When is chinook salmon (king salmon) season in North Dakota?

North Dakota keeps chinook salmon (king salmon) open to fishing year-round for the 2026 regulation year — there is no closed season, though the daily bag and size limits below still apply every day.

What is the North Dakota bag limit for chinook salmon (king salmon)?

The North Dakota daily bag limit for chinook salmon (king salmon) is 5 / day per angler on Lake Sakakawea. The possession limit is 10 in possession. Some named waters set a different limit — check the water-body overrides above.

What size chinook salmon (king salmon) can you keep in North Dakota?

The North Dakota size rule for chinook salmon (king salmon) is No statewide minimum on chinook salmon. Trophy rule: ND state-record chinook salmon 31 lb 0 oz Lake Sakakawea 1986; Sakakawea one of only inland US lakes with viable Pacific salmon fishery (alongside Great Lakes + Pyramid Lake NV); ND G&F + USFWS Garrison Dam Hatchery ~500,000 chinook salmon smolts stocked annually.

Do you need a license to fish for chinook salmon (king salmon) in North Dakota?

Yes. North Dakota requires a valid fishing license to fish for chinook salmon (king salmon), with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. A license is valid only in the state that issued it, so non-residents need a North Dakota license — compare resident and non-resident North Dakota fees on the state regulations page below.

Are there gear restrictions for chinook salmon (king salmon) in North Dakota?

Yes. In North Dakota, chinook salmon (king salmon) fishing carries these gear rules: Hook-and-line; down-rigger trolling permitted (most-effective summer tactic on deep-water main-lake thermocline); Trolling spoons + dodger-fly tandem rigs + flatlining rapalas all standard tactics; Live shad + smelt bait permitted; ND Fishing Licence + Combined Fishing Stamp required ages 16+ ($16 res + $1 stamp / $45 NR + $25 stamp annual); Confirm current-year ND G&F Fishing Regulations for any seasonal restrictions.

Do specific North Dakota waters have different chinook salmon (king salmon) rules?

Yes. 2 named North Dakota waters carry rules that override the statewide chinook salmon (king salmon) regulation, including Lake Sakakawea, Garrison Dam Tailwater. See the named water-body overrides above for the exact rule on each.

2026 regulation year

North Dakota Chinook salmon (king salmon) 2026 — Season, Bag Limit, Size Rules

Oncorhynchus tshawytscha

Last updated May 27, 2026

North Dakota chinook salmon fishery is the only viable inland Pacific salmon fishery between the Great Lakes and the Pacific Northwest — Lake Sakakawea (368,000 acres on the Missouri River behind Garrison Dam, the country's third-largest reservoir) has been stocked with chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha — Pacific anadromous salmon stocked as land-locked population) by ND G&F + USFWS at Garrison Dam Hatchery since 1973, producing a viable recreational fishery. Sakakawea is one of only a handful of inland US lakes with a Pacific salmon fishery (alongside the Great Lakes Pacific salmon program + Pyramid Lake NV cutthroat). The mechanism is rare: Lake Sakakawea's deep cold-water main-stem basin (200+ ft maximum depth) + USACE Garrison Dam Hatchery's chinook stocking program + the rainbow smelt forage base (rainbow smelt also stocked / colonized post-Garrison Dam impoundment) supports chinook to grow to 20-30 lb on the smelt prey base. ND state-record chinook salmon 31 lb 0 oz (Lake Sakakawea, 1986). The species is open year-round on Lake Sakakawea with the statewide 5-fish-per-day bag + no statewide minimum. The April – May spring spawning migration upstream from the lake into the Garrison Dam tailwater + the August – October fall pre-spawn surface-trolling tier on the main-lake thermocline are the densest fishing windows. ND G&F stocks ~500,000 chinook salmon smolts annually at Garrison Dam Hatchery to maintain the population (chinook do not naturally reproduce successfully in Lake Sakakawea — the species needs rivers with gravel + sufficient flow + cold-water habitat for natural spawning, which the Missouri River reach above Sakakawea does not provide at scale, so the entire fishery is stocking-dependent).

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Season

Open year-round Open year-round on Lake Sakakawea; spring spawning migration upstream into Garrison Dam tailwater April – May; fall pre-spawn surface-trolling on main-lake thermocline August – October.

