Nelson Lake Fishing Guide, Otter Tail County, Minnesota

• Overview

  In Minnesota, Nelson Lake belongs to Otter Tail County. The surface lies 1,444 feet up. This is sizeable water at about 288 acres, and a boat opens up most of it. There is roughly 2.7 miles of shoreline here, which is a short walk end to end. The nearest town is Parkers Prairie, 2.9 miles away. It is 83 miles to Fargo, the nearest city. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Nelson Lake

  No chart reached our records; the first cast is your sounding. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Otter Tail County records list largemouth bass, black crappie, walleye and bluegill among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. Nelson Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Long-term averages put July at about 69°F and January near 7°F. Fishing here follows the temperature more than the calendar. After mid April the shallows warm and the fish move up. Break-up near mid April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. That is the shape of the year on Nelson Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. There is no mapped parking or launch close by, which usually means walking in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Rules differ from one water to the next round here. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. The nearest alternative is Miller Lake, 0.7 miles out. None of that is settled for Nelson Lake in what we hold.