Fishing Lake Nettie in McLean County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Lake Nettie sits within McLean County in North Dakota. The bank is 1,827 feet above sea level. Roughly 423 acres of surface: treat each bay as a water in its own right. Bank access stretches around 3.0 miles in total. The closest town, Garrison, is 19 miles distant. Fargo is the closest city, 204 miles away. It sits well inside the county, so one set of rules covers it.

• Where to Fish on Lake Nettie

  There is no published depth for this one, so start shallow and work out. A natural lake fishes on cover, and cover here means weed and timber. 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. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. Treat Lake Nettie as a water to read rather than to cover.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 9°F. Cold winters and warm summers give a wide working range. Count the season from break-up, usually mid April. Averages suggest open water from about mid April through to roughly late November. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. The season on Lake Nettie follows the weather closely.

• Tackle & Baits

  Who may fish here is not settled in anything we hold. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. The water borders Lake Nettie National Wildlife Refuge, so reserve rules are likely to apply. A small crankbait along the drop and a worm in the thick stuff cover the bass. A phone call first saves an afternoon. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. Crooked Lake sits 1.1 miles off and takes the overflow. Nothing here settles the position at Lake Nettie for certain.