Berry Lake in Rolette County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Look for Berry Lake in Rolette County, North Dakota. Elevation runs to 2,060 feet. With some 136 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. A shoreline of some 2.6 miles keeps the choices simple. Size puts it in the front rank of our Rolette County list. Nearest town is Shell Valley, 15 miles off. Bottineau follows at 17 miles, then Belcourt at 18 miles. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Berry Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Rolette County records list bluegill, northern pike, white bass and yellow perch among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. At Berry Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 65°F; the cold one sits at 1°F. Cold locks it up for a good stretch each year. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around late April. Ice usually gives way near late April, and forms again about mid November. June through September is the settled part of the year, with the shoulders busier for fish. Expect Berry Lake to follow that timing.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing we hold confirms whether access is permitted. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. Gordon Lake at 1.2 miles is the sensible second choice. Treat access at Berry Lake as something to verify.