German Lake Fishing near Fergus Falls, Minnesota

• Overview

  This water sits in Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Country round the bank runs to pine and birch. Around 73 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. The shape is regular, which means fewer obvious ambush corners. Fergus Falls lies 11 miles from the water. The big place round here is Fargo, 62 miles distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on German Lake

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. County-wide records name largemouth bass, black crappie and walleye. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Take German Lake a stretch at a time.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 7°F and July at about 70°F, the water has a wide range to work through. Four clear seasons, with a proper winter at one end. 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. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. German Lake runs to that rhythm year in and year out.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing on record says whether the bank is open or closed. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Some banks are open only from a marked point. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Should this one be busy, Dane Lake is 1.4 miles off. Where German Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.