Lake Tschida – also known as Heart Butte Reservoir – is a popular 3,000-acre lake on the Heart River in southwestern North Dakota, a summer recreation hub for the Bismarck area and the ranch country to the west. Held behind Heart Butte Dam, it’s a friendly walleye, pike and perch lake ringed by campgrounds and beaches, set among the rolling buttes and grasslands south of Glen Ullin.
This guide covers Lake Tschida: the fishing, the camping and recreation, and access. It’s part of our growing North Dakota Lakes Database.
Lake Tschida at a glance
- Surface area: ~3,000 acres on the Heart River
- Location: Grant & Morton counties, southwestern North Dakota (near Glen Ullin & Elgin)
- Built: Heart Butte Dam, completed 1949 (U.S. Bureau of Reclamation)
- Top fish: walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, crappie, smallmouth bass
Fishing Lake Tschida
Tschida is a productive, all-around prairie fishery: walleye are the main draw, with northern pike in the bays, good yellow perch and crappie, and smallmouth bass on the rocky structure. A North Dakota fishing license is required. The lake fishes well spring through fall and is a solid ice-fishing destination, drawing anglers from Bismarck and Dickinson.
Camping, beaches and recreation
The Bureau of Reclamation and local recreation areas provide campgrounds, beaches and boat ramps around the lake, making Tschida a busy, family-friendly summer spot for swimming, boating, skiing and fishing. The rolling butte-and-grassland setting is classic southwestern North Dakota, and the lake’s central location makes it an easy weekend escape for the region.
Getting there and what’s nearby
Lake Tschida is south of Glen Ullin, about 1 hour west of Bismarck and 40 minutes east of Dickinson, off I-94. The Badlands and Theodore Roosevelt National Park lie farther west, and the Heart River country surrounds the lake.
Know before you go
- Fishing license: a North Dakota license is required.
- Popular in summer: the campgrounds and beaches fill on warm weekends.
- Best seasons: spring through fall for walleye, pike and perch; winter for ice fishing.
Frequently asked questions
What is Lake Tschida also called?
Heart Butte Reservoir – it’s held behind Heart Butte Dam on the Heart River.
What fish are in Lake Tschida?
Walleye, northern pike, yellow perch, crappie and smallmouth bass.
Where is Lake Tschida?
In southwestern North Dakota south of Glen Ullin, about an hour west of Bismarck off I-94.
Related: explore more of the largest lakes in North Dakota, or head back to the North Dakota Lakes Database.
