Burton Lake near Pelican Rapids: Fishing Spots, Seasons and Access

• Overview

  Burton Lake lies in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. What surrounds it is pine and birch. With some 71 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. Shoreline comes to about 1.4 miles, small enough to learn in a day. Nearest place of any size is Pelican Rapids, 9.3 miles away. The nearest city of size is Fargo, 34 miles away. The county line runs close by, so rules can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Burton Lake

  Depth is not on record here, which means reading the ground instead. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Otter Tail County include largemouth bass, black crappie, walleye, bluegill and yellow perch. Take it as the county picture rather than a promise for this water. On Burton Lake the quiet end is the one worth the extra effort.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 5°F in January and 70°F in July. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. Ice clears near mid April and comes back about late November in a typical year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Anyone fishing Burton Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. This sits inside Northern Tallgrass Prairie NWR, so read the reserve notices first. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. Rules for this water may differ from the county norm. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Duck Lake at 1.4 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat Burton Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.