Bag & possession

Daily bag: 5 / day per angler on Lake Sakakawea
Possession: 10 in possession

Size, slot, trophy rules

Size: No statewide minimum on chinook salmon
Trophy rule: ND state-record chinook salmon 31 lb 0 oz Lake Sakakawea 1986; Sakakawea one of only inland US lakes with viable Pacific salmon fishery (alongside Great Lakes + Pyramid Lake NV); ND G&F + USFWS Garrison Dam Hatchery ~500,000 chinook salmon smolts stocked annually

Gear restrictions

Hook-and-line; down-rigger trolling permitted (most-effective summer tactic on deep-water main-lake thermocline)
Trolling spoons + dodger-fly tandem rigs + flatlining rapalas all standard tactics
Live shad + smelt bait permitted
ND Fishing Licence + Combined Fishing Stamp required ages 16+ ($16 res + $1 stamp / $45 NR + $25 stamp annual)
Confirm current-year ND G&F Fishing Regulations for any seasonal restrictions

Named water-body overrides

Where statewide rules differ on specific North Dakota waters:

Lake Sakakawea
No minimum, 5 / day; ND state-record chinook 31 lb 0 oz Sakakawea 1986; one of only inland US lakes with viable Pacific salmon fishery
Garrison Dam Tailwater
Chinook salmon spring spawning migration April – May (no harvest above marker buoys at the dam); ND G&F + USFWS Garrison Dam Hatchery facility

Official source

North Dakota Game & Fish Department (ND G&F) publishes the authoritative 2026 North Dakotafishing regulations. Always verify the current rule before fishing — emergency closures and in-season changes can override what's published here.

Visit official North Dakota fishing regulations →

Emergency-order channel

Chinook salmon (king salmon) closures, slot-limit changes, and harvest pauses are posted to North Dakota Game & Fish Department's emergency-order feed — check it before any North Dakota trip during the active season.

Frequently asked questions

When is chinook salmon (king salmon) season in North Dakota?: North Dakota keeps chinook salmon (king salmon) open to fishing year-round for the 2026 regulation year — there is no closed season, though the daily bag and size limits below still apply every day.
What is the North Dakota bag limit for chinook salmon (king salmon)?: The North Dakota daily bag limit for chinook salmon (king salmon) is 5 / day per angler on Lake Sakakawea. The possession limit is 10 in possession. Some named waters set a different limit — check the water-body overrides above.
What size chinook salmon (king salmon) can you keep in North Dakota?: The North Dakota size rule for chinook salmon (king salmon) is No statewide minimum on chinook salmon. Trophy rule: ND state-record chinook salmon 31 lb 0 oz Lake Sakakawea 1986; Sakakawea one of only inland US lakes with viable Pacific salmon fishery (alongside Great Lakes + Pyramid Lake NV); ND G&F + USFWS Garrison Dam Hatchery ~500,000 chinook salmon smolts stocked annually.
Do you need a license to fish for chinook salmon (king salmon) in North Dakota?: Yes. North Dakota requires a valid fishing license to fish for chinook salmon (king salmon), with the usual exemptions for young children, state free-fishing days, and some senior or disabled-veteran categories. A license is valid only in the state that issued it, so non-residents need a North Dakota license — compare resident and non-resident North Dakota fees on the state regulations page below.
Are there gear restrictions for chinook salmon (king salmon) in North Dakota?: Yes. In North Dakota, chinook salmon (king salmon) fishing carries these gear rules: Hook-and-line; down-rigger trolling permitted (most-effective summer tactic on deep-water main-lake thermocline); Trolling spoons + dodger-fly tandem rigs + flatlining rapalas all standard tactics; Live shad + smelt bait permitted; ND Fishing Licence + Combined Fishing Stamp required ages 16+ ($16 res + $1 stamp / $45 NR + $25 stamp annual); Confirm current-year ND G&F Fishing Regulations for any seasonal restrictions.
Do specific North Dakota waters have different chinook salmon (king salmon) rules?: Yes. 2 named North Dakota waters carry rules that override the statewide chinook salmon (king salmon) regulation, including Lake Sakakawea, Garrison Dam Tailwater. See the named water-body overrides above for the exact rule on each.

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