Apple Creek Fishing Guides
A prairie coulee stream draining the grassland east of Bismarck to the Missouri River, with a gauge near Menoken reading water level, flow and stage on water that fishes on the spring rise.
Guides on the Apple Creek
Claimed profiles take booking requests. Unclaimed profiles are built from public records so the river is never empty; the guide can claim or remove one any time.
No guides listed yet
Guide or outfit this water? Create your profile. Listing is free, the commission is 10% or 7% with a premium profile, and premium profiles list first on this water.
About the Apple Creek
Apple Creek drains a broad stretch of the Burleigh County prairie east of Bismarck and joins the Missouri River just below the city. It is a coulee stream in the North Dakota sense, cut into the glacial till with steep grassy banks, a silt and gravel bed, and a flow that swings hard between a spring high and a late summer trickle. Trees follow the channel in a thin line and the rest is grassland, so the creek reads as a green seam across open country.
The gauge near Menoken reads water level, discharge and stage, and on a prairie stream those numbers matter more than usual. Apple Creek is one of those waters where the fishing is almost entirely a function of flow. When the spring rise is on and the creek is connected to the Missouri, river fish push up into it and the creek fishes far above its weight. When it drops through the summer it becomes a series of disconnected pools holding whatever was left behind.
That is the honest description of the fishery. The spring run is the event. Northern pike come up first and are the most reliable target, followed by walleye, sauger and the white bass and drum that move with them. Channel catfish hold in the deeper holes into summer and are the most dependable fish once the water drops. The occasional smallmouth and the goldeye that come out of the Missouri round it out.
Access is straightforward because Bismarck is right there. The creek crosses county roads repeatedly, the lower end is close to the Missouri confluence and its developed ramps, and nothing about the trip is remote. Come in the spring with the flow up, treat it as a short-season creek rather than a year-round one, and it will pay for the drive.
This water needs a real photo
The photo at the top of this page is not Apple Creek.
It is a regional stand-in, honestly captioned but generic — we will not put a name to a river we cannot prove. Send us a photograph you took here and it replaces the stand-in, with your credit on it.
Add a photo of this water
Landscape, not fish — the water itself. Reviewed by hand before it appears. The first one published here earns the Pioneer badge.
Fished this water? Add a photo
Reviewed by hand before it appears. Pick the water, not the spot — we never publish exact locations.
Access
Bismarck - the state capital minutes west, with everything a trip needs and the Missouri River on its doorstep.
Menoken - the small community at the gauge, the nearest landmark on the creek.
Missouri River - the big river the creek joins below Bismarck, with developed ramps and the source of the run fish.
General Sibley Park - a Bismarck park on the Missouri with camping and river access.
McDowell Dam Recreation Area - a Burleigh County park on the creek drainage with a small lake and facilities.
Lake Oahe - the large reservoir downstream, worth knowing when the creek is low.
Mandan - across the Missouri, with additional services, tackle and lodging.
Seasons
Spring: the season that matters, with the creek up and connected to the Missouri and pike, walleye and white bass running.
Summer: dropping fast and often reduced to pools, with catfish in the deeper holes the only reliable target.
Fall: modest flows and cool water bring a second, smaller window for pike in the lower reaches.
Winter: frozen and effectively over, with the Missouri River and Lake Oahe the places to fish instead.
From the water
No logged trips yet. Be the first to put this water on your map.
Log this water
Fished it or cleaned it? Log in or create a free account to log a trip with photos and earn the waterway badge.
Questions
What species can you catch on the Apple Creek?
Anglers target Black Crappie, Bluegill, Bullhead, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Freshwater Drum, Goldeye, Northern Pike, Sauger, Shovelnose Sturgeon, Smallmouth Bass, Walleye, White Bass, White Sucker, Yellow Perch on the Apple Creek in North Dakota.
Where can you access the Apple Creek?
Bismarck - the state capital minutes west, with everything a trip needs and the Missouri River on its doorstep. Menoken - the small community at the gauge, the nearest landmark on the creek. Missouri River - the big river the creek joins below Bismarck, with developed ramps and the source of the run fish. General Sibley Park - a Bismarck park on the Missouri with camping and river access. McDowell Dam Recreation Area - a Burleigh County park on the creek drainage with a small lake and facilities. Lake Oahe - the large reservoir downstream, worth knowing when the creek is low. Mandan - across t...
When is the best time to fish the Apple Creek?
Spring: the season that matters, with the creek up and connected to the Missouri and pike, walleye and white bass running. Summer: dropping fast and often reduced to pools, with catfish in the deeper holes the only reliable target. Fall: modest flows and cool water bring a second, smaller window for pike in the lower reaches. Winter: frozen and effectively over, with the Missouri River and Lake Oahe the places to fish instead.
Where are the fishing regulations for the Apple Creek?
Regulations change by season and section. Read the current rules on the North Dakota agency site: https://gf.nd.gov/fishing