The river forms the 27-mile long Lake Ashtabula behind the Baldhill Dam north of Valley City, which was constructed in 1951 for flood control by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
The Sheyenne is classified as a "perch river," as its banks are higher than the surrounding ground, formed as natural levees in flooding centuries ago.
The Sheyenne diversion canal, built 1990-1992 in a joint federal-state effort, channels waters around the edges of the cities to draw off floodwaters.
The river valley from Baldhill Dam at Lake Ashtabula and south to Lisbon can be as deep as 200 feet and a mile wide.
Anglers can find northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, channel catfish and white bass in its lower reaches.