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

• Overview

  Gordon Lake belongs to Rolette County, North Dakota. It lies 2,083 feet above sea level. It runs to roughly 164 acres — big enough to hold fish away from the bank, small enough to learn. The edge runs 2.4 miles or so, easy to work in an afternoon. On our Rolette County list it sits near the top for size. Nearest town is Belcourt, 6 miles off. Rolla is 8.6 miles away, with Shell Valley at 9.4 miles. The nearest boundary is well away, so one set of rules covers the water.

• Where to Fish on Gordon Lake

  No figure exists for depth, so let the water show you. Look for the band where the shallows give up and the bottom falls away. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Rolette County: bluegill, northern pike and white bass. The county list is broader than any single water. At Gordon Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 65°F and January at 1°F. The freeze arrives properly here and holds. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly late April. Averages place the thaw at late April and the freeze at mid November. Late spring and early autumn carry the year between them. Time your trip to Gordon Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access is not recorded for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. A boat ramp sits about half a mile from the water. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Parking space is the usual limit rather than the bank itself. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Wheaton Lake, 0.7 miles away. Where Gordon Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.