Fishing at O'Connell Lake, Benson County, North Dakota

• Overview

  O'Connell Lake belongs to Benson County, North Dakota. The surroundings are pine and birch. With some 76 acres of water, there is room for a boat but no need of one. On size it sits at the modest end of our Benson County list. You are 19 miles from Fort Totten. Devils Lake lies 19 miles off, Cando another 21 miles. This one sits near enough to a boundary to be worth checking.

• Where to Fish on O'Connell Lake

  No published figure covers depth, so learn it as you fish. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. On a natural lake the weed line and the shelf beyond it do the work. Open biodiversity records for Benson County list black bullhead, white bass, northern pike, striped bass and tadpole madtom. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. O'Connell Lake gives up more to patience than to distance.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 68°F for July and 5°F for January. The year runs cold to warm and back, with clear transitions. Expect a solid lid for months and a thaw around mid April. In an average year the thaw lands around mid April and the freeze near mid November. September and October fish steadily right up to the freeze. That is the shape of the year on O'Connell Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. Mapping shows an empty shoreline: no ramp, no jetty, no marked entry. Largemouth respond to soft plastics tight to cover; go weedless where the growth is heavy. Sort the permit out before you load the car. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. Silver Lake sits 1 mile off and takes the overflow. Treat access at O'Connell Lake as something to verify.