The long wait is over: the “Hard Water” season is officially losing its grip. With the Duck Creek and Marina bays shaking off their winter coats, Fort Peck is finally open for business—though she’s currently serving a side of caution with those cold-water catches.
Here is Don Wilkins’ latest Fort Peck update, as of March 26, 2026, on the thawing conditions and the early-season bite.
Fort Peck has finally got some open water to fish, and the Duck Creek and Marina bays are mostly ice-free. There are still areas of floating, broken-up ice out there, so be cautious when running around, as some of it is fairly good-sized. There is also some wood debris floating around as well.
Fishing has been off and on a little with the cold water temps and up and down weather, but picking up some walleye, pike, and smallmouth pitching jigs and plastics in 8-15 FOW for the most part. Pulling cranks shallow also produced some lakers and northerns.
Water temps out in the main were around 35 and the highest we saw in the shallows was 39.
