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

• Overview

  This water sits in Rolette County, North Dakota. Beyond the shoreline you have mixed forest. The water covers some 76 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. It sits round rather than ragged, so structure comes from depth, not shape. The nearest town is Shell Valley, 11 miles away. The big place round here is Winnipeg, 142 miles distant. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on Jay Lake

  Depth here is unknown, so count the lead down before committing. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. This is a lake, so the margins and the first drop matter most. Records held for Rolette County cover bluegill, northern pike, white bass and yellow perch. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Treat Jay Lake as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The seasonal spread runs 0°F to 65°F. A hard winter is normal, and the thaw brings a strong few weeks. Look for the thaw near late April; the fishing lifts straight after. The lid tends to go about late April and return around mid November. The shoulder weeks of the open season are the productive ones. Plan around that when you fish Jay Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  We have no record of the rules that apply on this bank. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. Nothing formal is recorded here: no ramp, no car park, no marked path. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Carpenter Lake at 1.7 miles is the sensible second choice. For Jay Lake in particular, ask before you travel.