Collin Lake Fishing in Bottineau County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Look for Collin Lake in the Bottineau County part of North Dakota. The setting is mixed forest on every side. At about 27 acres, a day is enough to walk the shoreline properly. The bank runs about 0.8 miles all the way round, so one visit can cover most of it. It is one of the smaller waters we list in Bottineau County. Deloraine lies 11 miles from the water. It is 155 miles to Winnipeg, the nearest city. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Collin Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Species logged across Bottineau County include bluegill, brown bullhead and northern pike. The list covers the county rather than this water alone, so treat it as a guide. Collin Lake gives up its fish to patience rather than distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July near 65°F and January near 2°F on the long-run figures. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Expect the water usable from around late April until roughly mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. Plan any trip to Collin Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  The rules here are undocumented as far as public sources go. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Access points are not mapped for this water, which suits people who like quiet. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Barbless rules turn up on managed water more often than not. Schoolhouse Lake, 1.7 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat Collin Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.