Black Slough Fishing near Fort Totten, North Dakota

• Overview

  The Eddy County end of North Dakota holds Black Slough. It stands 1,444 feet above sea level. Fort Totten is the closest place, 21 miles off. Devils Lake follows at 22 miles, then New Rockford at 29 miles. Within a short drive: Battle Lake after 3.5 miles, Shin Bone Lake roughly 5.5 miles, Bakstad Lake after 7.5 miles, Free Peoples Lake roughly 7.7 miles and Elbow Lake after 7.8 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Black Slough

  No depth figure appears in our records, so the bank has to tell you. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Public occurrence data for Eddy County names black bullhead, tadpole madtom and white sucker. The county figures include rivers and lakes alike. On Black Slough the obvious spot is not always the productive one.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 68°F and January at 4°F. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. The lid usually sets by midwinter and gives way around mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid November. The open run goes from the thaw to the freeze, and April through October covers most of it. That shapes the year on Black Slough.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. There is no mapped parking or launch nearby, which keeps numbers down. For the pike, wire up and throw larger lures along the weed edges. Check locally before you travel, because a wasted drive is a long one. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Battle Lake sits 3.5 miles off and takes the overflow. Check the position at Black Slough before loading the car.