. No idea where the white bass are in the food chain but that lake can bounce back fast with the right recipe.


White suckers
are generally not considered "good" for most North Dakota fishing lakes because they can become overabundant and outcompete more desirable game fish. However, they are highly valued as bait for large predators like walleye and northern pike in specific areas where they are legally permitted.
North Dakota Game and Fish (.gov) +2

Ecological Impact
While they serve as a native forage species, they often require active management in landlocked lakes:
North Dakota Game and Fish (.gov) +1

• Competition: They compete with species like yellow perch for benthic (bottom-dwelling) invertebrates, which can slow the growth of those game fish.
• Overpopulation: In many North Dakota lakes, they tend to become overpopulated, leaving less "room" and fewer resources for more popular species.
• Water Quality: High populations can increase water turbidity (muddiness) as they sift through bottom sediment, making it harder for sight-hunting predators to find food.
  North Dakota Game and Fish (.gov) +3

 

[KDM]

Watching big pike trash through spawning suckers is as close to a feeding frenzy you see in ocean settings as you can get in freshwater. Pretty impressive when they are on the feed.

 

[Allen]

I started fishing Devils avidly in 2002. I'm on that body of water/system from Pelican to Stump 25-40 days/summer. Drive up from Fargo Fridays or Saturdays and home again Sundays unless it's a long/Hoiday weekend or I've taken time off which I often do.

In all that time on the water and/or back and forth often with a boat in tow, I've been checked by an honest-to-goodness ND Game Warden exactly 1x. IIRC there were 2 wardens were in their boat. We were checked for licenses, limits, life-jackets, and a fire extinguisher. All good, pleasant experience, everything in order and we were back to fishing reasonably quickly. I'm just wondering how on earth in 500+ days, the vast majority being weekends, between, actually fishing, towing a boat, and cleaning fish at one of the public cleaning stations, I've only ever had contact w/game wardens 1x. I've been checked more often than that either putting in or retrieving my boat on the Sheyene river just N of Valley City and I bet I've used that ramp less than a dozen times and not at all for a couple of decades...

I've been "Creel Surveyed" probably a dozen times or so from Grahams all the way down to the State Park @ Stump.

I'd sure be OK with a LOT more ND G&F visibility/activity in the Devils Lake basin.

Hah, between spring fishing the Missouri and spending a goodly number of days between the Prairie Pothole Lakes and Van Hook in the summer, I get checked about 5 times a year, creel surveyed another 10, and get my boat/toon ANS checked another half dozen times. Much like your experience, mine have generally been polite and professional experiences.


Speaking of getting checked, new fishing licenses are available now and required the beginning of April.