Deadwood Lake Fishing in Otter Tail County, Minnesota

• Overview

  Deadwood Lake sits within Otter Tail County in Minnesota. It sits in rolling bush country. It runs to roughly 32 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. Most waters listed here for Otter Tail County are larger. Pelican Rapids lies 7.3 miles from the water. Frazee is 16 miles and Perham 17 miles. One jurisdiction covers this water end to end.

• Where to Fish on Deadwood Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Survey and observation records for Otter Tail County include largemouth bass, black crappie and walleye. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. On Deadwood Lake the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Seasonal averages run from 6°F in January up to 70°F in July. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Average temperatures cross freezing around mid April in spring and again near late November in autumn. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. At Deadwood Lake the season follows that pattern closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  No access rule appears in what we hold. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Some banks are open only from a marked point. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Beiningen Lake at 1.1 miles is the sensible second choice. None of that is settled for Deadwood Lake in what we hold.