Fishing at Blue Lake, McLean County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Blue Lake is a McLean County water, North Dakota side. Height above sea level is 1,814 feet. About 513 acres, so local knowledge or a boat saves a lot of walking. Around 5.8 miles of bank, which is a long day on foot. You are 22 miles from Washburn. Garrison is 32 miles and Velva 36 miles. No boundary runs near, so the county rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Blue Lake

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Survey and observation records for McLean County include bluegill, rainbow smelt, smallmouth bass and northern pike. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. At Blue Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 69°F; the cold one sits at 8°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Ice-out usually falls in mid April, and the weeks after it fish hardest. Climate averages put the opening at about mid April and the closing near late November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Anyone fishing Blue Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A boat ramp sits half a mile away, so trailered boats can get on. Blue Lake Wildlife Management Area takes in this water; protected-area rules will apply. Where a permit is needed, the nearest town usually sells it. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. If the gate is shut, Pelican Lake at 1.1 miles is the nearest alternative. For Blue Lake, the notice at the access point is the final word.