Anderson Lake Fishing near Pelican Rapids, Minnesota

• Overview

  Anderson Lake belongs to Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Beyond the shoreline you have pine and birch. Around 81 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. About 2.1 miles of bank, so nothing stays unexplored for long. You are 8.8 miles from Pelican Rapids. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 47 miles away. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Anderson Lake

  Depth figures are not published for this one. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. Open biodiversity records for Otter Tail County list largemouth bass, black crappie and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. Anderson Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 6°F in January up to 69°F in July. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Going by climate averages, expect open water from about mid April until roughly late November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. At Anderson Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. State or provincial rules still apply whatever the bank status. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Kempfer Lake is 1.1 miles distant. Where Anderson Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.