Fishing Stovin Lake in Bottineau County, North Dakota

• Overview

  You will find Stovin Lake in Bottineau County, North Dakota. The ground around here is rolling bush. Around 77 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Around 1.6 miles of margin, front to back. Start from Deloraine, 8.9 miles down the road. Winnipeg is the closest city, 158 miles away. There is no boundary nearby to worry about.

• Where to Fish on Stovin Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. Survey and observation records for 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. On Stovin Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 2°F. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Break-up comes around late April, and the run that follows is short and strong. In an average year the thaw lands around late April and the freeze near mid November. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Stovin Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Should this one be busy, Goldie Lake is 2.4 miles off. Check the position at Stovin Lake before loading the car.