Lake Ashtabula is a reservoir in North Dakota, near Barnes County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Lake Ashtabula is a reservoir in Barnes County, North Dakota, and covers about 5,178.4 acres, reaches about 42.8 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 65,601.9 acre-feet.
Wind can change Lake Ashtabula quickly, so pick one manageable section and learn it before crossing open water.
Baldhill Dam backs the Sheyenne River into long, narrow Lake Ashtabula. The old river channel, flooded wood, rock, and many turns give anglers several kinds of cover in a compact reservoir.
Smallmouth bass favor rock and firmer banks, while crappie often use wood and protected pockets. Walleye and pike can move between channel turns and nearby flats. Muskellunge are present, so a wire or heavy fluorocarbon leader makes sense when casting larger baits.
Fish listed for Lake Ashtabula include Black Bullhead, Black Crappie, Bluegill, Brown Bullhead, Muskellunge, Northern Pike, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, and Yellow Perch.
Start the walleye day by trying to fish a jig and minnow, a live-bait rig, or a light crankbait along points and the first drop.
When yellow perch are the target, keep a light jig tipped with a minnow or worm close to the bottom on a flat beside deeper water.
One useful northern pike plan is to cover weed edges and shallow points with a spoon, spinnerbait, or minnow-shaped lure.
A good black crappie start is to fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops.
Other targets listed here include Bluegill, Smallmouth Bass, Black Bullhead, Brown Bullhead, White Bass, and Muskellunge; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.
Tiger Muskie have also been stocked here; that proves fish were released, but it does not promise that they are still common or easy to catch.
As a starting point, try wind as a clue; a light push can carry food toward a shoreline, but hard wind may muddy it, so look for a clean edge near a point or protected pocket.
For a simple plan, early in the year, protected water and the first warm afternoon can be the strongest clues; as the water heats up, test deeper edges without assuming every fish is on the bottom; cooling fall water often makes points and firm banks useful again.
On an opening pass, a midweight spinning rod with 8- to 10-pound line handles most jigs and light casting baits; add a stronger outfit and a proper leader when northern pike, or muskellunge are the target.
After a bite, write down productive depth, cover, wind, and water color; those details help more on the next trip than a long list of empty spots.
On an opening pass, keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the strongest edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip.
It is the main deep path through the reservoir and gives walleye and pike an edge beside nearby flats.
Try protected wood, small cuts, and the first drop near flooded trees with a small jig or minnow.
Rocky banks and points give smallmouth bass plenty of hard bottom beside deeper water.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.