Eighty Lake near Deloraine: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Eighty Lake is a Bottineau County water, North Dakota side. It sits at 2,346 feet above sea level. Small at around 15 acres: two anglers spread out cover most of it. On size it sits at the modest end of our Bottineau County list. Head to Deloraine, 11 miles away, for anything you forgot. The big place round here is Winnipeg, 157 miles distant. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Eighty Lake

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Species logged across Bottineau County include bluegill, brown bullhead and northern pike. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Work Eighty Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warmest month averages 65°F, the coldest about 2°F. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Once it clears, about late April, the fishing comes on quickly. Ice clears near late April and comes back about mid November in a typical year. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Eighty Lake runs to its own calendar within the local pattern.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Gates get locked out of season on water like this. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. If the gate is shut, Hathaway Lake at 1.6 miles is the nearest alternative. For Eighty Lake in particular, ask before you travel.