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Fishing

Here’s your invitation to extraordinary year-round fishing. Williston is located near the Missouri-Yellowstone confluence and Lake Sakakawea. It’s a hub where friendly people gather — and so do walleye, perch, pike and giant paddlefish (limited season in May). Plan your Williston area fishing adventure! 

Licensing, Regulations and Resources 

Visit the North Dakota Game and Fish website to purchase fishing and paddlefish snagging licenses, find fishing regulations, species identification guides and more.  
 
Visit the site’s “Where to Fish” search page and select Williams County for lake contour maps and information about ramps, fishing piers, accessibility and sport fish found in the lake. 

Paddle Fishing 

This is one of the very few places where you can catch one of these giant prehistoric river monsters. This short annual snagging season begins May 1 and is only open for a few weeks. It requires a separate tag available from North Dakota Game and Fish.

Ice Fishing

Fishing doesn’t stop for winter here. Try ice fishing on Lake Sakakawea or at a variety of Williams County Parks. North Dakota angling licenses are required for ice fishing and for darkhouse spearfishing. Neither the county nor North Dakota Game and Fish monitor ice thickness, so be sure to test the ice. Learn more about access and rules on the county website. Icehouse and snowmobile rentals are also available in Williston.