Mallard Lake, North Dakota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  Mallard Lake lies in Benson County, in North Dakota. The surface lies 1,447 feet up. The water covers some 82 acres, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. Shoreline comes to about 1.2 miles, small enough to learn in a day. It is a small entry by Benson County standards. Fort Totten is the closest place, 4.3 miles off. Beyond it, Devils Lake at 8.7 miles and New Rockford at 24 miles. A border sits close enough to be relevant to the paperwork.

• Where to Fish on Mallard Lake

  There is no recorded depth, so work from what you can see. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Survey and observation records for Benson County include black bullhead, white bass, northern pike, striped bass and tadpole madtom. Records at county level tell you what is around, not what is stocked here. Read Mallard Lake for ten minutes before the first cast goes out.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 69°F on average, January about 5°F. Winter shuts the surface down for months. The lid arrives early and lasts until roughly mid April. The water is typically free of ice between mid April and mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. Anyone fishing Mallard Lake regularly works to that calendar.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Nothing in the way of made access shows up nearby: no ramp, no car park, no path. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Where access is informal, keep it that way by behaving. Keep proof of licence with you rather than in the car. Should this one be busy, Court Lake is 0.8 miles off. Check the current arrangement for Mallard Lake.