Fishing at Goose Lake, Emmons County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Emmons County in North Dakota is where Goose Lake sits. It sits in pine and birch country. The water covers around 2.4 sq miles, which puts most of it out of reach from the bank. With 7.3 miles or so of shoreline, boat anglers cover ground the bank cannot. Of the waters listed here in Emmons County, this is the largest. The nearest place of any size is Linton, 22 miles away. For a city, Fargo is 154 miles off. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Goose Lake

  Depth is unknown to us, and the shoreline is the better guide. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. Where the bottom changes texture, fish gather; find that line. Across Emmons County, recorded fish include northern pike. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Goose Lake responds to conditions more than to tactics.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Expect July to average close to 70°F, with January the cold end at about 7°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Ice fishing carries the winter, and the water opens about mid April. The season between ice runs from about mid April to late November. Look to early summer and the first cool weeks of autumn. Time your trip to Goose Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. This is a natural basin, not a dammed one. No built facilities appear in mapping around this water. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Stink Lake, 6.2 miles out. Check the current arrangement for Goose Lake.