Fishing at Edward Arthur Patterson Lake, Stark County, North Dakota

• Overview

  You will find Edward Arthur Patterson Lake in Stark County, North Dakota. Height above sea level is 2,405 feet. Roughly 808 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. With 6.2 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. It is high ground by North Dakota standards. For a base, Dickinson sits 3.4 miles out. After that come Belfield at 16 miles and Killdeer at 36 miles. The county line is nowhere near, so one local authority covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Edward Arthur Patterson Lake

  Depth is unmeasured here, so let the shoreline guide you. Built water gives depth close in, which suits a bank angler. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Reported across Stark County: bluegill, black crappie and walleye. Those are county-wide records, so not every one of them will be in this water. The near bank of Edward Arthur Patterson Lake is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 13°F in January to roughly 70°F in July. Expect a real winter and a strong spring after it. Hard cover is dependable here; it goes around early April. The open-water window runs from around early April to about late November in an average year. The strong weeks are the first after break-up and the last before the freeze. On Edward Arthur Patterson Lake that shapes the whole year.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. There is a slipway on the shore, half a mile from the water we list. The nearest mapped parking is half a mile away, so the last stretch is on foot. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. There is camping recorded roughly half a mile off. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Close seasons apply to some species and not others. Abbey Lake at 26 miles is the sensible second choice.