Belmont Lake in Otter Tail County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  This water sits in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Mixed forest runs right down to the water. It measures some 270 acres, and wind has room to build across it. At about 3.7 miles of edge, most people work one arm at a time. Parkers Prairie sits 15 miles from the bank. Beyond it, Elbow Lake at 21 miles and Fergus Falls at 22 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Belmont Lake

  Nothing we hold settles how deep this runs. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Reported across Otter Tail County: largemouth bass, black crappie, walleye, bluegill and yellow perch. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. The near bank of Belmont Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Temperature averages peak at 70°F in July and bottom out at 7°F in January. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. On the long-run averages the water opens up around mid April and starts locking again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. On Belmont Lake the same rules apply, with local timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. Failing this one, try Crane Lake, 1.6 miles away. Check the position on Belmont Lake before loading the car.