Pelican Lake in Ramsey County: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pelican Lake falls in Ramsey County, part of North Dakota. The ground round it is pine and birch. Devils Lake is the closest town at 14 miles. Fargo sits 142 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. Close by you also have: Silver Lake after 5.2 miles, 5.2 miles away is O'Connell Lake, Stink Lake after 7.6 miles, 8.9 miles away is Round Lake and Lake Irvine after 10 miles. The county edge is within a short distance of the bank.

• Where to Fish on Pelican Lake

  We hold no survey for this water; read the slope of the shoreline instead. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Fish documented in Ramsey County include white bass, striped bass, walleye, muskellunge and northern pike. Records at this level tell you what is in the area. At Pelican Lake the first feature you find is worth twenty minutes.

• Seasonal Patterns

  The warm month here averages 68°F; the cold one sits at 5°F. Seasons are distinct, and each one fishes differently. The lid usually goes in late April, which opens the strongest weeks of the year. On the long-run averages the water opens up around late April and starts locking again about mid November. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. Plan any trip to Pelican Lake around it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Our records carry no access rule either way. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. For the bass here, soft plastics worked slow along cover and a spinnerbait for searching do most of the work. Read any posted signs at the access point rather than assuming. Access can change hands, so last year's answer may not hold. Failing this one, try Silver Lake, 5.2 miles away. Where Pelican Lake is concerned, a local answer beats a written one.