Fishing at Little Goose Lake, Grand Forks County, North Dakota

• Overview

  Little Goose Lake belongs to Grand Forks County, North Dakota. The ground round it is mixed forest. The water covers some 31 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. On size it sits at the modest end of our Grand Forks County list. Some 10 miles away sits Larimore, the nearest settlement. The big place round here is Fargo, 88 miles distant. It sits well inside its county, with no border complications.

• Where to Fish on Little Goose Lake

  We hold no depth figure for this one. Look for where the old bank line still shows under the surface. Held water runs deepest at the wall and shallows back to the inflow. County-wide records name blackside darter, johnny darter, black bullhead, shorthead redhorse and white sucker. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Little Goose Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Between January at about 3°F and July at about 68°F, the water has a wide range to work through. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. Firm cover through the cold months, then open water from mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid November. The middle of summer slows a little, with dawn and dusk carrying it. That is the shape of the year on Little Goose Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Pike mean a wire trace, no exceptions; big spoons and jerkbaits do the searching. Check whether a boat is allowed before you tow one. Where tickets apply, they are sold in the nearest town rather than on the bank. For a change of water, Smith Lakes is 1.5 miles distant. Ask locally about Little Goose Lake if anything is unclear.