Lake Louise Fishing Guide, Pembina County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Out in Pembina County, North Dakota, sits Lake Louise. Around the bank it is lake country bush. The water covers some 59 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Roughly 2.8 miles of bank means you can walk to a fresh area when one goes quiet. Nearest place of any size is Altona, 16 miles away. Winnipeg sits 59 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. The boundary is close enough to be worth checking before you fish.

• Where to Fish on Lake Louise

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Survey and observation records for Pembina County include blackside darter, white sucker, johnny darter, rock bass and tadpole madtom. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Lake Louise where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate records put July near 68°F and January near 1°F. Spring and autumn carry the fishing; summer and winter test it. The open season starts with the thaw, near enough mid April. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. At Lake Louise the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether the bank is open is not something our records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is mapped in the way of a ramp or car park within a short radius. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Lake Stella is 4.7 miles off. Rules at Lake Louise are worth checking on the day.