North Dakota Outdoors: Open-water boat fishing on the Missouri

Every year some of the earliest open-water boat fishing in North Dakota occurs on the Missouri River. Historically, from Washburn down past Bismarck-Mandan, this “first boat in the water” has occurred anywhere from late February through early April.

(I’ll qualify that, however, by noting that Nelson Lake in Oliver County, and the Garrison Dam Tailrace, are open year-round and sometimes host boats...