Fishing at Blackduck Lake, Beltrami County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Blackduck Lake is one of the Beltrami County listings for Minnesota. The surface lies 1,332 feet up. Surface area runs to some 4.2 sq miles, so a boat and a plan are both worth having. With 11 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Few waters listed in Beltrami County are bigger. Nearest town is Redby, 17 miles off. Red Lake is 21 miles and Bemidji 21 miles. This one is safely inside the county line.

• Where to Fish on Blackduck Lake

  The basin drops to a measured 32 feet. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. Fish documented in Beltrami County include walleye, yellow perch and northern pike. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Fish Blackduck Lake where the bottom changes rather than where it looks deep.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Typical July readings run about 67°F; by January the average is down near 3°F. Winter shuts things down for a spell, then spring reopens them fast. The lid usually goes in mid April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. Break-up sits around mid April on average, with the water closing again about mid November. May into June fishes hardest, and September gives a second good stretch before the lid returns. That is the shape of the year on Blackduck Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We hold no note on access for this one. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. The water borders Carmen Borgerding Wildlife Management Area, so expect the reserve rules to apply. 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. Some stretches are reserved and marked as such on the ground. Should this one be busy, Crandall Lake is 1.7 miles off. Nothing on Blackduck Lake should be assumed from this page alone.