McKenna Lake, North Dakota: Fishing Spots and Seasons

• Overview

  The Logan County entry here is McKenna Lake, in North Dakota. The bank is 1,932 feet above sea level. Start from Linton, 26 miles down the road. Further out sit Lincoln (46 miles) and Bismarck (51 miles). Other water within reach: Goose Lake a shade over 10 miles, Stink Lake lies 11 miles on, Beaver Lake a shade over 12 miles, Alkaline Lake lies 17 miles on and Alkali Lake a shade over 19 miles. No border sits close enough to matter.

• Where to Fish on McKenna Lake

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. The shallow end warms first and pulls fish in ahead of the rest. At McKenna Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The year swings from about 8°F in January to roughly 70°F in July. A full turn of seasons, with the strongest sport on either side of summer. The freeze runs deep into the year, with break-up near mid April. The open-water window runs from around mid April to about late November in an average year. Reckon on open water from spring through to late autumn, with May and June the strongest. That shapes the year on McKenna Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The paperwork position is blank for this one. Nothing built is recorded close to the bank here. A phone call first saves an afternoon. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. Goose Lake, 10 miles away, makes the obvious fallback. Treat McKenna Lake as unsettled until someone local tells you otherwise.