Lake Oliver in Swift County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Lake Oliver in the Swift County part of Minnesota. Height above sea level is 1,073 feet. At 456 acres this is proper open water rather than a pond. It ranks high for size among our Swift County listings. For a base, Appleton sits 9.6 miles out. Fargo is the closest city, 112 miles away. Nearest other option: Rev Marsh at 2.1 miles, Large Henry Lake some 3.2 miles off, Hart Lake at 5.3 miles, Artichoke Lake some 5.8 miles off and Dry Wood Lake at 6 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Lake Oliver

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. 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 Swift County include common carp, yellow perch, black crappie, walleye and northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Fish Lake Oliver to its features, not to its size.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 10°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly early April. Ice usually gives way near early April, and forms again about late November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to Lake Oliver.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. There is a mapped slipway roughly half a mile away. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Signs go up and come down, so check on the day. If the gate is shut, Rev Marsh at 2.1 miles is the nearest alternative. Treat access at Lake Oliver as something to verify.