North Badger Lake Fishing in Murray County, Minnesota

• Overview

  North Badger Lake is set in Murray County, Minnesota. It stands 1,542 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 170 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 2.0 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. Head to Slayton, 4.4 miles away, for anything you forgot. For a city, Sioux Falls is 56 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on North Badger Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Fish documented in Murray County include common carp, walleye, black bullhead, yellow perch and black crappie. What holds for the county may not hold for this water. At North Badger Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 71°F on average, January about 12°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count the season from break-up, usually early April. Break-up near early April, freeze-up near late November: that is the shape of an average year. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Keep it in mind when planning a trip to North Badger Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Whether you may fish here is not something records settle. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. The nearest car park is half a mile from the water. This sits inside Badger Wildlife Management Area, so read the reserve notices first. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Rules for boats are stricter than rules for the bank in many places. South Badger Lake at 0.7 miles is the sensible second choice. Check the position on North Badger Lake before loading the car.