Jones Lake Fishing near Fergus Falls, Minnesota

• Overview

  Jones Lake is listed under Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Elevation runs to 1,322 feet. Around 47 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Around 1.3 miles of margin, front to back. Fergus Falls at 13 miles is the nearest place to stop. It is 58 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Jones Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. County-wide records name largemouth bass, black crappie, walleye, bluegill and yellow perch. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. Anyone new to Jones Lake should walk it once before setting up.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Average temperature peaks around 70°F in July and bottoms out near 6°F in January. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from mid April. The lid tends to go about mid April and return around late November. Fish feed hardest at the start and the close of the open season. Plan any trip to Jones Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing is listed nearby for parking or launching a boat. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Look for a notice board at the entrance. Night access is frequently treated as a separate matter. Mud Lake, 0.8 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Nothing here settles the position at Jones Lake for certain.