Pipestem Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill

Reservoir · North Dakota · Eldridge, 5.8 mi away

Pipestem Lake, North Dakota: Muskellunge.

Pipestem Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill 1

Reservoir

Surface area: 1,955 acres3.1 mi²from the mapped waterbody polygon; varies with water level
Maximum depth: 35.6 ftpublished figure, LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0 (no bottom map)
Average depth: 12.9 ftpublished figure, LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0 (no bottom map)
Fish species: 3
Access: open to the public
Nearest town: Eldridge5.8 mi

Dissolved oxygennow 8.1 mg/L

Pipestem Lake fishing: Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill

Target species: Muskellunge, Smallmouth Bass, Bluegill

The lake

Pipestem Lake covers 1,955 acres in North Dakota, across Stutsman County. It is a lake. Our records hold 3 species for this water.

3 target fish, led by Muskellunge

Muskellunge — Feeding water: 65–75°F.
Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
Bluegill — Feeding water: 70–85°F.

Water and conditions

Our water temperature readings average 69°F; they do not cover the whole year, so this is not a yearly average. pH averages 8.5. These readings span 2018–2026.

USACE Pipestem dam and reservoir.jpg — Harry Weddington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · Public domain

Videos

Cyanobacteria from satellite — EPA CyAN

The EPA's Cyanobacteria Assessment Network estimates cyanobacteria from Sentinel-3 satellite images. This is the latest image in which the water was visible through the clouds.

Image date: October 31, 2026
Highest level over at least 1% of the water: Below detection

A satellite estimate with 300 m pixels, not a water sample; pixels near the shore are masked. Levels are CyAN's own scale: low below 100,000 cells/mL, medium up to about 300,000, high up to about 1,000,000, very high above that. EPA Cyanobacteria Assessment Network (CyAN), Sentinel-3 OLCI satellite imagery — public domain

State monitoring data: 286 readings from 4 stations. Shown are the full-period range, the mean and the latest sample.

Temperature

68.92°Fmean

cool

min 37.4max 82.22

latest 70.34 °F · Sep 11, 2026

59–72 °F is the most active band for most species.

58 readings · 2018–2026

Oxygen

9.73mg/Lmean

plentiful

min 4.33max 17.15

latest 7.09 mg/L · Sep 11, 2026

The long-term mean is above 8 mg/L, which is well oxygenated. Single readings still fall lower.

56 readings · 2018–2026

8.53mean

alkaline

min 7.63max 9.13

latest 7.84 · Sep 23, 2021

Alkaline water above 8.5 occurs where algae are abundant: by day they strip carbon dioxide and push the pH up.

54 readings · 2018–2021

Clarity

3.18ftmean

moderate

Two to five feet: enough visibility for fish to feed by sight, not enough for them to study your line.

11 readings · 2018–2026

Turbidity

18.55NTUmean

moderate

latest 13.8 NTU · Sep 12, 2018

Moderate suspension: typical of large water bodies that the wind stirs.

50 readings · 2018–2018

Samples are taken irregularly and at different points of the water body, so the mean describes the water as a whole, not one spot on one day.

State assessment in its 2022 report

How the state rated this water in its Clean Water Act report to the EPA.

Pipestem Reservoir · 2022 report · North Dakota · state report

Recreation: Fully supporting
Aquatic life: Fully supporting
Listed causes: nutrients

EPA ATTAINS — state water quality assessments under the Clean Water Act (303(d)/305(b)), public domain

These are past samples, not a safety check. Before swimming, eating your catch or going out on ice, check current conditions with local health and wildlife authorities.

Sources: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (public domain)·LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0 (Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M. & Soranno, P.A., EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f), CC BY 4.0·Photos: Harry Weddington, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain

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